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Professor studies how women’s body image relates to sexual satisfaction.

Big love

Professor studies how women’s body image relates to sexual satisfaction.

In the smash film Bridesmaids, Melissa McCarthy soared to fame and critical acclaim as the bawdy bridesmaid Megan who doesn’t let her body weight affect her libido.
That kind of acceptance can help those who identify themselves as fat to have a richer romantic life, according to recent research by sociology Professor Jeannine Gailey. In her paper “Fat Shame to Fat Pride: Fat Women’s Sexual and Dating Experiences,” published earlier this year in the journal Fat Studies, Gailey writes that women who can accept and appreciate their bodies, embracing “fat pride,” can also positively affect their sex lives.
She interviewed women who identified themselves as fat about their body image, ability to accept their size and relationship histories. She found that three-fourths of those surveyed reported that when they embraced fat pride, they tended to experience an increase in confidence and better sexual relationships, whereas women who struggled to accept their body size tended to report less sexual fulfillment and were more likely to report that they felt men used them sexually.
“Women who accept their bodies, or are beginning to, not only experience freedom from the pressure to diet or change their bodies, but also the freedom to be sexual. As the women experience less body shame and increased confidence, they also seek out or attract partners who treat them better and truly appreciate them,” she writes. “Participants who have begun to see their bodies as beautiful and desired seem to enjoy their sexual relationships and have better experiences than those who do not.”

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