title: "Does the voice in your head get kinder as you get older?" Women's perceptions of body image in midlife.
abstract: This study aimed to identify attitudes and reactions toward physical changes in midlife women. A Facebook thread, presenting a series of comments related to an initial statement, instigated by a radio program was analyzed. The thread contained 87 responses to the question "Does the voice in your head get kinder as you get older?" Content analysis revealed positive (56%) and negative (40%) comments and four themes: physical changes with aging, the decreased importance of physical appearance, the importance of sociocultural influences, and the invisibility of women in midlife. Findings revealed both positive and negative body image experiences in women related to midlife and have implications for prevention.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Counseling and Applied Educational Psychology , Northeastern University , Boston , Massachusetts , USA.|b Laboratoire de Stress Traumatique , Université Paul Sabatier , Toulouse , France.
authors.forename: Rachel F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Rodgers
authors.affiliation: c School of Psychological Science , La Trobe University , Melbourne , Australia.
authors.forename: Susan J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Paxton
authors.affiliation: c School of Psychological Science , La Trobe University , Melbourne , Australia.
authors.forename: Siân A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: McLean
authors.affiliation: c School of Psychological Science , La Trobe University , Melbourne , Australia.
authors.forename: Stephanie R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Damiano
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology*; D001828:Body Image / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D061108:Social Media; D012944:Social Support
keywords: Body dissatisfaction; content analysis; midlife; women