Black young women
face unique pressures as they navigate social media and what it tells
them about their bodies, said Sophia Choukas-Bradley at a Carter Series
lecture, presented in late October by the University of Delaware’s
Department of Women and Gender Studies. Additionally, she noted that
body image concerns that result from such pressures have been linked to
lower self-esteem, depressive symptoms, and disordered eating.
An assistant professor of psychology at the University of Pittsburgh,
Choukas-Bradley is a former UD faculty member. The Carter Series, which
presents lectures focused on outstanding research on women, is funded
by the Mae and Robert Carter Endowment in Women’s Studies.
Choukas-Bradley’s lecture focused on the social media dimensions of a
larger research project in which she and her collaborators are
examining the gendered racial identity development of Black young women
and their experiences related to sexual objectification,
self-objectification and body image, and the intersection of sexism and
racism.
Dubbed “Project ROSE” (Racial Identity, Objectification, and
Sociocultural Experiences), the research grew out of earlier work that
Choukas-Bradley conducted while at UD. Research collaborators include
Jioni Lewis and Brianna Ladd of the University of Maryland and Rowan
Hunt of the University of Louisville.
Adolescent girls and young women experienced body image concerns long
before the advent of the internet and social media, acknowledged
Choukas-Bradley. She referenced the “imaginary audience,” a term first
coined by U.S. developmental psychologist David Elkin to describe the
belief of adolescents that others are constantly focusing attention on
them, scrutinizing their behaviors and appearance. However, as
Choukas-Bradley said, “that imaginary audience is no longer so
imaginary.” Social media’s publicness, permanence and quantifiability —
the ability to see how many people like your photo — adds to its
potential risks.
Social media promotes an arbitrary standard of beauty, said
Choukas-Bradley. She listed some of the attributes that are currently
portrayed on social media as desirable, such as a small nose, big eyes,
wavy or straight hair, dramatic eyebrows, and high cheekbones. “There is
a homogenization of increasingly unattainable beauty standards across
race and ethnicity,” said Choukas-Bradley. She pointed to work by
Tressie McMillan Cottom and other feminist scholars showing that many
Black young women internalize Eurocentric standards of beauty.
She also talked about the “slim thick” body type that is now in
vogue. A “slim thick” figure is used to describe a woman with a small
waist, flat stomach and larger hips, rear and thighs, who also is
muscled and well-toned. Choukas-Bradley pointed out the transitory
nature of these beauty ideals, noting that when she was an adolescent,
overall slimness was the desired look.
Yet, her research indicates that social media is a double-edged
sword. While social media can perpetuate harmful beauty standards, it
also can depict greater diversity in beauty ideals. Some of the research
participants in Project ROSE talked positively about the increased
representation of Black women and queer and trans women on social
media.
Patricia Sloane-White, chair of the Department of Women and Gender
Studies, said of Choukas-Bradley’s lecture, “I don't think there was a
person present who couldn’t relate to or empathize with the demands of
bodily perfection — and the self-judgment — that social media generates,
and the profound impact that images of thin white influencers and now
thin/thick bodies have on women of color.”
The Carter Series lectures are intended to provide an opportunity to
explore varied topics addressing contemporary feminism and to foster an
environment in which feminist ideas may thrive.
View Choukas-Bradley’s lecture
In 2023, the Department of Women and Gender Studies will celebrate
its 50th year of teaching about, studying, and advocating for the rights
of women and all marginalized people. For information about “50 Years
Strong” events, please visit the department’s website.
