Monica recalled that her mother had once told her then-boyfriend to watch her diet because in her eyes she was "fat" while her then-boyfriend was in good shape. "She even cried, leaving me quite surprised." That's one way to parent in many Chinese families – the thinking is that girls should keep fit so that they'll be more popular in society. Engeln, R., & Zola, A. (in press). These boots weren’t made for walking: Clothing choices as a gendered form of self-objectification. Sex Roles. Sladek, M., Engeln, R., & Miller, S.A. (2014). Development and validation of the Male Body Talk Scale: A psychometric investigation. Body Image, 11, 233-244. I live with that struggle every day. When I was a teenager, I was always doubting whether my face was too big, whether my nose was too wide. And now, I'm afraid of getting old," said Tang Xuemeng. Turning 30, she said she fears the wrinkles creeping onto her face and cheeks sagging due to loss of collagen. Rolnik, A., Engeln-Maddox, R., & Miller, S.A. (2010). Here’s looking at you: Self-objectification, body image disturbance, and sorority rush. Sex Roles, 63, 6-17.

For a time, toxic criteria of slimness made their rounds on social media, such as millions of netizens sharing photos of eggs being delicately perched on their pronounced collarbones. These bizarre internet trends have further contributed to the social anxiety of young women who fear judgment or strive for perfectionism. And there are the myriad beauty "gurus" who link slimness to self-discipline, and beauty to power. For 26-year-old Rani Wei, the experience hits close to home. The former actress said in most of the auditions she had attended, she was discriminated against because she was "overweight" and "not that beautiful" by filmmaking standards. Whether we are tall or short, fat or slim, we don't want to be treated as an object," Tang said, looking adamantly at the camera. Salk, R., & Engeln-Maddox, R. (2011).“If you’re fat then I’m humongous!”: Content and impact of fat talk among college women. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 35, 8-28 . Engeln-Maddox, R., Miller, S.A., & Doyle, D. (2011). Tests of objectification theory in gay, lesbian, and community samples: Mixed evidence for proposed pathways. Sex Roles, 65, 518-532.

Not the right award?

Engeln, R., Sladek, M., & Waldron, H. (2013). Body talk among college men: Contexts, correlates, and effects. Body Image, 10, 300-308.

An award-winning Northwestern University psychology professor reveals how the cultural obsession with women's appearance is an epidemic that harms women's ability to get ahead and to live happy, meaningful lives, in this powerful, eye-opening work in the vein of Naomi Wolf, Peggy Orenstein, and Sheryl Sandberg. Sladek, M., Salk, R., & Engeln, R. (2018). Negative body talk measures for Asian, Latina(o), and White women and men: Measurement equivalence and associations with ethnic-racial identity. Body Image, 25, 66-77. high frequency body treatments including full body massage and other body treatments (if it is not a health business)Engeln-Maddox, R., Salk, R. H., & Miller, S.A. (2012). Assessing women’s negative commentary on their own bodies: A psychometric investigation of the Negative Body Talk Scale. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 36, 162-178. Maybe the willingness to talk about body image in public is progress, though tiny, as women try to define their own worth and beauty instead of having others do it for them. As the protagonist in "Magic Mirror" asks near the end of the episode, "Why has beauty, which is supposed to be the most inclusive and diverse, become so narrow?" Engeln, R., & Salk, R. (2014). The demographics of fat talk in adult women: Age, body size, and ethnicity. Journal of Health Psychology, 19, 1-10. hairdressers or cosmetologists working in the general retail, theatrical, amusement and entertainment industry

Research Faculty, Visiting Scholars, and Postdoctoral Fellows ExpandResearch Faculty, Visiting Scholars, and Postdoctoral Fellows Submenu Source reference: Hair and Beauty Industry Award [MA000005] clause 4 and schedule A Who the Hair and Beauty Award doesn’t cover Stern, N., & Engeln, R. (2018). Self-compassionate letter-writing increases college women’s body satisfaction. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 42, 326-341. Engeln, R., Shavlik, M., & Daly, C. (2018). Tone it down: How fitness instructors' motivational comments shape women's body satisfaction. Journal of Clinical Sport Psychology, 12, 508-524 . When it comes to asking the daughter to lose weight, Zhao Yangyang has a mother that's the same as Monica's. Zhao, 24, has taken diet pills from countries such as Japan and South Korea. "They really worked, though they made you thirsty."Johnson, S., & Engeln, R. (2020). Gender Discrepancies in Perceptions of the Bodies of Female Fashion Models. Sex Roles, 84, 299-311.

Foster-Gimbel, O., & Engeln, R. (2016). Fat chance! Experiences and expectations of antifat bias in the gay community. Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity, 3, 63-70. But she doesn't want to become a "stunner" through plastic surgery or intentional weight loss, as many actresses do. "Because that's not me. I am who I am." I'm not the standard-looking actress in Chinese society today, so I could barely get the part," Wei said. Upon graduation, she slimmed down to 104 pounds after a bout of alcoholism and insomnia. Ironically, her unhealthy weight loss led to her getting the only two parts out of 20 auditions she attended over those years. The Hair and Beauty Award also covers labour hire businesses and their employees who are working for a business in the hair and beauty industry.The Hair and Beauty Award covers employers in the hair and beauty industry and their employees who fit within the classifications of the award. Every day, every week, every year, I would always find somewhere on my body I'm not satisfied with," said Tang. To her and her female colleagues, the pursuit of beauty is never-ending. "It's common sense in my company that we have to watch our diet and stay in shape." Source reference: Hair and Beauty Industry Award [MA000005] clause 4 and schedule A Not the right award? Unsurprisingly, in societies such as China and greater East Asia where the competition to be the best and look the most beautiful is fierce, looking pretty and keeping fit is the feminine ideal. For young women in urban China, body image is a topic that's often discussed, yet not nearly enough. An award-winning psychology professor reveals how the cultural obsession with women's appearance is an epidemic that harms women's ability to get ahead and to live happy, meaningful lives, in this powerful, eye-opening work in the vein of Peggy Orenstein and Sheryl Sandberg.