Representação social do corpo : um estudo sobre a construção e reconstrução social do corpo para mães e filhas negras

Abstract

The body was, for a long time, understood as simply a set of organs. Currently, in addition to its physical/biological components, it is accepted that it is also a social construction in which meanings that individuals construct with themselves, with others and with the world are mixed, always considering historical, political and cultural elements of the society. society. The main objective of this study was to analyze the social representations of the body for black women. To meet this objective, the research, of a qualitative and exploratory nature, had a data collection procedure through a semi-structured script. Eleven black women (mothers and daughters) were interviewed, all living in the city of Belo Horizonte/MG. The interviews were recorded, transcribed and submitted to Content Analysis. The results were organized into two blocks: responses from mothers and responses from daughters. This set of results, analyzed with the support of the Theory of Social Representations, indicated that all the interviewees seek to fit into the socially imposed standard of beauty, and the main characteristic of this standard, according to them, is thinness. In addition to thinness, skin blemishes, aging and frizzy hair are also body characteristics that prevent women from adapting to the aesthetic standard of beauty. As strategies to try to achieve this standard, the interviewees use diets, physical activities and skin and hair care procedures. Both the mothers' and daughters' groups showed dissatisfaction with their bodies. Regarding learning to care for their own bodies, mothers and daughters indicated the mother as a privileged source of teaching. Most of the interviewees stated that there were differences between the bodies of white and black women, and the main difference pointed out was the social image, because, according to them, the social image of black women is sexualized. Other differences pointed out were: hair, perceived by white women as “good” and black women as “bad”, and skin, considered aspects of tone and specific requirements in care. The results also showed that relationships with other women (friends, other family members, co-workers) are important for the interviewees to build social representations of the body. Finally, the research brought contributions to the area of Social Psychology, mainly for the social representations about the body, as well as to expand the dialogue about the differences between the body of the black woman and the body of the white woman.