title: "Mirror, mirror...." a preliminary investigation of skin tone dissatisfaction and its impact among British adults.
abstract: This study examined skin tone dissatisfaction, measured using a skin tone chart, among a multiethnic sample of British adults. A total of 648 British White individuals, 292 British South Asians, and 260 British African Caribbean participants completed a visual task in which they were asked to indicate their actual and ideal skin tones. They also completed measures of body appreciation, self-esteem, and ethnic identity attachment. Results showed that Asians had a lighter skin tone ideal than White and African Caribbean participants. Conversely, White participants had higher skin tone dissatisfaction (preferring a darker skin tone) than Asian and African Caribbean participants, who preferred a lighter skin tone. Results also showed that skin tone dissatisfaction predicted body appreciation once the effects of participant ethnicity, age, ethnic identity attachment, and self-esteem had been accounted for. Implications of our findings and suggestions for future research are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Westminster.
authors.forename: Viren
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Swami
authors.forename: Amy
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Henry
authors.forename: Nicola
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Peacock
authors.forename: Ahkin
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Roberts-Dunn
authors.forename: Alan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Porter
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D044466:Asian People / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D044383:Black People / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D001828:Body Image / Q000523:psychology*; D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008131:London; D008297:Male; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D012649:Self Concept; D044465:White People / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D055815:Young Adult