“Making Peace” with Bodies and Sexual Selves: Changes during COVID-19 among Adults in the United States

Jessamyn Bowling, Erin Basinger and Erika A. Montanaro
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Jessamyn Bowling: Department of Public Health Sciences, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC 28223, USA
Erin Basinger: Department of Communication Studies, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC 28223, USA
Erika A. Montanaro: Department of Psychological Science, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC 28223, USA

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 21, 1-13

Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted the physical and mental health of many and has necessitated widespread societal shifts, including changes to work and family activities. These changes have impacted individuals’ identity, including their sexual self-image and body image, yet research on perceptions of these changes is missing. This study reports on quantitative and qualitative data from an electronic survey with adults in the United States ( N = 326) to examine these perceptions. Body appreciation did not significantly differ between demographic groups. Themes emerging from the qualitative results included changes in general self-image (becoming more restricted or disempowered), changes in sexual self-image (deepening, becoming more sexy/sexual, or less sexy/sexual), and changes in body image (positive, negative, and neutral). Our findings point to positive, negative, and neutral effects on sexual self-image and body image, implying that nuanced approaches are needed to understand how identity has transformed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Keywords: body image; pandemic; COVID-19; body acceptance; self-image (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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