“Trapped in an echo chamber of whiteness”: Exploring real-world barriers in understanding and challenging white supremacy in body image research in the global north

Abstract

There is an urgent need to decentre white-centric epistemologies and methodologies in body image research. However, systemic change will be difficult to achieve without understanding body image researchers’ perceptions of the scale of the problem and the barriers they face in disrupting white supremacy. The present study aims to: i) explore researchers’ perceived impact of white supremacy in the field, and ii) identify barriers in adopting anti-racist research practices. Forty-seven body image and appearance researchers (aged 24–57 years; M = 33.96, SD = 7.31) across career stages participated in an online survey examining their understanding of white supremacy’s influence on the field, barriers in adopting anti-racist research practices on multiple levels, and their perceived responsibility and impact. Descriptive data indicated some perceived influence of white supremacy on body image research currently (M = 2.87; SD = 2.11; range = 1–7). Participants attributed greater responsibility for addressing white supremacy to researchers who were more advanced in their career, with late-stage researchers most frequently ranked most responsible (n = 21). Participants rated their own responsibility as moderately low (M = 2.02; SD = 0.93) but their own actions as slightly impactful (M = 4.65; SD = 2.08; all ranges 1–7). Reflexive content analysis highlighted the importance in contextualising researchers’ situatedness within white-centric power structures (Category 1), characterised by homogenous white spaces and groups (Category 2), which contributed to multiple barriers within the research process (Category 3). Based on these findings, we made recommendations for targeted and practical solutions to move the field forward.