Narratives about the Media, Diet, and Body Image: A Cross-Cultural Comparison between Young Female Adults in the Midwestern United States and South Korea

Abstract

This paper focuses on analysing college women’s narratives to discover their interpretations of thin ideals and dieting experiences and to compare cultural differences between the USA and Korea. Narrative analysis revealed that US women and Korean women have a different understanding of thin ideals. Both groups experienced social comparisons, social pressure to be thin, and emotional distress regarding appearance. Similarly, they revealed their emotional fluctuations associated with changes in weight. However, there were cultural differences in both groups’ ultimate goals for weight control. Consequently, this study suggests that feelings towards weight control have culturally grounded implications. Future directions are discussed.

Keywords:

• Cross-Cultural Comparison
• Weight Control
• Body Image
• Dieting Behaviours