Why Body Image Issues Pervade the Gay Community
NICK LEVINE
January 27, 2020 2:03 PM
https://www.gq.com/story/why-body-image-issues-pervade-the-gay-community
The relationships between sense of belonging to the gay community, body image dissatisfaction, and self-esteem among Australian gay men
Pantea Kousari-Rad et al. J Homosex. 2013.
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Abstract
Body image dissatisfaction has been linked to belonging to the gay community and poor self-esteem among gay men. This study was designed to explore the applicability of a moderation model and a mediation model in explaining the relations between sense of belonging to the gay community, body image dissatisfaction and self-esteem among 90 self-identified Australian gay men. Participants completed the psychological subscale of the Sense of Belonging Instrument, the Body Satisfaction Scale, and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. Results supported the moderation model; the relation between body image dissatisfaction and self-esteem was found to be statistically significant only at average and high levels of belonging to the gay community. The mediation model was also supported; body image dissatisfaction partially mediated the sense of belonging-self-esteem relation. Educating gay men and health professionals about the possible negative outcomes of "belonging" to an appearance-oriented community is important.