Underpinned by the neurodiversity paradigm, scholars are increasingly interested in relationships between positive autistic identity (i.e., feeling satisfaction and pride with being autistic) and states of flourishing (i.e., where numerous aspects of a person's life and well-being are good) in autistic people. However, possible mediational pathways between these constructs remain relatively under-researched. Here, we propose a conceptual model wherein positive autistic identity is associated with flourishing in autistic adults via positive body image. To test this model, we recruited an online sample of 384 autistic adults (189 women, 195 men; M = 34.66 years, SD = 10.77) from the United Kingdom. Participants were asked to complete measures of satisfaction with autistic identity, body appreciation, and flourishing, and provide their demographic information. Structural equation modelling showed that body appreciation mediated the association between satisfaction with autistic identity and flourishing. The mediational triangle remained significantly robust after controlling for participant demographics. Future research should consider promoting positive autistic identity as a means of developing more positive body image and capacities to flourish in autistic adults.

A growing body of evidence suggests that exposure to natural environments is associated with more positive body image, but such work has invariably centred the experiences of neurotypical adults and bodies. To rectify this oversight, we examined whether direct and indirect (i.e., mediational) pathways between nature exposure and an index of positive body image (i.e., body appreciation) are significant in autistic adults. A total of 303 autistic adults (age M = 36.69, range 18-75 years) from the United Kingdom completed an online survey that included measures of nature exposure, body appreciation, self-compassion, and nature connectedness, as well as sociodemographic variables. Structural equation modeling was used to test a hypothesised parallel mediation model in which self-compassion and connectedness to nature, respectively, mediated the association between nature exposure and body appreciation. Results showed that connectedness to nature, but not self-compassion, mediated the relationship between nature exposure and body appreciation. This finding was robust to sensitivity analyses and consistent across participants who identified as women and men. These results suggest that nature exposure is associated with more positive body image in autistic adults, which practitioners may find useful in designing population-specific nature-based interventions.

Abundant published literature evidences the harmful effects of appearance-idealized media imagery on women’s body image in predominantly Western populations. Most countries in Latin America (LA) have received little empirical attention. The current study qualitatively explored Nicaraguan women’s ideas about appearance, and the role of televisual media in shaping their body image. A total of 24 women of Creole and Mestizo ethnicities from small communities on the rural Caribbean coast of Nicaragua took part in 4 focus groups. A semi-inductive thematic analysis was used to interpret the women’s transcribed conversations. Findings suggest that local cultural appearance ideals for women are relatively loosely defined and center on a curvy body shape and other aspects of appearance rather than a low body weight. Most women reported being satisfied with their ‘God-given’ bodies and showed little desire to modify them, although Mestizo women tended to diet more. Television (TV) was seen as both a positive and a negative influence on women’s attitudes towards and behaviours around their appearance and their bodies. Our findings contribute to the scant literature on media influence on body image in under researched contexts and could provide evidence for alternative approaches to preventative work in ethnically diverse Latin American populations.

In recognition of a need to better understand children's body image, this study aimed to explore how young children describe what they appreciate about their body functionality. A total of 381 British children aged four to six years old were interviewed in a brief play-based session. We looked at the absolute number of responses children gave when asked to list all the amazing things they could do with their bodies as well as the range of responses across body functionality domains using a coding rubric. We assessed whether there were differences by age and gender for both scores and then tested whether each were associated with body appreciation. On average, we found that children listed five amazing things they can do with their body across two body functionality domains. There were no significant differences by gender for either score. Older children gave significantly more functionality appreciation responses than younger children, which spanned more domains. The number of functionality appreciation domains children covered in their responses was positively associated with body appreciation while the total number included in their list was not. Insights from this preliminary work can aid the development and evaluation of positive body image interventions for young children.

Racialised appearance ideals displayed in media and advertising imagery privilege white or light skin. Yet, little research has tested how white or light skin ideals in advertising influence body image. In this online experimental study, South Asian women in the UK (N = 194, Mage = 28.6 years) recruited via Prolific, were randomly assigned to view advertisements that featured either South Asian women with dark skin, South Asian women with light skin, White women, or products only. Dependent variables included appearance and skin shade satisfaction, mood (feeling confident, inspired, anxious, depressed), and advertising effectiveness. Repeated measure ANOVAs and post-hoc analyses showed that viewing White models reduced participants' skin shade satisfaction and lowered their confidence. Exposure to advertisements with South Asian models with dark skin increased the extent to which women felt inspired, while exposure to advertisements with South Asian models with light skin increased appearance satisfaction. Exposure to either of the South Asian models reduced women's anxiety. Our results present compelling evidence that representation matters - in terms of body image and wellbeing as well as advertising effectiveness. As little experimental work has been conducted on skin shade representation in advertising on body image outcomes, we outline several important future directions.