Body Size and Weight

Body size and weight are affected by various norms and expectations—both those within the larger society and those within the LGBTQ community. Although eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia impact LGBTQ people, and will be referred to briefly in this entry, the major topics will be the influences of gender, environment, LGBTQ cultures, and history on the body size and weight of LGBTQ people. The controversy surrounding body size and weight—not only as a cultural identifier, but as an indicator of physical and mental health—is presented.

Disparities

It is well documented that lesbians, as a group, have larger bodies than heterosexual women, and that gay men have higher rates of eating disorders than heterosexual men; the rates of eating disorders among gay men are more in ...

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