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If you think you're sexy, then by golly, you're sexy! Fat Women’s Perspectives on Body Image and Sex

If you think you're sexy, then by golly, you're sexy! Fat Women’s Perspectives on Body Image and Sex. Sayume Romero, MSI UMDNJ – Robert Wood Johnson Medical School AMSA Sexual Health Scholars Program 2009-2010. Not all fat women think alike.

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If you think you're sexy, then by golly, you're sexy! Fat Women’s Perspectives on Body Image and Sex

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  1. If you think you're sexy, then by golly, you're sexy!Fat Women’s Perspectives on Body Image and Sex Sayume Romero, MSI UMDNJ – Robert Wood Johnson Medical School AMSA Sexual Health Scholars Program 2009-2010

  2. Not all fat women think alike “My fat body is what it is, and I'm at peace with it…my body helps me achieve sexual satisfaction, and I'm happy with that.” - Caucasian Female, 29, BMI = 37 (obese) “I think I will achieve more things in life that I want if I lose weight.” - Hispanic Female, 28, BMI = 29 (overweight)

  3. Body Mass Index (BMI) • The Equation: BMI = (703) x [weight (lb) / height (in)2] • BMI Classifications • Underweight: < 19 • Normal: 19 – 24 • Overweight: 25 – 30 • Obese: > 30 http://www.epic4health.com/bmiformula.html

  4. The Focus on Fat • Obesity Epidemic • World Health Organization • 1 billion overweight adults • At least 300 million are obese 15% - 19% 20% - 24% 25% - 29%  ≥ 30% http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/trends.html

  5. The Focus on Fat • The Diet Industry Epidemic • $46 billion dollars spent on weight loss programs and products, not including surgery in 2004 • The only thing that is certain is that most people that lose weight will regain it

  6. Healthcare Perceptions of Fat Surveys of healthcare professionals show… • As patient BMI increases Physicians feel • That seeing such patients is a waste of their time • They like their jobs less • Significantly less personal desire to help • Physicians view overweight/obese patients as • Awkward, Unattractive, Ugly • Physicians believe that overweight & obese patients view themselves as • Having low self-esteem • Being sexually unattractive • And unhealthy

  7. The Survey:Body Image & Sexual-self Image for women of NY, NJ, PA, CT • Format: Internet Survey (via Survey Monkey) • 8 demographic questions • 5 point Likert Scale • Strongly Disagree, Disagree, Not Sure, Agree, Strongly Agree • Body Image & Sexual-Self Image Reflection • Tell your story on how your body image has affected your sexual-self image or how your sexual-self image has affected your body image. This can be a positive or negative experience. You may express yourself in any written format. • Distribution: E-mailed to friends and listserves • Birth Year • Zip Code • Race/Ethnicity • Education • Height • Weight • Sexuality • Income

  8. Survey Results • 55 people started the survey • 38 women completed the survey (69.1%) • 26 women (47.3%) were categorized as overweight (BMI = 25-30) or obese (BMI = >30) • Limitations: sample size and diversity, survey distribution efficiency

  9. Data • Data from 21 of the 26 of the overweight/ obese women was analyzed • 15 Overweight & 6 Obese • 7 Hispanic, 9 Caucasian, 3 Asian, 2 Mixed • Average Age: 28

  10. Part I: Likert Scale Results (n=21) Positive (90%) Negative (5%) Not Sure (5%) Positive (67%) Negative (14%) Not Sure (19%) Positive (67%) Negative (24%) Not Sure (10%) Positive (71%) Negative (19%) Not Sure (10%) Positive = Strongly Agree and/or Agree Negative = Strongly Disagree and/or Disagree

  11. Part II: Likert Scale Results (n=21) Positive (43%) Negative (43%) Not Sure (14%) Positive (48%) Negative (24%) Not Sure (29%) Positive = Strongly Agree and/or Agree Negative = Strongly Disagree and/or Disagree

  12. Reframing Fat • Fat Acceptance • In 1969, The National Association for the Advancement of Fat Acceptance (NAAFA) was founded • NAAFA is dedicated to protecting the rights and improving the quality of life for fat people. • They provide fat people with tools for self-empowerment through advocacy, public education, and support in order to eliminate discrimination based on body size

  13. Reframing Fat • Health At Every Size (HAES) • A health program that focuses on… “enhancing body acceptance and self-acceptance and on leading a full a life as possible, regardless of weight” • This method has shown to have better health outcomes than restrictive diets • The main focus on for the HAES approach was to help participants disconnect their feelings of self-worth from their weight

  14. It’s all in how you see me “I needed the help of people around me to realize my own beauty and to become more comfortable in myself.” - Mixed Race Female, 24, BMI = 26 “Having positive reinforcement from people you respect also helps.” - Asian Female, 28, BMI = 25

  15. Fat Sex • 1 billion overweight people and 300 million of the are obese • Do they have sex? • How do they have sex? • What sex positions are the best for fat people? • Where can you can you get a plus size strap-on? (Asbill, 2009)

  16. Quote for thought “I am involved in the BDSM scene, which has done wonders for my self-image…I discovered that people find me sexy just the way I am - and that it's up to me to feel comfortable with myself. When you FEEL sexy, you LOOK sexy, and when you LOOK sexy, you FEEL sexy. It's an interesting catch-22.” -Caucasian Female, 28, BMI = 27

  17. Sources • Asbill, D. Lacy. “’I’m Allowed to Be a Sexual Being’ The Distinctive Social Conditions of the Fat Burlesque Stage.” The Fat Studies Reader. Eds Esther Rothblum and Sondra Solovay. New York: New York University Press, 2009. • Bacon, Linda. The Surprising Truth About Your Weight: Health At Every Size. Texas: BenBella Books, 2008. • Blank, Hanne. Big Big Love: A Sourcebook On Sex For People Of Size And Those Who Love Them. California: Greenery Press, 2000. • Foster GD, Wadden TA et al. Primary care physician's attitudes about obesity and its treatment. Obes Res 2003; 11:1168-1177. • Harvey EL, Hill AJ. Health professionals' views of overweight people and smokers. Int J Obes 2001; 25:1253-1261.

  18. Sources • Hebl MR, Xu J. Weighing the care: physicians' reactions to the size of a patient. Int J Obes. 2001; 25: 1246-1252. • Lyons, Pat. “Prescription for Harm: Diet Industry Influence, Public Health Policy, and the ‘Obesity Epidemic.’” The Fat Studies Reader. Eds Esther Rothblum and Sondra Solovay. New York: New York University Press, 2009. • Steele, Tracey. “Constructing Sex, the Sexual, and the Erotic, ‘Doing it’: The Social Construction of S-E-X.” Sex, Self, And Society: the Social Context of Sexuality. California: Thomson Wadsworth, 2005. • Wann, Marilyn. Fat!So? California: Ten Speed Press, 1999.

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