25 If She is that Big, She Can Cook “If She is that Big, She Can Cook”: Comparison Between White and Black Young Adults’ Body Image Concerns Pavica Sheldon and Cora Foster (Universityof Alabama in Huntsville) ABSTRACT The present study contributes to our understanding o f differences and simi- larities between White and Black women and men's body image concerns. The majority of body image research so far has been conducted using sam- ples ofpredominantly White women. The results offive focus groups revealed important differences between the sexes and races when it comes to body image. While a difference between races was obvious for women, both Black and White men had similar experiences with their expectations of what the ideal body in their culture looks like, and how they talk about their body with parents and peers. Theoretical implications are discussed. Keywords: body image, peer influence, family influence, race, culture Introduction Western societies put a strong emphasis on physical appearance. Ac- cording to media portrayals, a pretty woman is one who is skinny. A hand- some man is the one who is tall and muscular. These unrealistic expectations make many women dissatisfied with their appearance and weight (Frederick, Forbes, Grigorian, & Jarcho, 2007; Frederick, Peplau, & Lever, 2006; Peplau et al., 2009; Swami et al., 2010). Body dissatisfaction is also common among men (Frederick et al., 2007; McCreary & Sasse, 2000). One of the most com- mon risks for eating pathology is body dissatisfaction. Late adolescence and the transition to university life is an especially risky period for developing eating problems (Lorenzen, Grieve, & Thomas, 2004). Due to different cultural expectations, some research indicates that Black women may be protected from pressures to achieve the ideal “slender” body. Blacks’ cultural ideals promote a heavier body type and discourage stringent body weight goals (Powell & Kahn, 1995). This is known as the buffering hypothesis (Grabe & Hyde, 2006; Poran, 2006). The buffering ef- fect has been challenged by some studies (e.g., Forbes & Frederick, 2008; Franko et al., 2007; Roberts et al., 2006) that have argued that for those ex- posed to the mainstream media and culture, there might be more pressure to achieve the thin ideal. For example, in a White setting, such as the predomi- nantly White university where this study was conducted. Black women might experience the same pressure as White women. Social comparison theory (Festinger, 1954) focuses on how humans The Florida Communication Journal Volume 44, No 2, Fall 2016