Summary: New research finds that mothers and daughters who embrace feminist beliefs tend to have healthier body image and experience less body shame than those who do not.
Source: University of Georgia
Feminist attitudes are linked to more positive body image for both mothers and daughters, a University of Georgia study reports.
Published in Body Image, the study examined how feminist embodiment relates to body image and the ways mothers and daughters talk about their bodies. The researchers found that mothers and daughters who score higher on measures of feminist embodiment tend to feel more positively about their bodies and experience less shame about appearance than those with lower scores.
The study also highlighted the two-way influence of body talk: how mothers discuss their bodies affects daughters’ self‑perceptions, and daughters’ positive body attitudes can improve mothers’ body image in return.
The research team, led by Analisa Arroyo, an associate professor in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, focused on a concept they call feminist embodiment. This construct centers on rejecting narrow societal expectations about appearance while fostering empowerment, a strong mind‑body connection, and appreciation for the body’s strengths and uniqueness.
Rather than asking participants to label themselves as feminists, the researchers measured specific attitudes and experiences: feelings of empowerment as a woman, connection to one’s body, perceived control over life, and related feminist values. The study surveyed 169 mother–daughter pairs (dyads) and used statistical models to examine both individual and partner effects.
Prior research has tied negative self-directed body talk to harmful outcomes such as depression, disordered eating, and body dissatisfaction. Consistent with that literature, this study found that daughters exposed to negative body talk from their mothers were more likely to internalize negative body beliefs. Conversely, daughters who embraced their bodies and engaged in positive body talk influenced their mothers in a beneficial way—mothers with more body-positive daughters reported better body image themselves.
“One of the key takeaways is the power of mothers as agents of change,” Arroyo said. “Breaking intergenerational cycles of negative body image starts with empowering mothers to accept and appreciate their bodies—an approach daughters can then learn from and adopt.”
Arroyo emphasized, however, that changing long-standing attitudes is difficult. Many mothers in the study came of age in the 1970s and 1980s, decades when thinness was widely promoted as the beauty ideal and body-acceptance movements were minimal. Those social pressures, combined with public concern about obesity, often framed larger bodies as deficient and deserving of correction, shaping negative self-talk that can persist into adulthood.
Because of this history, Arroyo cautions against simplistic advice like “fake it till you make it.” Superficial attempts to change language without internal acceptance may come across as performative; genuine change requires internalizing values of acceptance and empowerment. Mothers can, however, be honest with daughters about their struggles while actively working to accept their bodies and model body‑positive behaviors.
Arroyo added that mother–daughter relationships offer a unique context for constructive body talk. “Families have histories of care and trust that differentiate those conversations from the kinds of body talk people engage in with acquaintances,” she noted. Because of that closeness, mothers and daughters can support each other in developing healthier attitudes toward their bodies.
About this psychology and body image research news
Author: Cole Sosebee
Source: University of Georgia
Contact: Cole Sosebee – University of Georgia
Image: The image is in the public domain
Original Research: Closed access. “Feminist embodiment, body talk, and body image among mothers and daughters” by Analisa Arroyo et al., Body Image. DOI: 10.1016/j.bodyim.2022.04.005
Abstract
Feminist embodiment, body talk, and body image among mothers and daughters
Using the developmental theory of embodiment as a framework, the study explored whether feminist embodiment functions as a protective factor that supports more positive body talk and healthier body image for mothers and their young adult daughters. The authors operationalized feminist embodiment through measures of feminist attitudes, mind–body connection, and psychological empowerment.
Analyses used an expanded actor–partner interdependence model (APIM) with 169 dyads. Actor effects showed that higher feminist embodiment was directly associated with stronger body image for both mothers and daughters, and indirectly associated through increased positive body talk and reduced negative body talk. Partner effects revealed that one partner’s body talk can directly influence the other’s body image. Notably, daughters’ feminist embodiment was indirectly linked to mothers’ body image via daughters’ positive body talk.
Overall, the findings underscore the supportive and reciprocal nature of mother–daughter relationships and suggest that fostering experiences of feminist embodiment may help improve body image outcomes across generations.