Claire Wu
Class of 2024Oakton, Virginia
About
Hello! My name is Claire and my Polygene project is about the investigation of gender and body image perception, specifically with body dissatisfaction and the desire to lose weight. I chose to work on this project because I wanted to conduct my own research for the first time and body image is a prevalent concept in my day-to-day life. After my project is complete I would like to publish it in a journal and also take a nap!Projects
- "Investigation of Gender and Body Image" with mentor Kristen (Aug. 24, 2023)
Project Portfolio
Investigation of Gender and Body Image
Started Apr. 27, 2023
Abstract or project description
Claire is conducting an independent project examining the relationship between gender and body image perceptions.
Previous research on body image issues has examined the relationship between body dissatisfaction and the desire to lose weight. However, less research has focused on how these negative components of body image may differ, isolated from sociocultural factors (e.g, religion, education, social class), in terms of gender. Therefore, the present study assessed gender differences in body dissatisfaction and the desire to lose weight. It was hypothesized that women would report both higher body dissatisfaction and desire to lose weight than men. Participants (n = 85) were recruited via snowball and convenience sampling. Participants completed questionnaires about their desire to lose weight, body satisfaction, and demographics. The results did not show a statistically significant difference in desire to lose weight between genders; however, women reported higher body dissatisfaction than men. These findings provide insight on how negative body image perceptions may differ between genders. Such understanding can inform exploring methods to combat negative body image for all genders.