Recent orders
European Civilization Compared to India and China
Question 1: European Civilization Compared to India and China
There was a significant trajectory, and rise of European civilization. The latter can be compared to the civilizations, which occurred in India and China. In Europe, after the tenth century, people benefited from territorial expansion, population growth and prosperity. People became aware of the importance of specialization, and in turn, commerce and trade occurred in the towns and rural areas. Example of towns, which prospered due to commerce and trade, were Italian cities such as Venice. Furthermore as the fourteenth century began, many people lost their lives due to various calamities. The latter included; epidemics. The Black Death, wars, as well as famines. The result was that the population levels declined, and people had to deal with rising wages and falling rents (Duiker& Spielvogel, 2011).
On the other hand, in China, many people existed as compared to Europe, in a phase known as the Common Era. As compared to Europe, political stability existed in China and even its economy improved drastically. Europe was in dire need of Chinese products, such as ceramics and tea, which in turn, contributed to it being a stable and competitive market. In India, a caste system existed, which had an impact on its population growth and the economy (Duiker& Spielvogel, 2011). Thus, most parts of India were not as developed as compared to china and Europe. On the other hand, in India, there was extreme advancement in technology and commerce. However, it did not assist in making India have prosperous industries.
There were also differences that existed between the Arab civilization and civilization, which existed in Europe. The latter were mostly Christians, while the former were Muslims, and they had different lifestyles. In the Arab civilizations, the men were the ones who dictated how society ought to be. Also, in European society this existed, but to a limited extent as witnessed. For example, the Puritans did not give any rights to their women and they were expected to be passive in societal matters (McNeill & McNeill, 2003). In a nutshell, the European civilization is described as being more advanced as compared to the Arab one. Moreover, most Europeans migrated to other regions and they influenced other civilization such as the Americas.
Question 2: The Impact of Black Death
The Black Death is a notable period, which took place in history, as many people died due to the spread of deadly diseases. Also, it had a significant impact on the Byzantium as well as in Medieval Europe. In turn, many societies in Western Europe were affected as they became vulnerable to many other problems. It is believed that the Black Death originated in Asia before it spread to other parts. Rats and fleas were the ones that transmitted the disease and then spread to human beings. There was a tremendous strain, especially to the population of mediaeval Europe. Furthermore, people began to doubt traditional values, and others even began to challenge and change their old institutions. Even the Byzantines were affected, including the son to the king, and he came up with ways to protect his people from the plague. The people who were affected by the Black Death had to change their lifestyles. For example, those who usually took a bath many times, had to reduce, and only the rich had the privilege of bathing regularly. The calamities, which took place in Byzantium and medieval Europe, lead to many areas becoming developed (Bennett & Hollister 2006).
References
Duiker, William. & Spielvogel, Jackson. (2011). The Essential World History, 6th Ed. Boston, Massachusetts: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.
McNeill, J. & McNeill, William. (2003). The Human Web: A Bird’s Eye View of World History 1st Ed. New York and London: W.W. Norton and Company.
Bennett, M. & Hollister, C. (2006). Medieval Europe: A Short History .New York: McGraw-Hill.
After a Great Pain
Poetry Journal
Name:
Institution:
Course:
Tutor:
Date:
A Certain Lady
Love relationships tend to be emotionally sensitive and the failure to attend to a partners emotional needs leads to feelings of pain and rejection. Parker presents a woman who reflects on her relationships with a man that he is deeply in love with. She experiences immense emotional pain but puts on gay pretense in order to make the man believe that she really loves him. She “Marvels rapturous eyed” while he “rehearses his lists of love” (6, 13). The woman can be blamed for this state of affairs because of the fact that she fails to make the man understand her true feelings of pain. This is a common incidence especially with young and adventurous ladies who would go to great lengths to keep the man that they love regardless of the fact that the feelings between the two are not mutual. This is especially common with women who are desperate for love and would therefore endure all pain in order to keep the men to themselves. This theme has been explored by the media industry through time. Young women in most movies tend to be more susceptible to such scenarios than their older counterparts. In the long run, such mannerisms lead to abusive relationships that are counterproductive. The resultant emotional pain and suffering is however self deserving.
After a Great Pain
A painful experience is often characterized by different stages that Dickinson describes as “First chill—then Stupor—then the letting go” (Line 13). After a great pain that is usually experienced after the death of a close person, the formal feeling that follows this pertains to the funeral. Emotions that stem from the extreme painful feelings are always responsible for making us experience numbness. Dickinson’s process is essential for one to be able to get over the pain and regain normalcy. It is ingrained in a person’s psychological wellbeing and skipping one stage usually culminates in serious medical conditions. It can basically be likened to suppression of certain feelings as opposed to overcoming them. Emotional pain always makes one heart to feel as though it is dead. The death of a close person is particularly hurting. The pain that is experienced tends to be extreme but once the person goes through the entire procedure, painful feelings tend to cease and s/he returns to normalcy. However, in most cases, such incidences are seldom forgotten. The impact of this has been expressed by the author through line 12 “As Freezing Persons recollect the snow”. Basically, this implies that frequent remembrance of the dead persons also reminds the living of the similar experience that they would undergo during their lifetime.
Those Winter Sundays
Sunday is considered a day of rest and most persons always do that- rest. During my childhood, winter Sundays were particularly just suitable for sleeping. The author seems to capture the description of the situation well when he states “I would wake and hear the cold/ splintering, breaking” (Stanza 2). In this poem, the author presents to the audience an extra ordinary man whose Sundays were not always times of sleep. He wakes up before the rest of the household to address their comfort needs and ensure that they do not experience a similar difficulty as he did when he woke up. However, the entire family treats him with indifference; disregard and “chronic angers” are typical of the home environment. They fail to appreciate the great effort that the foster father makes. I wonder how many a times we fail to be appreciative of the little yet significant favors that various persons accord us. I understand at times it is human nature to disregard certain activities but the value system stipulates that it is virtuous to acknowledge the efforts that certain individuals make to enhance our comfort. Failure to do this often culminates in feelings of guilt that undermine the quality of life of our entire being.
The Ruined Maid
The current societal value system prescribes that humans uphold certain virtues that are aimed at enhancing good behavior. Although no human is perfect, it is important to emphasize on the need to do good and avoid evil. Despite this recognition, I love the way Hardy presents sin tin The Ruined Maid. He manages to portray the life of sin to be very attractive as compared to a sinless life. In this Audrey lives a grubby life in the countryside. By comparing her to Amelia who experiences great leisure and lives a life that is fun filled, hardy underscores the fact that virtuous behavior has a great price. This is exemplified when Amelia tells her sister “My dear—a raw country girl, such as you be/ Cannot quite expect that. You ain’t ruined”, said she”. It cannot be disputed that most individuals admire the material benefits that are associated with sin. However, attaining such a status involves compromising of important virtues and values that are intrinsic in nature. One s left to wonder whether Audrey would be compelled to take after Amelia and follow her footsteps. This is undoubtedly a personal decision that requires great thought and an objective analysis of the pros and cons that are likely to stem from the given decision.
My Father’s Song
The inherent attributes are typical of my father who worked desperately to ensure that we led a quality life. He was exceptionally talented and gifted in the sense that despite lacking credible education and training, he still made us proud by providing effectively for our material and emotional needs. He was indeed a role model, a mentor and a great inspiration that impacted positively on my life. His life can be likened to Wills “…Thin slice of life…” (Line 16). Have you ever wondered why the best persons in our lives tend to live short lives? I usually attribute this to the proverbial plucking of the best flower form the garden by God. Even in adulthood, it feels nostalgic to think about the great responsibilities that this man shouldered. Many a times I used to take for granted his presence and overall contribution to my life. Only after his demise did I realize that I miss his help and support. Of great importance however are the values he instilled in me since childhood. Undoubtedly, they are important in facing the current emergent challenges that I grapple with in my adult life. Will’s assertion “Gone Dreams” (Line 28) however brings me back to reality.
To His Coy Mistress
No other poet provides a distinctive explanation of the feelings that men experience during courtship. The cycle of events that has been presented in the poem is a typical presentation of the experiences that women always have to deal with during courtship. It is true that most men begin by telling the women that they would wait forever for the woman to make the decision. However, with time, impatience and feelings of insecurity creep in. According to Marvel, this is exemplified when the men think “Thy beauty shall no more be found, Nor, in thy marble vault shall sound” (Line 25-6). During my teenage years, I found it difficult to keep up with my boyfriend’s demands to take me to bed on the premise that this would strengthen the relationship. This is a representation of the extent that men can go to make excuses geared towards taking their women to bed. Once they have mentioned this idea, they tend to get obsessed with it and failure to attain this can lead to the dissolution of the relationship. Just as Marvel puts it, such men always think that this is the best feeling that they could ever experience. However, it should be appreciated that this is immoral and does not offer the best option for having a woman.
Mr. Flood’s Party
Human beings require each other’s company for them to be able to cope with their day to day challenges. In Mr. Flood’s Party, the author explicitly underscores the different negative implications of loneliness and desperation. Since all his friends have succumbed to death and the townspeople tend to shun him, the old man lives alone. Notably, time passes fast and the intrinsic events are well beyond his control. He is an intelligent person whom despite his loneliness, he makes the best out of the situation. In this respect, when he realizes that he is likely to succumb to death very son, he decides to hold a drinking party.
“Well, Mr. Flood, we have the harvest moon Again, and we may not have many more; The bird is on the wing, the poet says, And you and I have said it here before. Drink to the bird.” (Lines 9-13)
The inherent theme that the author explores is a true reflection of our day to day life. In most instances, we would always want to utilize our time well in order to benefit maximally from a given situation. For instance, whenever I go visiting my grandparents for a day, I can still up until late to talk to them and ensure that I have quality time.
I Knew a Woman
It is widely contended that beautiful women tend to be appreciated and acknowledged by the entire society. Physical beauty is defined differently by varied societies. Regardless of this, it is widely agreed that such women often have likeable characteristics. My sister is a very beautiful woman who is very social and interacts with people of different backgrounds. As a result, she is loved and adored by the entire family as well as the public. This can be likened to the poet’s “I knew a woman, lovely in her bones” (Line 1). This implies that the beauty of this woman is both internal and external. These are exemplary attributes that not all beautiful women tend to have. In the modern society, pride influences such women to disregard other people. While this was uncommon in conventional societies, its incidence was comparatively on a lower scale than it is today. The charm that characterizes the beauty of a woman is a conception that has been lyrically explored since historical times. To date, there are different songs as well as poems that are composed in praise of the physical attributes of a woman. The poem I Knew a Woman is an exemplary exploration and appreciation of the beauty of a woman. Regardless of the fact that the poem is not entirely sexual in nature, I find it interesting because of the remarkable choice of words that make the entire poem arresting.
What Lips my Lips Have Kissed and Where and Why
Ever heard of kissing a dozen frogs before meeting a prince? Well, the author of this poem ascertains that it is a common incident that in most instances occurs because of our mistakes. She sounds apologetic to the past lovers as she wronged them in different ways. Breaking from a love relationship is always emotionally disturbing and draining especially if the degree of attachment was very high. It ultimately culminates in feelings of loneliness and immense distress. Although the persona in the poem does not remember her past lovers, she ascertains that she had some and lost them. She is currently lonely and laments;
“And in my heart there stirs a quiet pain For unremembered lads that not again Will turn to me at midnight with a cry. Thus in winter stands the lonely tree, Nor knows what birds have vanished one by one, Yet knows its boughs more silent than before:” (Line 6-11).
Broken love relationships are seldom remembered with fondness. My personal experience can attest to this. Whenever I break up from a love relationship, I always develop feelings of resentment if the break up was caused by the particular person. However, in cases where I am the cause, I tend to struggle for a long tem with feelings of guilt.
My Last Duchess
Hatred and compulsive feelings of possessiveness often have far reaching implications on the holistic welfare of the individuals. In the last Duchess, the duke is compelled by these feelings to kill his wife because of her alleged flirtatious nature. He complained that the last duchess always flirted with every person and failed to appreciate the “gift of a nine-hundred-years-old name” that he gave her. Although such incidences are not popular in modern times, hatred and possessiveness has been a major cause of relationship break ups. This has in result led to incidences of divorce that undermine the credibility of the institution of marriage. The negative psychological impacts that children from single families suffer undermine their ability to compete favorable with the rest of the children who enjoy the material and emotional support of both parents. This is particularly painful when such children have intense love for both parents. My cousin was forced to be taken in foster care after her parents divorced and her mother failed to provide for her material needs. Since then, her grades have dropped significantly and her social life has also been affected. Despite the fact that the foster family provides for all her material needs, she still misses the emotional needs from both parents. This is a classic illustration of the implications of divorce that are increasingly being contributed to by hatred and possessiveness in love relationships.
African-American Women’s Perceptions of Social Media Influence on Body Image
African-American Women’s Perceptions of Social Media Influence on Body Image
Author’s Name
Institutional Affiliation
Chapter 5: Discussion, Conclusions, and Limitations
5.0 Introduction
This chapter concludes the study in three sections that present a summary of the research. The first section is a detailed discussion of the outcomes of the interpretative phenomenological analysis in the previous chapter. The interpretation of results and discussion of findings in this section tie to some concepts addressed in the literature review chapter. This allows for the examination of the study’s significance in the immediate context of social media impact on African American women’s views about their body image. The second section addresses the strengths and limitations that were relevant to this study to justify why additional research is deemed important. The chapter’s last section constitutes an account of the inferences made from the discussion of results, providing recommendations for further research. The scope of the conclusions is limited to the study context and the characteristics of the specific study population examined. This means that if applied to other populations and situations, the deductions might culminate in erroneous assumptions.
5.1 Discussion
The current study sort to explore African American women’s perception of social media influence on their body image. The study’s outcomes reveal that social media utilization among these women, irrespective of their age differences, has strong linkages with their perceptions of their body images. In principle, all women experiences their bodies within social contexts, which is particularly true for African American women within social networking contexts. Socially constructed ideas about their race, gender, preferences, and other diversity attributes are important considerations in the specific ways in which their bodies are perceived in these contexts. This discussion of the outcomes is indispensable in comprehending the experiences they have within social media contexts and the impact of these experiences and associated perceptions on their body image.
Based on the results from the six participants involved in the interviews and the interpretative phenomenological analysis, African American women’s perceptions of the effect of social media utilization on their body image emerged to revolve around seven themes. These include body shape, beauty, body modifications, self-worth, self-esteem, insecurity, and societal expectations.
5.1.1 Body Shape Perceptions
Several participants in this study emphasized that their body shape drives their feelings of how they are perceived on social media. These African American women reiterated the inescapable importance of an appealing body shape as a persuasive factor in visualizing their feelings about how others view them on social networking sites. Some of them expressed intentions to obtain an ideal body shape through body modifications (discussed later) and they are fully aware of some attributes that make up such a body shape, including being curvy or curvaceous and think. The awareness of these attributes aligns with observation by Awad et al. (2015) and Kelch-Oliver and Ancis (2011) that some subthemes that describe women’s feelings of what they perceive as determinants of their body shape and the related hypersexualization include thick, curvy, thin, and toned.
Further, these findings are consistent with previous research by Toselli et al. (2016) that body shape preferences are a culturally determined factor that influence body image perceptions among women. The outcomes further substantiate Sanderson et al. (2013) that body shape has direct correlations with other factors established to influence their perceptions of body image. These factors include slimness as a quality of life, African American women’s interpersonal messages concerning slimness, and their perceptions regarding societal value of thinness. From a critical stance, this means that African American women’s awareness of preferences for specific body shapes influence the level of peer validation, acceptance, and belongingness in their social media circles based on the racial contexts within which their body image is conceptualized. Kelch-Oliver and Ancis (2011) add that body shape influences their perceptions of the beauty ideal and their interpersonal influences, which affect their body image perceptions and the self-acceptance of their body image identity. The issue of body shape might complicate these women’s perceptions of body image depending on how they are critiqued or appraised by their in- and out-group social media clique members.
5.1.2 Beauty Perceptions
The study participants identified beauty as one essential consideration when determining their body image. Basically, the findings established that their perceptions of the beauty ideal influence how these African American women compare themselves to others on social media or influential societal mainstream images. According to Kelch-Oliver and Ancis (2011), African American women’s perceptions of beauty entail being curvaceous and having shapely figures, which are elements of the body shape theme addressed earlier. Conversely, the White standard of beauty involves being light-skinned and slim (Ashley, 2015). Essentially, the beauty ideal is one of the instrument that can gauge these women’s levels of satisfaction with their body image. Consistent with this assertion, Kelch-Oliver and Ancis (2011) established that the beauty ideal, coupled with women’s interpersonal influences on their body image (judged from their views of men’s validation of their desirability and attractiveness) have a powerful effect on these women’s body image development and satisfaction.
About 67% of the study participants (4 out of 6) revealed that they compare themselves with the Western standards of beauty found online. This means that on social media, the White standard of beauty (thinness) has permeated messages shared about body image, leading to a greater notion that societal acceptance is acknowledged by thinness (Beadle, 2020). Such influences have affected African American women’s body shape dissatisfaction as they compare themselves with others. The study by Awad et al. (2015) corroborates this observation, suggesting that many African American women synonymously borrow from the White norms that associate lighter skin and being slim with beauty. Consequently, this influences their feelings of self-worth and attractiveness, thereby decreasing their overall body image satisfaction. From another perspective, Sanderson et al. (2013) argue that skin color is a crucial factor in augmenting African American women’s vulnerability to White norms of beauty when determining their body image satisfaction.
Eventually, the Black culture influenced by White norms generate levels of body image satisfaction based on a set of beauty ideals that largely correspond to their racial identity, as Hesse-Biber et al. (2010) contend. Accordingly, the White standard of beauty eventually influence their dissatisfaction with their body image. Sanderson et al. (2013) further emphasize that due to women upholding alternative images of beauty, African American women are prone to developing body image issues that drive them into maladaptive behaviors such as exposing themselves to the risks of eating disorders without proper physical exercise routines.
5.1.3 Body Modifications
The first two themes discussed above (perceptions of body shape and the beauty ideals) were found to be strongly associated with this theme. Specifically, several participants demonstrated intentions and willingness to undergo body modifications through techniques such as gastric bypass surgery just to enhance their body shape and natural beauty. These African American women feel that these modifications will help them attain some degree of desirability and attractiveness towards men. Alternatively, they feel that they will obtain curvy bodies that will make them get attention from men on social media (as two participants mentioned). So, their perception is that body modifications improve beauty and body shape, eventually helping them attain an appealing and satisfying body image.
Consistent with these observations, Ashley (2015) and Ashley and Jung (2017) acknowledge that these women’s perceptions of and attitudes towards body image drive their willingness and motivation to engage in body modifications to attain ideal body images. In other words, they believe that body modifications such as saline butt injections, cosmetic surgery, gastric bypass surgery, and bariatric surgery (Beadle, 2020; Thomas, 2012) would enable their bodies to conform to the prevailing beauty ideals and standards, thus attaining ideal body images. Critically speaking, other African American women are compelled to undergo such body modifications by the desire to overcome the problems of low self-esteem and self-worth triggered by body shaming on social media. Unfortunately, such body modifications, especially those from the black market, bring about serious cost and financial ramifications, besides physical and mental health risks (Ashley, 2015).
5.1.4 Self-Worth and Self-Esteem
The findings of this study underscored the themes of self-esteem and self-worth as critical to determining African American women’s perceptions of the portrayal of their body image on social media. Collectively, all the study participants allude to the role of self-esteem (how they feel and think about themselves) and self-worth (their recognition of themselves as valuable individuals worth of being liked) in shaping their self-love and self-assurance associated with how they perceive their body image on social media. According to Sanderson et al. (2013), African American’s women’s self-worth is measured using two components of body image: slimness as a quality of life, which is an element of body shape, and self-consciousness about their appearance (beauty perceptions) as assessed by others.
For most of the study participants, self-esteem and self-worth are entrenched in perceived self-consciousness about beauty, attractibility, body shaming susceptibility, and confidence. This aligns with Awad et al. (2015) that attractiveness and beauty influence Black women’s self-worth, eventually decreasing or increasing their overall body image satisfaction. In essence, participants with high feelings of perceived beauty, desirability, and self-confidence declared that they are not ashamed of their body image on social media. So, they are confident about social networking about their personal self-images. Conversely, those who have been victims of body shaming, teasing, and mockery felt embarrassed about their body image, leading to low self-esteem and self-worth. These findings are consistent with observations by Beadle (2020) that chronic body shaming has been associated with reduced self-esteem, which can breed other issues associated with body image dissatisfaction such as eating disorders and depression. Hesse-Biber et al. (2010) suggest that low self-esteem, weak racial identity, and reduced self-worth make African American women easily vulnerable to internalizing White ideals about beauty to boost their body image satisfaction.
5.1.5 Insecurity
Participants who highlighted the theme of insecurity associated it with beauty perceptions (feelings about their appearance) and low self-worth (fear of body shaming and reduced self-confidence). So, the study findings established a correlation between perceptions about beauty ideals, self-worth, and perceived insecurity about African American women’s body image on social media. For some participants, insecurities about their body image is what determines their physical exercise choices, predispositions to engage in body modification activities, and eating routines to acquire desired body shapes, therefore attractive body images. This assertion corroborates Beadle (2020), who contends that perceived poor body image and insecurity about appearance are principal predictors of African American women’s greater physical activity participation. From another outlook, Hesse-Biber et al. (2010) argue that body image insecurities and concerns lead to negative self-image and loss of self-confidence in one’s body image, which can culminate in severely disordered eating habits.
5.1.6 Societal Expectations
According the study participants, social media greatly influence societal expectations of ideal body images for African American women. When they see other women (social media models) with curvaceous and shapely figures on social media, they desire to emulate them to attain what constitutes the societal expectation of an impeccable body image. So, society piles lots of pressure on African American women as they strive to meet societal expectation of a perfect body as per the white culture, causing them physical and mental health harm (Ashley, 2015).
Beadle (2020) echoes the same sentiments, suggesting that the desire to attain body shape perfectionism causes African American women to engage in maladaptive behaviors, eating disorders, and negative self-evaluations of societal expectations on their personal self-worth. In short, societal expectations of what is deemed the perfect body image as portrayed on social media adversely affect African American women’s perceptions of their body image. Indeed, those striving to meet these expectations are more likely to seek and accept body modification choices such as cosmetic surgery, Ashley (2015) avers.
5.3 Strengths and Limitations
This study as two strengths, the first of which is its cost effectiveness. The tools used to execute this study’s data collection (Zoom platform for the interviews, Apple’s Notepad, and the voice recorder) were inexpensive, making the study cost effective. The second strength is the simultaneous exploration of diverse body image constructs in a broader academic domain. However, the study was characteristic of three limitations. The first is its reliance on a very small sample of participants, making it challenging to establish its generalizability, versatility, and reliability. Another limitation is participants’ self-identification. All information, including demographics and variables, were self-reported by the study participants. This means that slight misinterpretations of the data would greatly affect the analysis and outcomes. The third limitation is that the difficulties in establishing the most effective sampling technique owing to the small number of participants.
5.3 Conclusions
The current study has shown that engagement in social media activities has significant implications for body image for African American women. It has also identified and discussed various themes that define the domains where social media impacts these women’s body image perceptions. The major themes identified in the analysis include beauty, body shape, the concepts of elf-esteem and self-worth, insecurity, body modifications, and societal expectations. The study’s overall finding is that African American exhibit diverse perceptions of their body image depending on the degree of influence that each of these thematic constructs has on their visualization of body image.
This research furthers the knowledge that while idealized images of women on social media are not a reflection of what a perfect body constitutes, the perceived effect of these images on African America women’s perceptions of body image is profound. Indeed, the research supports that the social media idealization of body image based on the White notion of beauty is progressively swaying African American women, causing them to struggle with reconciling their body image with what mainstream standards of a perfect body image embody. However, it is worth recalling that these inferences are based on a small sample of participants. Therefore, further research that includes bigger community samples is required to establish if similar themes would emerge. This would ensure better generalization of results to the greater population of African American women. Also, further studies will be essential in better comprehending the distinctive social media experience shared among these women in impacting their perceptions of their body image satisfaction.
References
Ashley, R. R. (2015). Cross cultural comparison of black women’s body image highlighting Saartjie Baartman and motivations to engage in body modification. University of Delaware.
Ashley, R. R., & Jung, J. (2017). # BlackBodiesMatter: Cross-cultural examination of black women’s motivation to engage in body modification. Journal of Black Studies, 48(3), 235-255. Doi: 10.1177/0021934716686022.
Awad, G. H., Norwood, C., Taylor, D. S., Martinez, M., McClain, S., Jones, B., … & Chapman-Hilliard, C. (2015). Beauty and body image concerns among African American college women. Journal of Black Psychology, 41(6), 540-564.
Beadle, E. S. (2020). Body shame, body compassion and physical activity (Doctoral Thesis, University of Hertfordshire).
Hesse-Biber, S., Livingstone, S., Ramirez, D., Barko, E. B., & Johnson, A. L. (2010). Racial identity and body image among Black female college students attending predominately White colleges. Sex roles, 63(9-10), 697-711.
Kelch-Oliver, K., & Ancis, J. R. (2011). Black women’s body image: An analysis of culture-specific influences. Women & Therapy, 34(4), 345-358. Doi: 10.1080/02703149.2011.592065.
Sanderson, S., Lupinski, K., & Moch, P. (2013). Is big really beautiful? Understanding body image perceptions of African American females. Journal of Black Studies, 44(5), 496-507.
Thomas, M. L. (2012). Sick/beautiful/freak: nonmainstream body modification and the social construction of deviance. Sage Open, 2(4), 1-12. Doi: 10.1177/2158244012467787.
Toselli, S., Rinaldo, N., & Gualdi-Russo, E. (2016). Body image perception of African immigrants in Europe. Globalization and Health, 12(48), 1-15. Doi: 10.1186/s12992-016-0184-6.