Monica recalled that her mother had once told her then-boyfriend to watch her diet because in her eyes she was "fat" while her then-boyfriend was in good shape. "She even cried, leaving me quite surprised." That's one way to parent in many Chinese families – the thinking is that girls should keep fit so that they'll be more popular in society. Objectification Theory: BAM has been conducting a series of studies testing proposed mediators, moderators, and outcomes of Objectification Theory. We have examined self-objectification in specific, relevant contexts (e.g., sorority rush) and among different social groups (e.g., members of dance groups, roller derby skaters, gay men and lesbian women). Foster-Gimbel, O., Engeln, R., & Doyle, D. (2018). The Gay Community Involvement Index: An exploratory factor analysis and initial validation of a new measure of gay community involvement. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 47, 1-15 . Johnson, S., & Engeln, R. (2020). Gender Discrepancies in Perceptions of the Bodies of Female Fashion Models. Sex Roles, 84, 299-311. For 26-year-old Rani Wei, the experience hits close to home. The former actress said in most of the auditions she had attended, she was discriminated against because she was "overweight" and "not that beautiful" by filmmaking standards.

An award-winning Northwestern University psychology professor reveals how the cultural obsession with women's appearance is an epidemic that harms women's ability to get ahead and to live happy, meaningful lives, in this powerful, eye-opening work in the vein of Naomi Wolf, Peggy Orenstein, and Sheryl Sandberg. The Hair and Beauty Award also covers labour hire businesses and their employees who are working for a business in the hair and beauty industry. A man is in charge of making money, a woman is in charge of being pretty." Though gender equality dominates mainstream conversation, this maxim still shapes our societal values and reinforces gender roles in all aspects of our lives. Foster-Gimbel, O., & Engeln, R. (2016). Fat chance! Experiences and expectations of antifat bias in the gay community. Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity, 3, 63-70.Fat Talk: BAM researchers have been examining the frequency, content, and impact of the types of social exchanges in which women engage in mutual body disparagement. Of particular interest is the finding that this type of talk appears to be most common among women of a healthy body weight. hairdressers or cosmetologists working in the general retail, theatrical, amusement and entertainment industry When it comes to asking the daughter to lose weight, Zhao Yangyang has a mother that's the same as Monica's. Zhao, 24, has taken diet pills from countries such as Japan and South Korea. "They really worked, though they made you thirsty."

My lab (The Body and Media Lab, a.k.a. “BAM”) conducts research exploring issues surrounding women’s body images, with a particular emphasis on cultural practices that create or enforce the frequently contentious relationship women have with their bodies. Descriptions of specific areas of research are below.

Get help

Sladek, M., Engeln, R., & Miller, S.A. (2014). Development and validation of the Male Body Talk Scale: A psychometric investigation. Body Image, 11, 233-244. An award-winning psychology professor reveals how the cultural obsession with women's appearance is an epidemic that harms women's ability to get ahead and to live happy, meaningful lives, in this powerful, eye-opening work in the vein of Peggy Orenstein and Sheryl Sandberg. high frequency body treatments including full body massage and other body treatments (if it is not a health business) For a time, toxic criteria of slimness made their rounds on social media, such as millions of netizens sharing photos of eggs being delicately perched on their pronounced collarbones. These bizarre internet trends have further contributed to the social anxiety of young women who fear judgment or strive for perfectionism. And there are the myriad beauty "gurus" who link slimness to self-discipline, and beauty to power. Whether we are tall or short, fat or slim, we don't want to be treated as an object," Tang said, looking adamantly at the camera.