Perspectives in Body Image

And that's a wrap!
160 delegates, 100 presenters, 15 countries, and all 6 continents! 3 marvellous days of body image research!

Thanks to all who organised, submitted, attended and engaged.

And congrats to our prize winners! 🏆

See you in 2027!

Using those guiding principles, Helena then put out the specific guidelines.
Some great points made about the implicit biases in sampling strategies, measure choice, publishing outlets, even the order in which we list groups (or authors!) in our work.

and second, Helena Lewis-Smith puts forward guidelines for conducting inclusive body image research. Important reflections on how all in research - even 'objective' quantitative work - choices should be made reflexively, with user/participant input, and with end use in mind from the start.

For our final activity at PIBI, a workshop on future directions. First @dr-liz-evans.bsky.social presents recent reflections in a Delphi process on where we need to go with research to understand body image experience and development in childhood.

Last but not least, Jessica Alleva presents her new scale and program development work on how people overcome negative body image via 'enough is enough' breakthroughs. Case-study data shows rapid change during program completion!

3rd up is Valentina Cazzato presnts data showing that in one study, high body dissatisfaction (via somatomap PCA) *and* reduced liking of gentle touch, increases risk for eating disoders. For others, affective benefits of touch may buffer against body dissatisfaction.

Next Martin Tovee shows that people often under (white pp) or over- (south/east asian pp) estimate BMI of bodies from other ethnicities - we need ethnically appropriate stimuli for own- and ideal-body perception tasks!

Last talk session at PiBI on body perception!
Akansha Naraindas of @qubelfastofficial.bsky.social starts by showing that body dissatisfaction correlates with reduced interoceptive body awareness and reduced sensitivity to changes in body-based distances (but not perceived passable-gap size) in VR.

Lastly, Tejasvi Singh on beauty content engagement - objectification from beauty content impacts appearance concerns and cosmetic procedure interest in young women via appearance anxiety, appearance shame and fear of aging.

Veya Seekis next showing that viewing nature pictures is as good as 'body positive' content or a social media 'cleanse' to reduce social media pressure and self-objectification (but no effect on body satisfaction).

Next Shanta Ramdass shows data showing that problematic social media use is higher in Jamaica than it used to be (now similar to US and Europe) and correlates with higher depression and lower self esteem.

Now up: our session focusing on #SocialMedia. Beth Daniels starts off talking about how appearance-linked social media behaviours are a risk for body image concerns in Albanian women - again more evidence that social media time itself isn't the problem, but specific behaviours create risk.

Fantastic 'cultural' session this morning - South Asian families and EDs in the UK, men as a distinct group within body/eating concerns, and the conflicting pressures on young women in Ankole, Uganda. Love to see time and time again the interest in (culturally adapted) media literacy education!

Followed by George Mycock talking about the need for more and better resources for appearance and eating concerns in men (check out myominds.co.uk) and Ruth Kaziga highlighting how Banyankore women experience conflict between traditional and Western beauty standards.

We then had reflections from Berenice Mahney on how appearance concerns have intensified/changed across the COVID years, Chesli Ricketts on drive for muscularity in weight lifters, and Christian Edwards on drive for muscularity as an existential issue in men more broadly.

Starting Day 3 now with a talk from Emilie Mussbach on parent perspectives on body image and eating disorder services in South Asian communities in London and Katrina Holmes a Court on a systematic review of cognitive aspects of body dysmorphic disorder.

#PIBI2025
#EatingDisorders
#BodyImage

Next Isabella Tremonte talks on her qualitative synthesis of research on body image in athletes.

Super interesting plenary going on @persbodyimage.bsky.social from Anne Becker right now.

The body is not about attractiveness in traditional iTaukei culture - it is a medium for enacting and showing care via nutrition and meals.

Post TV, girls purge at *even higher* rates than US teens.

Final session of Day 2 at #PIBI2025

First Debora Blaso talks about how corrective surgery recipients feel when they first look at their body or face. Lots of strong emotions, especially when support given was low.

Some very welcome closing questions for those in the field doing (cross-)cultural research on body image and eating disorders.

And a challenge: if we're missing data and context, we miss cases, and so we'll miss opportunities to intervene.

Striking slide here highlighting the massive data gaps in our understanding of eating disorder prevalence.

Now for our second plenary! The amazing Anne Becker talks to us about problematising the 'media and culture' explanation of globalising eating disorders.

#Anthropology
#PIBI2025
#PublicHealth
#Cross-cultural
#Psychology

Time to relax! 15 minute presentation for #PiBI2025 done ✅️

Thank you @persbodyimage.bsky.social for the opportunity!

The last 6 months have been a whirlwind of data collection in the Colombian arm of BIRES. I am so lucky to work with this team and so proud of their amazing talks @persbodyimage.bsky.social today.

#MeEncantaColombia
#BodyImage
#Cross-cultural

Lastly, Pranita Shrestha, discussed how 'one size (doesn't) fit all' in body image digital tool development for underrepresented populations - some really interesting different ideas about what can be done to tackle the different pressures that vary between cultures and families.

Now Helen Cervera gives the results of the pilot of a media literacy intervention in Colombian schools. Significant effects were found for body esteem, media literacy, and (for girls) appearance comparison. Pupils reported sharing what they'd learned with others and facilitators benefitted too!

Now, Tracey Thornborrow and Daniela Romero talk about the development of a parent intervention for supporting children's body image in Colombia. Parent focus groups highlighted the particular local pressures and their own worries about media and how to discuss body image. Workshops would be welcome!

Next, Helena Lewis-Smith reports on a massive teacher-delivered RCT in rural India, showing benefits to body esteem, gender stereotypes and a 'chefs kiss' massive impact on appearance ideal internalisation!

In our 'Interventions' parallel session, Madison Vani starts us off with reviews of resources for parents to support their child's body image. Not so many available, often not age specific, not a lot of theory-based resources... Much work to be done!

#BodyImage
#DevelopmentalPsychology

Last talk of the morning, Jade Portingale looks at the enfacement illusion in eating-disordered and sub-clinical samples. Results suggest face and body perceptual processes may differ, and also that in the active ED sample body image may even go down post illusion.