Publications from the Centre for Appearance Research (CAR)

Despite an increase in gym memberships, women are less active than men and little is known about the barriers women face when navigating gym spaces. This study explored women’s body image and experiences exercising in gyms. Two-hundred and seventy-nine women (84% current gym-goers; 68.1% White) completed an online mixed-methods survey. Thematic analysis of qualitative data produced four themes and nine subthemes: (1) “Never enough” ([perceived] judgement about appearance, [perceived] judgement about performance); (2) “Often too much” (self-criticism, clothing challenges); (3) “Always on display” (harassment and safety, fighting for space, the appearance contingency); and (4) “Sometimes empowered” (empowering places, empowering self). Qualitative and quantitative data showed that women often feel judged for their appearance and performance, leading to a persistent sense of inadequacy, as well as having to fight for space in the gym and to be taken seriously, while navigating harassment and unsolicited comments from men. Despite this, women showed signs of resistance towards gendered and appearance ideals permeating gym environments and some experienced empowerment through skill acquisition, breaking gender norms, and exercising in supportive environments. Based on our findings, we suggest a multi-level approach to tackling these barriers and creating more inclusive gym spaces for women.

Weight bias is highly prevalent in the fitness industry, posing significant challenges for fat people seeking to engage in health-promoting behaviours, such as physical activity. Despite small ideological shifts in the fitness industry towards more weight-inclusive practices, little is known about fitness professionals’ engagement with such approaches. The aim of the current study was to explore weight bias attitudes among weight-normative and weight-inclusive fitness professionals and factors influencing adoption of inclusive approaches. A mixed-methods survey was conducted among 120 fitness professionals (Mage=34 years; weight-inclusive n=62 [51.7%], weight-normative n=58 [48.3%]) to gather quantitative data on weight bias and attitudes towards working with fat people, and qualitative data on motivations, facilitators, and barriers to adopting weight-inclusive approaches. Weight bias was positively associated with negative attitudes towards working with fat people. Weight-inclusive fitness professionals reported higher empathy (d=–.86), size acceptance (d=–.79), critical health attitudes (d=–.91), and attribution complexity (d=–.78) and less negative attitudes towards working with fat people (d=.81) than weight-normative fitness professionals. Thematic analysis of qualitative data resulted in four higher-order themes: (1) “It’s what the science says”; (2) “It’s what the client wants”; (3) “It’s bad for business”; and (4) “I want to, but I don’t know how”. Fitness professionals who adopted weight-inclusive practices displayed less weight bias and less negative attitudes towards working with people in larger bodies. Qualitative findings highlighted multiple barriers that need to be addressed in order to encourage more fitness professionals to adopt weight-inclusive approaches.

Background Although mental health issues among Indonesian adolescents are of growing concern, a psychometrically valid measure of affect in Indonesia to inform related research and prevention and treatment efforts does not exist. Methods The present study’s aim was to culturally adapt and validate the widely used Positive and Negative Affect Schedule for Children (PANAS-C) among Indonesian adolescents. The original 30-item PANAS-C in English underwent forward and back translations to Bahasa Indonesia (the national language of Indonesia) followed by cognitive interviews with private and public school students ages 12–15 (n = 18). The adapted PANAS-C and measures to assess convergent validity were completed by 704 Indonesian adolescents from Greater Jakarta and the Javanese city of Surabaya (Mage = 13.56, SD = 0.906) (56.96% girls; 42.75% boys; 0.28% other). Most participants identified their ethnicity as Javanese (72.59%), Betawi (8.24%), or Sundanese (3.41%). Results Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted, which resulted in 26 items with a two-factor structure consistent with the original PANAS-C: A 12-item Positive Affect subscale and a 14-item Negative Affect subscale. Internal consistency was satisfactory for the Positive Affect subscale (Cronbach’s alpha was 0.88; McDonald’s omega was 0.88) and excellent for the Negative Affect subscale (Cronbach’s alpha was 0.90; McDonald’s omega was 0.89). Test-retest reliability was acceptable for all items, and convergent validity was confirmed by significant correlations with measures of distress and well-being. Conclusion The adapted PANAS-C was found to be a reliable and valid measure of positive and negative affect that can be used with Indonesian adolescent girls and boys. This is the first validated measure of positive and negative affect for young people in Indonesia, which fills a need in mental health research and practice.

Appearance concerns are a pervasive issue affecting many university students and contributing to poor psychosocial and academic outcomes. To combat these, action is needed by universities to promote appearance inclusivity. The current study used inductive qualitative methods to explore students’ lived and/or living experiences and concerns relating to their physical appearance and views on how to achieve an appearance inclusive university. Seventeen students aged 19 to 55 from a UK university participated in online semi-structured interviews (n=12) and focus groups (n=5). Thirteen participants were women, three were men, and one was non-binary. Interviews and focus groups were transcribed verbatim and analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Students identified several ways appearance concerns had negatively impacted them and supported an increased focus on appearance inclusivity at university. Three themes were developed: 1) appearance has a big impact on my university life; 2) it’s not the same for everyone (i.e., individual differences and intersectionality impact students’ experiences); and 3) intentional change is needed (i.e., change is necessary to improve appearance inclusivity, but it should be consciously thought out). Strategies to improve appearance inclusivity should be prioritised and carefully considered to avoid tokenism and ensure they centre the needs of those from underrepresented groups.

Despite the physical, psychological, and social health benefits of sport participation, multiple barriers keep girls and women on the margins of sport in India. Further, body image concerns are implicated globally as a hindrance to sports engagement among adolescents but are rarely acknowledged in India. Due to a lack of research, the unique restrictions to sport participation faced by girls in India are yet to be understood. Drawing on the Sociocultural Theory of Body Image, this study explored the intersection of body image and sports from the perspectives of Indian athletes and coaches. Twelve athletes (girls aged 11–17 years; football n = 6, netball n = 6) and six coaches (football n = 3, netball n = 3) from New Delhi, India, participated in semi-structured focus groups. Reflexive thematic analysis was used and we formulated three themes: 1) “To Do What We Love, We Must Struggle”; 2) “What Will People Say?”; and 3) “Hold On To Your Power, Be You”. The themes provide a nuanced understanding of the experiences of athletes and coaches on and off the playing field. The findings shed light on several individual and systemic factors, such as harassment, societal norms, feelings of empowerment, and internalising appearance ideals, that impact girls’ engagement with sport in New Delhi, India. Methods to improve sports engagement, discrepancies between athlete and coach perspectives, and recommendations for sports organisations to combat body image concerns and improve sports uptake among girls in an Indian setting are discussed.