14 Mar 2012
Posted by Ashley Hicks 
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By: Constance Collins (constance.collins5@gmail.com)
In the black consciousness, there seems to be some behaviors or illnesses that are designated for white people. Though we know those are only stereotypes, they are often the brunt of jokes and comedic performances.
Even though we may gloss over these things, and we may not take them too seriously, they can have some detrimental effects for black men and women especially those who don’t seek professional help when dealing with mental health woes because of the stigma attached to mental illness. Unbeknownst to many, eating disorders stem from mental illness and they are a concern amongst black women, along with body dysmorphic disorder (which is defined as a type of mental illness wherein the affected person is concerned with body image, manifested as excessive concern about and preoccupation with a perceived defect of their physical features). Nevertheless, in the media, the face of eating disorders and body insecurities belong to white women. Every other day there is another celebrity in the news who has been accused of getting plastic surgery, being anorexic, or starving herself to be thin. However, when black women are very thin, rarely does the term “eating disorder” come to mind. Maybe because there have been studies that suggest black women are more comfortable with their bodies, and do not strive to satisfy the European standards of what a perfect body looks like. But this information comes as a double edged sword.
What about the black women who take desperate measures to become thin? Is there a space for those women to speak about their struggles without being judged for succumbing to “the white girl’s illness”? What about the thin black women who look in the mirror unhappy with themselves because they are not the voluptuous “ideal” of the black woman? What about the black women who do not have the round butts that we’re “supposed” to have and resort to butt implants or pads to enhance their figure? Or the black women and girls who hear the jokes that they need to eat more or are on drugs because they are so skinny? It’s time for us to have a conversation about black women and body acceptance. The false notions that all black women are totally comfortable with their body size whether they are overweight, average, or thin is too dismissive and it gives us the freedom to remain silent about the real issues some black women may face with maintaining a healthy body image and the self-destructive behaviors (whether it is eating unhealthily to gain weight or exercising excessively to lose weight) some may participate in to achieve their goals. 
By accepting that these are not just “white things”, we can make it easier for black women (and men!) to actually come to a realization that they have a problem and actually seek help. Let’s remove those stigmas and actually encourage those in our community to see therapists, doctors, and psychologists when necessary. We can still talk to our pastors and church leaders, but just remember, there is no shame in seeking a professional, because we are striving for healthy bodies, healthy minds, and healthy spirits. And shame should not be attached to that.
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13 Comments
Thank you Constance Collins. This needed to be said, this needed to be written, we need to talk about this and not in hushed tones or not just in or diaries or journals. We need to own this because once we do we’re one step closer to healing. Again, thank you.
Great post! I think it is time for us to have honest conversations in our community about mental health and body image. There are so many living quietly in pain.
I am a black woman who has body acceptance issues. Have had them since I was a teen; still have them. I never saw it as a “white thing” although, I do know most do see it that way. I suffered from Bulimia in the past….still working on accepting my body….much harder to do…..since birthing children. I’m not skinny, but I don’t have a voluptuous bottom and hearing wisecracks about it is hurtful to say the least. I am seeing a therapist and working on accepting me “healthy” in body, mind & spirit. Thank you for this article.
Thank you so much for bringing light to this issue. It needs to be exposed more and we definitely need to more dialogue about this issue of black women and body image.
Kudos to your organization for being a voice for us all.
Thanks again!!!
This is a great post. Very informative.
Great blog! As a black woman I can relate to feeling inadequate with regard to my body. Wishing and wanting my body to be a little different here and a little different there. I am at a point in my life (at 35) where I am learning to love what God gave me. I am beautiful just the way I am and so are all my other sisters (black, white, asian, hispanic, native american, etc). We’ve been “bamboozled” into thinking we have to meet a certain “standard of beauty” at the expense of our true self. Love yourself! Be Blessed
Wow. This is so right on. I struggled with bulimia from age 12-22. During my college years (age 18-22), I added anorexia. I was so thin, I didn’t think I’d wake up each morning. I was so embarrassed about my issues coming from a single mother, low-income household and no one ever said anything to me about it except my non-black friends. Body image & eating disorders in black women is real and serious and it needs to be addressed. Thank you.
FANTASTIC post!
This posting need to be published in every black magazine out there gear it toward our young African American girls from age 10 and up. The media has been portraying for hundred of years how white women has the perfect bodies. NOT! I grew up thinking they had the perfect bodies until I gained knowledge of how injurious they were to submit to being skinny and how African American women got it goin on. White women has to be skinny its the only way they can look half way attractive. We, African American women really got it going on. We have various skin tones, hair textures, hips and ass for days. I’m very proud of our heritage. However, I do not condone our young African American girls with thinking obesity is okay. Obesity has affected a large percentage of our African American young girls. I think they’re watching too many video’s and playing too many t.v. games. Obesity is a KILLER.
Thank you for this posting and thank you for starting up BGR.
Sharon
I am 35 year old single mom and I too have body image issues. I struggle with my weight even at this age and dream of being thin all the time, I mean all the time! I thought about seeking help for this and still might do so but I never thought that I would have this issue. I’ve been small most of my childhood and teenage years. Once I hit past 25 it was down hill from there and I’ve been struggling ever since. Gaining, and loosing, and gaining weight again. I NEVER look in the mirror at my body and not every black woman wants a huge posterior. I pray I get this issue together thanks for posting this blog.
So dead on . Soooooo dead on .
It annoys me how these studies specifically target black women who are so called confident with their bodies and ignore the many black women like myself WHO ARE NOT!! I’m sure we all are apart of many blogs and websites where we see comments from black girls and women who are plus size, who are the term “thick” or big butt girls, and my slimmer/thin sistas who complain about their bodies. These women post workout regimens and everything talking about how healthy they are but thin still complain about how it’s not enough and how they hate their bodies, I DO IT. We pick different celebrities and women to model our bodies after instead of embracing and taking care of the body types we have. Body image illness IS NOT A WHITE THING. Take it from a bulimic since High School. When a black woman is really thin no one questions whether she has a eating disorder or not I guess because of the warped mentality of the saturation of curvier,thicker black women which is a total myth. When a black woman is plus size no one questions if she’s unhappy because of the warped mentality about body image against black women, it’s silly and ignores serious mental illnes amongst black women. All women have body image issues ALL WOMEN. Body perfection mostly affects women because men want the perfect woman, so we go to extremes to do it.