Black young women face unique pressures as they navigate social media and what it tells them about their bodies, said Sophia Choukas-Bradley at a Carter Series lecture, presented in late October by the University of Delaware’s Department of Women and Gender Studies. Additionally, she noted that body image concerns that result from such pressures have been linked to lower self-esteem, depressive symptoms, and disordered eating.

An assistant professor of psychology at the University of Pittsburgh, Choukas-Bradley is a former UD faculty member. The Carter Series, which presents lectures focused on outstanding research on women, is funded by the Mae and Robert Carter Endowment in Women’s Studies. 

Choukas-Bradley’s lecture focused on the social media dimensions of a larger research project in which she and her collaborators are examining the gendered racial identity development of Black young women and their experiences related to sexual objectification, self-objectification and body image, and the intersection of sexism and racism.

Dubbed “Project ROSE” (Racial Identity, Objectification, and Sociocultural Experiences), the research grew out of earlier work that Choukas-Bradley conducted while at UD. Research collaborators include Jioni Lewis and Brianna Ladd of the University of Maryland and Rowan Hunt of the University of Louisville.

Adolescent girls and young women experienced body image concerns long before the advent of the internet and social media, acknowledged Choukas-Bradley. She referenced the “imaginary audience,” a term first coined by U.S. developmental psychologist David Elkin to describe the belief of adolescents that others are constantly focusing attention on them, scrutinizing their behaviors and appearance. However, as Choukas-Bradley said, “that imaginary audience is no longer so imaginary.” Social media’s publicness, permanence and quantifiability — the ability to see how many people like your photo — adds to its potential risks.

Social media promotes an arbitrary standard of beauty, said Choukas-Bradley. She listed some of the attributes that are currently portrayed on social media as desirable, such as a small nose, big eyes, wavy or straight hair, dramatic eyebrows, and high cheekbones. “There is a homogenization of increasingly unattainable beauty standards across race and ethnicity,” said Choukas-Bradley. She pointed to work by Tressie McMillan Cottom and other feminist scholars showing that many Black young women internalize Eurocentric standards of beauty. 

She also talked about the “slim thick” body type that is now in vogue. A “slim thick” figure is used to describe a woman with a small waist, flat stomach and larger hips, rear and thighs, who also is muscled and well-toned. Choukas-Bradley pointed out the transitory nature of these beauty ideals, noting that when she was an adolescent, overall slimness was the desired look.       

Yet, her research indicates that social media is a double-edged sword. While social media can perpetuate harmful beauty standards, it also can depict greater diversity in beauty ideals. Some of the research participants in Project ROSE talked positively about the increased representation of Black women and queer and trans women on social media.      

Patricia Sloane-White, chair of the Department of Women and Gender Studies, said of Choukas-Bradley’s lecture, “I don't think there was a person present who couldn’t relate to or empathize with the demands of bodily perfection — and the self-judgment — that social media generates, and the profound impact that images of thin white influencers and now thin/thick bodies have on women of color.” 

The Carter Series lectures are intended to provide an opportunity to explore varied topics addressing contemporary feminism and to foster an environment in which feminist ideas may thrive. View Choukas-Bradley’s lecture here.

In 2023, the Department of Women and Gender Studies will celebrate its 50th year of teaching about, studying, and advocating for the rights of women and all marginalized people. For information about “50 Years Strong” events, please visit the department’s website.