Body Image Disturbance and Eating Disorders in LGBTQ People

This entry focuses on body image disturbance and eating disorders in lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and queer people. The term body image refers to people’s perceptions, feelings, and thoughts about their body. Other terms synonymous with body image include body (dis)satisfaction, body esteem, and weight satisfaction, which all focus on people’s satisfaction with their body. Body image concerns dramatically impact a person’s quality of life, significantly influencing self-esteem as well as psychological and physical health. It is well known that body dissatisfaction is linked to problematic eating behaviors at both clinical (i.e., requiring medical or psychological intervention) and nonclinical levels. [Page 141]For many people, body dissatisfaction is a key contributor to the development of clinical problems such as anorexia nervosa (where people maintain a low ...