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Qualitative Health Research
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Lesbian Body Image Perceptions: The Context of Body Silence

Laura Kelly

Monmouth University

As are all women, lesbians are influenced by Western society's expectations of what a woman should look like. However, they are also influenced by the lesbian subculture. One of the author's aims was to explore how the sociocultural contexts in which lesbians belong influence their perceptions of body image. She purposively selected 20 lesbians and used constant comparative analysis to guide data collection and analyze the resulting transcribed interviews. The internalization of the dominant culture's beauty expectations coupled with the adoption of a lesbian identity caused the participants to contend with a multitude of oppressive mandates from both sociocultural contexts. The author interpreted the outcomes of these oppressions through the lens of stigma theory. The results of the stigma assisted in the development of the context of Body Silence. The study results might serve to provide a better understanding of lesbian body image as an important component of lesbians' mental health.

Key Words: lesbian • women • body image • Body Silence

Qualitative Health Research, Vol. 17, No. 7, 873-883 (2007)
DOI: 10.1177/1049732307306172
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