Research Article Asian American Women’s Body Image Experiences: A Qualitative Intersectionality Study Jennifer L. Brady 1 , Aylin Kaya 1 , Derek Iwamoto 1 , Athena Park 1 , Lauren Fox 2 , and Marcus Moorhead 3 Abstract The purpose of our study was to explore Asian American women’s body image experiences from an intersectional frame- work. Utilizing grounded theory methodology, we sought to understand how gender and race intersect with unique experiences of oppression to contribute to body dissatisfaction among Asian American women. Twenty Asian American undergraduate women born in the United States participated in semi-structured interviews. The core category “body image” was composed of attitudes and perceptions about body weight, shape, and size; facial features (e.g., eye size); and skin complexion or tone. Five categories emerged that informed the body image experiences of Asian American women: (1) navigating cultural beauty norms, (2) experiences of sexism and racism, (3) parental influences, (4) peer influences, and (5) identity management processes. Each of these categories appeared to have both positive and negative consequences for appearance evaluation, ranging from self-consciousness to confidence. Participants also described coping strategies for managing these experiences. We encourage psychologists and clinicians to consider culture-specific beauty standards for Asian American women as well as salient racial and cultural factors (e.g., perceived discrimination and biculturative stress) that may influence body image beliefs. Our results offer a new model for understanding Asian American women’s body dis- satisfaction as rooted in experiences of racism and sexism. Keywords Asian American women, body image, intersectionality, qualitative Body dissatisfaction, or the negative evaluation of one’s phys- ical body (Stice & Shaw, 2002), is a serious public health concern that intensifies risk for a number of other negative health outcomes, including depression (Johnson & Wardle, 2005), low self-esteem (Koff, Benavage, & Wong, 2001), and substance abuse (Wilson, 2000). Despite the well-documented harmfulness of body dissatisfaction for all women, most mod- els of body dissatisfaction have been tested with White women or draw on comparisons between White women and women of color (Bordo, 2009). This is highly problematic because it obscures the complexity of women’s experiences by position- ing White women as the “norm,” which in turn underempha- sizes racially salient features and distinct experiences for marginalized groups (Cummins & Lehman, 2007). Although some research in the past decade has challenged the cultural- boundedness of body dissatisfaction (Cummins, Simmons, & Zane, 2005; Lau, Lum, Chronister, & Forrest, 2006), Asian American women are underrepresented. The current study sought to extend the research literature by qualitatively explor- ing the experiences of oppression at the intersections of gender and race, and the forms of resilience that influence body image among Asian American women. Body Dissatisfaction Among Asian American Women Research investigating the prevalence of body dissatisfaction among Asian American women has yielded contradictory findings. Some studies suggest that White, Asian, Hispanic, and Black women experience similar levels of body dissatis- faction (Cachelin, Veisel, Barzegarnazari, & Striegel-Moore, 2000; Grabe & Hyde, 2006) and that Asian American women, compared to White and Hispanic American women, are more likely to be dissatisfied with specific body parts, including breast size (Forbes & Frederick, 2008) and eye appearance (Frederick, Kelly, Latner, Sandhu, & Tsong, 2016). Other studies suggest Asian American women actually 1 Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA 2 Department of Psychology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, USA 3 Department of Rehabilitation Science and Technology Programs, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA Corresponding Author: Jennifer L. Brady, Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA. Email: jbrady19@umd.edu Psychology of Women Quarterly 1-18 ª The Author(s) 2017 Reprints and permission: sagepub.com/journalsPermissions.nav DOI: 10.1177/0361684317725311 journals.sagepub.com/home/pwq