The Intersection of Race and Body Image
When we talk about body image, the conversation often gets flattened into a “universal” experience. But the truth is, body image is deeply shaped by race, culture, and systemic forces, and to ignore that is to miss the bigger picture of how oppression impacts our relationships with our bodies.
Beauty Standards Are Not Neutral
The standards we internalize about “what makes a body acceptable” are not accidental. They are rooted in history, colonization, and power. In the U.S., Eurocentric ideals, thinness, light skin, certain hair textures, have long been elevated as the default of beauty. These standards not only marginalize people of color but also shape how they are treated in medical systems, workplaces, and social spaces.
For example, research shows:
Black women are more likely to be misdiagnosed with eating disorders, or not taken seriously when they seek treatment, because of stereotypes about body size.
Asian women often face pressure to conform to a thin ideal while also contending with sexualized stereotypes.
Latine and Indigenous communities encounter cultural double binds: honoring traditional body shapes and foods while also navigating Western thinness ideals.
The Commodification of Bodies
Another layer of this conversation is how bodies, particularly the bodies of people of color, have been commodified throughout history. Enslaved bodies, colonized bodies, and immigrant laboring bodies have been treated as objects to be controlled, traded, or exploited. This legacy still shows up today in more subtle but insidious ways:
The fetishization of certain body types or racialized features in media and advertising.
The wellness and beauty industries profiting off insecurities, while rarely centering the voices of communities of color.
The expectation that people of color must alter or discipline their bodies (hair, skin tone, weight) to be deemed “professional” or “desirable.”
When our bodies are commodified, they stop being seen as homes for our spirits and experiences, and instead become products to be consumed or corrected. This robs individuals of autonomy and reinforces systemic inequities.
The Emotional Toll
When beauty standards exclude or stereotype entire groups, the impact is not just about self-esteem—it’s about belonging and safety. Clients of color often describe feeling invisible, hyper-visible, or “never enough” in spaces that uphold white-centered ideals. The body becomes a site of both personal and cultural struggle.
Moving Toward Liberation
As a therapist, I believe healing body image requires more than self-acceptance. It requires a collective unlearning of the narrow ideals that harm all of us, and disproportionately harm people of color. Trauma-informed body image work means asking:
Whose standard am I measuring myself against?
What cultural wisdom have I been taught to ignore?
How can reclaiming my body also be an act of resistance and justice?
Why This Matters in DEIB
When we talk about Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging, body image belongs in the conversation. Creating inclusive communities means expanding how we define beauty, worth, and wellness. It means listening to the lived experiences of people whose bodies have been marginalized. And it means affirming that healing is not just individual—it’s systemic.
Closing Thought:
The intersection of race, body image, and commodification reminds us that our bodies don’t exist in isolation. They are shaped by history, culture, power, and profit. When we bring awareness to this, we open up space for deeper compassion, more equitable care, and collective healing.
