Presenter: Jasmine Acree − Human Physiology
Faculty Mentor(s): Dr. Nichole Kelly, Claire Guidinger
(In-Person) Poster Presentation
Asian/Asian American men endorse amongst the highest rates of body dissatisfaction across racial groups. However, little research has been conducted on how experiences with race-related discrimination are connected to Asian men’s body image and related behaviors. It was hypothesized that experiences with race-related discrimination would be associated with the greater drive for muscularity, and that this association would be stronger amongst those with greater internalization of the Western masculine body ideal. Participants completed an online survey answering questions regarding their demographics, experiences with racism, drive for muscularity, and internalization of muscularity and thinness appearance ideals. The primary results showed that there was a significant, positive link between Asian/Asian American men’s experiences with both racism and microaggressions and the drive for muscularity, B’s=2.10-2.21, p’s<.001. Internalization of the thinness and muscularity appearance ideals functioned as moderators for both experiences with racism and microaggressions, with differential exacerbating and mitigating influences (B =-.17-.24, p’s<.001). Importantly, Asian/Asian American men who experienced high microaggressions and had higher internalization of the thinness ideal endorsed the most severe drive for muscularity, p<.001. These findings indicate that experiences with discrimination can lead to increased harmful behaviors aimed at achieving Western masculine body ideals.