“Thin & waif-like”: body image and body ideals in gender-expansive adults

Research on body image and related mental health concerns has historically focused on cisgender individuals. However, little research to date has investigated body image pressures and appearance ideals in gender-expansive individuals (e.g. gender queer, nonbinary, and gender fluid individuals). As gender-expansive individuals do not have a binary gender identity, it is possible that their body and beauty ideals may be more inclusive and less restrictive than binary gendered individuals. Conversely, gender-expansive individuals may feel dual-appearance pressures related to both masculinity and femininity, or may experience unique appearance pressures. Given competing hypotheses in the literature, the current study sought to explore gender-expansive individuals' body ideals and body images from a qualitative framework. Results across participants of all genders highlight the pervasive nature of fatphobia. Gender-expansive individuals described feeling external appearance pressures present as androgynous and that the ideal androgynous person was thin and not feminine, suggesting that androgyny was conceptualized narrowly. Gender-expansive participants also expressed tensions between wanting to feel authentic and at home in their bodies and competing appearance pressures informed by fatphobia and fear of discrimination.