An intersectional investigation of Asian American men’s muscularity-oriented disordered eating: Associations with gendered racism and masculine norms

Abstract

ABSTRACT Grounded in an intersectional framework, the present study investigated the extent to which racism, gendered racism, and conformity to masculine norms are associated with Asian American men’s muscularity-oriented disordered eating. The study also examined if ethnic identity moderated the association between both forms of racism and muscularity-oriented disordered eating. 220 Asian American men completed an online cross-sectional survey that contained the study questionnaires. Hierarchical regression analyses were conducted to examine the associations between our predictor variables and muscularity-oriented disordered eating. Gendered racism, conformity to the masculine norms of playboy, heterosexual presentation and self-reliance were positively associated with muscularity-oriented disordered eating, whereas conformity to power over women was negatively associated. Racism and the remaining masculine norms were not associated with muscularity-oriented disordered eating. Ethnic identity did not moderate the association between either form of racism and muscularity-oriented disordered eating. Given that gendered racism was positively associated with muscularity-oriented disordered eating whereas racism was not, researchers and practitioners may consider prioritizing intersectionality in their understanding of Asian American men’s eating pathology. Results emphasize the importance of examining both race and gender in conceptualizing Asian American men’s muscularity-oriented disordered eating. Data Availability Statement: Data for this study are available upon request from the first author.