Ethnic differences in the stigma of obesity: Identification and engagement with a thin ideal

In the current research, components of disidentification theory [Steele, C. M., & Aronson, J. (1995). Stereotype vulnerability and the intellectual test performance of African–Americans. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 69, 797–811] are extended to the domain of body weight and provide an explanation as to why Black women typically do not – but under certain circumstances do – stigmatize obesity. Across three studies, results show that Black women are generally less likely to stigmatize obesity than are White women [see also Hebl, M., & Heatherton, T. F. (1997). The stigma of obesity: The differences are black and white. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 24, 417–426]. Taken as a whole, the current research also provides preliminary evidence consistent with disidentification theory to demonstrate that there are situations in which Black women will re-engage with valuing thinness, particularly when re-engagement is tied to conceptions about the self.