THE INFLUENCE OF SEXUAL ORIENTATION ON BODY DISSATISFACTION IN ADULT MEN AND WOMEN

Objective: Whereas gay culture's presumed emphasis on physical appeara nce may potentiate body dissatisfaction, lesbian culture's seeming lac k of emphasis on appearance may protect against body dissatisfaction. We examined body dissatisfaction, associated psychosocial variables, a nd affiliation with the gay and lesbian community. Method: Sell-report measures were administered to 257 subjects (69 lesbians, 72 heterosex ual women, 58 gay men, and 58 heterosexual men). Results: Compared wit h heterosexual men, gay men reported significantly more body dissatisf action and more distress in many of the psychosocial areas related to body dissatisfaction. In contrast, lesbians and heterosexual women did not differ in these areas. Although affiliation with the gay communit y was associated with body dissatisfaction in gay men, affiliation wit h the lesbian community was unrelated to body dissatisfaction in lesbi ans. Discussion: It seems that aspects oi the gay community increase v ulnerability to body dissatisfaction, yet the values of the lesbian co mmunity do not seem to be protective against body dissatisfaction. (C) 1996 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.