Body Image and Compensatory Behaviors Among Black Women

For many Black women, body image is multidimensional including skin color, hair texture, and waist-hip-ratio (curvaceous figures). This study explores satisfaction with culturally relevant features of body image, actual-ideal discrepancies, racial identity, and compensatory behaviors among Black women.;Pearson's r correlations revealed that actual-personal ideal body discrepancy, actual-European ideal body discrepancy, scores on Pre-Encounter Miseducation racial identity subscale, and Pre-Encounter Self-Hatred racial identity subscale all exhibited small to medium positive correlations with compensatory behaviors. Actual-personal ideal skin discrepancy, actual-women in community ideal skin discrepancy, scores on Hair Esteem scale, and scores on Body Esteem scale all exhibited small to medium negative correlations with compensatory behaviors.;Using a four stage hierarchical linear regression, scores on Pre-Encounter Miseducation, Multiculturalist Inclusive, Body Esteem and Hair Esteem scales; along with actual-personal ideal skin discrepancy and actual-European ideal body discrepancy emerged as significant predictors of compensatory behaviors.