Current
Domestic Research Projects
That Swimsuit Reveals
You: Body Image and Bathing Suits of Florida
Women
Anita
Spring, Ph.D. Professor of
Anthropology, University
of Florida
Veronica McClain, MPH, University of Florida
Abstract
Swimsuits
are the most revealing garment that women
wear in public. Yet wearing swimsuits affect women’s self-esteem in
terms of
how they feel about their bodies and attractiveness. Quantitative and
qualitative data were collected from convenience samples of Florida women
and were later analyzed in
terms of five strata (Competitors, Asians, Blacks, Hispanics, and
Whites) to be
comparable to the body image literature on ethnicity and race.
Quantitative
measurements were taken to calculate body mass index (BMI), waist
circumference, waist hip ratios, and bust waist ratios. As well, women
described their swimwear usage, and views on fit and styles in
narrative
questions. Data analysis was based on interconnecting hypotheses
relating to:
physical measurements and their affects on body image and swimsuits;
body-objectification, self-esteem, and body dissatisfaction;
race/ethnicity and
cultural affects on body image and swimsuit usage; and increasing age
and
swimsuit use. Results show that all participants: (1) overestimate
their body
size and shape (Competitors have the least overestimation) and most
desire
smaller bodies and larger busts and (2) are affected by the media
depicting
thin ideal throughout the lifespan, although Black participants are
less
affected. For Black and some Hispanic women, cultural constructions of
attractiveness mediate body dissatisfaction and swimsuit use. For Asian
women,
conservative values rather than body size affect swimsuit usage. Some
women who
are closer to the thin ideal have better body images and self-esteem,
but most
White and Hispanic women with normal BMI express body dissatisfaction
in
general, and especially when wearing swimsuits.