Body image in women: The relationship to self-concept and charismatic leadership development at the U.S. Air Force Academy

Body image is a social and psychological phenomenon that impacts the lives of women more often than men. This phenomenological work examined the literature and the experiential accounts of 10 female students at the U.S. Air Force Academy surrounding the cognitive and emotional dynamics of body image and how those dynamics impact self-concept and leadership. Participants volunteered to participate in a focus group and 3 individual interviews that explored personal history, perceptions and attitudes, and pervasive experiences involving body image and leadership. All interactions were audio recorded and data was analyzed using the phenomenological reduction method.;Social Learning Theories provided a framework for understanding body image and the relevant relationships that existed among body image, self-concept, and charismatic leadership behaviors. Social Learning Theories partially explained the influence of social and contextual interactions but was paramount in the development of themes that described the relationships between experiences shared by participants. As a result of this work, a greater understanding of body image was formed.;The link between body image and leadership was recognized and coined as the body image-to-leadership dynamic. Self-confidence, attitude toward leadership, and social skills were identified as charismatic leadership characteristics most impacted by the body image-to-leadership dynamic. Implications for future study on women in leadership were considered and discussed. Advocacy and activism in social science research inspired an urgency to pursue this topic of study with the intention to initiate intervention.