Sociocultural Influences on Body Image Among Adolescent Boys From Fiji, Tonga, and Australia

The current study examined the factors related to body-image concerns among adolescent boys in Fiji and Tonga. This qualitative study determined the impact of messages from family, peers, and the media on body image among 24 adolescent boys from the following cultural groups: Indo-Fijian, Indigenous Fijian, Tongan, and Australian boys of European heritage. Boys from Fiji and Tonga had a high focus on their bodies. Fijian and Tongan boys also demonstrated high levels of body dissatisfaction and wanted to be bigger. Tongan and Indigenous Fijian boys evidenced high levels of sociocultural pressures. Indo-Fijian and Australian boys received few messages about their bodies. Boys from Fiji and Tonga appear to have strong pressures to achieve a large, muscular body.