OLDER ADOLESCENT BANYANKOLE GIRLS’ RESPONSE TO SOCIOCULTURAL

CONSTRUCTION OF BODY IMAGE IN THE ANKOLE REGION, UGANDA

Abstract
Introduction: Adolescents and young women become increasingly aware of their bodies
through images presented to them through social structures during their developmental stage.
Objectives: describing the self-perception of young adult girls' construction of body image,
exploring the contradictory societal expectations of body image where the older adolescents live
and identifying facilitators and barriers to body image constructions. Methods: The study
adopted the narrative inquiry approach with a sample size of forty-seven respondents recruited
from the community and various learning institutions. The data was collected using purposive
sampling supplemented by the snowball approach and the saturation point was reached. The
results were analyzed using the thematic analysis method. Preliminary Results: Older
Adolescents' responses formed different themes based on the three objectives of the study that
included beauty expectations, beauty comparisons, relationships and dietary habits. Theme two
included culture, jarring media expectations and shift in lifestyles. Lastly theme 3 formed five
sub themes that included parental influence, peer influence, media influence, existing standards
of appearance and culture.
Keywords; Older Adolescents, socio construction, body image, self-esteem, Ankole