Abstract
Body pride has been identified as an emotional experience that may be central to optimal health, and an emerging body of literature has suggested that body pride is highly relevant to youth. Research has also suggested that body pride may be a strong predictor of health and wellbeing among Aboriginal youth, but there is a lack of in-depth research that has explored how body pride is conceptualized by Aboriginal youth. The purpose of this research was to explore the meanings of body pride to young, urban, Aboriginal women. Eight young Aboriginal women (14-18 years old) participated in one-on-one interviews. All interviews, upon the consent of participants, were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim. A qualitative content analysis highlighted 5 themes that represent the young women’s meanings of body pride. Participants described how body pride is: (1) who you are and how you show it, (2) accepting everything about your body, (3) being healthy, (4) connected to culture, and (5) being thankful to be Native. This research makes a contribution to the growing body pride literature by providing an initial glimpse into the complexities of young Aboriginal women’s body pride experiences. Participants suggested that body pride is an important component of holistic health, and they highlighted the central role that culture plays in their emotional experiences of body pride. Findings from this research provide a strong starting point for moving away from the perpetual focus on the negative in body image research and health research with Aboriginal peoples.Acknowledgments: We would like to thank the participants for sharing their knowledge and contributing to the body pride literature. This research was supported by a grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.