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Psychology

The body image experiences of women working within the aesthetics sector: a thematic analysis of online survey and interview responses

02 October 2021
Clinical
02 October 2021
Volume 10 · Issue 8

Abstract

Background:

Body dissatisfaction can have negative implications on health and wellbeing.

Aims:

Women working within the aesthetics sector have been identified as being vulnerable to body dissatisfaction and disordered eating; however, research exploring this population is scarce. This research aimed to investigate the area further.

Methods:

Online surveys and interviews were used to explore the body image experiences of 41 women working in the aesthetics sector.

Findings:

Thematic analysis highlighted three themes: a feeling that looking ‘good’ was necessitated by their profession; ubiquitous and inevitable nature of appearance comparisons; and an appearance satisfaction dichotomy, with some reporting feeling satisfied and others dissatisfied.

Conclusion:

The body image experiences of women working in the aesthetic sector are mixed and can be complex. The implications of these findings and directions for future research are discussed.

Body image can be defined as ‘a person's perceptions, feelings and thoughts about his or her own body’ (Grogan, 2008). Body dissatisfaction, which can be defined as ‘a person's negative thoughts and feelings about his or her own body’ (Grogan, 2008), is common, particularly in Western populations, with high levels consistently reported (Tiggemann, 2004; Frederick et al, 2016). This is concerning because, in addition to the negative psychological impact, body dissatisfaction can have an impact on physical health by contributing to people engaging in behaviours that pose a risk to their health (Rumsey and Harcourt, 2012), including sunbed use (Stapleton et al, 2017), disordered eating (Stice, 2002) and negatively impacting on breastfeeding intention, initiation and duration (Morley-Hewitt and Owen, 2020).

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Qualitative data
Body image
Interviews
Surveys
Mental health