Navigating Body Image and Cultural Identity: The Unique Challenges Facing Asian American Women
By Caitlin Dang, LMHCA, MACP
Concerns around body image among Asian American women are not simply aesthetic—they are deeply rooted in intersecting systems of power, cultural expectations, and generational trauma. These concerns are shaped by both traditional Asian values and Western beauty ideals, resulting in a complex, often conflicting experience of self-image.
The Cultural Roots of Beauty Standards
Historically, many Asian civilizations linked beauty to health, spirituality, and the holistic balance of mind, body, and spirit. Practices like Qi emphasized well-being beyond appearance. Over time, however, ideals such as pale skin, delicate features, and small stature became popularized. Colonialism and globalization later imposed Eurocentric beauty ideals—slimness, height, and Western facial features—transforming what was once celebrated in Asian cultures.
Today, younger generations face pressure from both sides: conforming to Western norms and navigating modern Asian beauty ideals shaped by global influences like K-pop and J-pop. These dual influences narrow the socially acceptable image of beauty, creating internal conflict and dissatisfaction.
Media Representation and the Sexualization of Asian Women
In the U.S., Asian American women face unique media-driven pressures. Stereotypes—such as being seen as exotic, submissive, or “perpetual foreigners”—stem from colonial and orientalist portrayals. These narratives are harmful, often resulting in self-objectification, low self-esteem, and body dysmorphia.
Intersectionality matters. The combination of racism, sexism, and cultural erasure shapes how Asian American women experience their bodies and identities. As sociologist Erika Lee notes, rather than assimilating into American whiteness, many Asian Americans became racial minorities marked by their difference—further marginalizing their experiences.
Mental Health Stigma and the Underreporting of Eating Disorders
Mental health remains a taboo subject in many Asian American families. As a result, issues like disordered eating and body image struggles are underreported and misunderstood. Eating disorders have traditionally been viewed as a "Western" issue, but perfectionism, familial pressure, and acculturation-related stress contribute to their prevalence among Asian American women.
Research indicates that Asian Americans often report higher levels of perfectionism than their white counterparts—a significant risk factor for eating disorders. Add to that the societal demand to “save face,” and it's no wonder that many Asian American women suffer in silence.
Barriers to Treatment: Language, Cultural Disconnect, and Stigma
Even when Asian American women seek help, they may encounter therapists who lack cultural competence. Language barriers, differing views on mental illness, and contrasting communication styles can hinder trust and progress in therapy.
Therapists unfamiliar with cultural nuances might misinterpret behaviors or unintentionally invalidate the client’s lived experience. In cultures that value interdependence, harmony, and humility, traditional Western models of therapy—focused on self-assertion and direct confrontation—may not resonate.
The Need for Culturally Competent Therapy
Effective mental health care for Asian American women requires more than empathy—it demands cultural humility, active listening, and an awareness of power and privilege within the therapy room.
Culturally competent therapists:
Understand the client’s worldview.
Adapt therapeutic techniques to align with the client’s cultural values.
Acknowledge the diverse experiences within the broader Asian American community.
It’s also critical for therapists to recognize that their own identities, cultural assumptions, and communication styles impact the therapeutic relationship. The concept of "the Third" in therapy—recognizing the shared but distinct realities between therapist and client—can support greater mutual understanding.
Reclaiming the Body, Rewriting the Narrative
Healing from body image issues is not just a personal journey—it is a collective resistance against generations of systemic oppression. Asian American women are often left to hold the weight of both invisibility and hypervisibility, bearing the burden of microaggressions and internalized messages without culturally responsive support.
Racial trauma, as Resmaa Menakem writes, is not our fault—but it is our responsibility to heal. Therapy, when done well, can be a place for that embodied, emergent healing process. But for Asian American women to truly reclaim their bodies, therapists and systems must meet them where they are—with nuance, sensitivity, and cultural awareness.
As beauty standards continue to evolve and body positivity movements grow, Asian American women still face a unique and often invisible struggle with body image. It's time to shift the conversation—away from unrealistic ideals and toward inclusive, culturally competent care that affirms their identities and experiences.
Interested in therapy or consultation? I offer trauma-informed and culturally responsive counseling for clients in Washington State and coaching nationally.
Full Research Paper
Concerns of body image amongst Asian American women are deeply rooted in both Asian and American culture stemming from power, privilege, and systems of oppression. It is a complex and multifaceted topic that has evolved over centuries, influenced by cultural, social, and historical factors. Throughout history, Asian countries have held certain beauty standards that have since shifted as a result of colonialism and globalization. Particularly, with the sexualization and media representation of Asian women in America, Asian American women are facing a unique set of internal and external pressures to appear a certain way that has negatively impacted many Asian American women’s relationships to their bodies. Additionally, due to the historical understanding of mental health in Asian American communities, there has also been an underreporting of mental health issues within this population, leaving it more difficult for this population to find healing, further perpetuating intergenerational trauma. For those who are able to and are willing to seek counseling, it is essential for counselors to be aware of their power and privilege and to be well equipped in multicultural and culturally competent counseling of Asian American women and the nuances that carries. Providing culturally competent care of Asian Americans requires an understanding of what therapeutic approaches will be most effective, their cultural values and the ways in which it does or does not intersect with the clinician’s own culture, and the contrasting ways of direct and indirect communication that will impact the counseling relationship in order for their clients to feel seen, heard, and safe in their exploration of how power and privilege have informed their relationship with one’s body.
Traditional beauty standards of Asian countries are complex and have evolved throughout the decades. Previously, many Asian civilizations associated body image with concepts of health, balance, and spirituality. It is evidenced that Asian cultures have closely linked the mind, body, and spirit connection through their belief and practice of Qi, emphasizing the holistic image of the human body beyond just aesthetic means (Tewari & Alvarez, 2009, p. 562). Varying across regions and time periods, it became more popularized that the ideal image of beauty was pale skin, small feet, and a delicate figure. With the colonization of Asian countries during the 19th and 20th century, beauty standards once again shifted (Tewari & Alvarez, 2009, p. 539). Certain physical traits became more desirable such as having a tall stature, slimness, and certain facial features. Most of the influence was through the exchange of media, fashion, and culture. This widespread phenomenon was not only apparent in Asian countries, but countries around the world, speaking to the power whiteness has on a global scale. Because of the conformity of beauty standards across the world, there is greater pressure to conform to the Westernized beauty standards, particularly amongst younger generations who are more exposed to mass media.
While Western standards of beauty continue to shape what the public ideal of beauty is, there has been a recent surge of K-pop and J-pop that has had a significant influence on beauty standards in both Asia and beyond. Most K-pop stars have similar attributes of “glass skin,” slim figures, certain hairstyles, and particular facial features. Because of the popularization of K-pop and J-pop that has a mixture of Asian and Western influences, younger generations are looking to these mass media stars to influence their beauty standards. It is significant to note who has influence on beauty standards around the world and within the United States and how beauty standards objectify the body. Because using trends how bodies “should” appear, there has, too, been a surge of body positivity movements and cultural resistance against modern beauty standards and beauty standards as a whole. When intersecting the beauty standards of Asian and Western cultures, there leaves a narrow image of what is socially ideal and acceptable in modern times.
To further nuance the complexity of Asian beauty standards of Asian American women, it is essential to look at the intersections of race, gender, and ethnicity in order to gain further understanding of the impacts of sexism, racism, and every other -ism on Asian American women. The sexualization of Asian American women is rooted in colonialism, orientalism, and stereotypes perpetuated by Western media. Some of the ways Asian women have been portrayed in media throughout the decades are, “seen as being: (a) perpetual foreigners; (b) mysterious; (c) exotic; (d) “arm candy” for White males; and (e) invisible. (Tewari & Alvarez, 2009, p. 422). This portrayal not only objectifies and fetisizes Asian women but also reinforces harmful stereotypes that can impact their self-image, mental well-being, and perception of beauty and desirability. Again, narrowing the image of what is socially ideal and acceptable for Asian women can profoundly affect their body image, feelings of inadequacy, self-objectification, and even body dysmorphia. It's important to recognize that the sexualization of Asian women intersects with other forms of oppression, such as racism and sexism. Asian women may face unique challenges in navigating their identities and experiences due to the intersectionality of these factors. With Asian Americans' unique migration to the United States, “Instead of transitioning from immigrants to Americans, meaning White Americans, they would become racial minority Americans, or Americans of color” (Lee, 2022, p. 147). The intersections demonstrate how power and privilege have greatly influenced Asian American women.
The stressors of unrealistic body images has had a direct correlation to Asian American mental health and eating disorders, making the assessment of body image a primary concern in this underrepresented group. Media continues to play a large role in the influence of body image for the worse and better. In more recent years, the movement of body positivity seeks to promote the acceptance of all body shapes, sizes, and appearances. While the promotion of body positivity has been highlighted in the media and companies display a diverse range of body types and images, there are still continued challenges in the body image of Asian American women. Due to the deep cultural values of Asian beauty ideals and Western influence, issues of body shaming, eating disorders, and pressure to conform to unrealistic beauty standards remains a largely dismissed issue within the community.
Eating disorders have traditionally been associated with Western cultures, although there is growing evidence to suggest that they are also prevalent among Asian women, which is often underreported and misunderstood. Cultural factors such as pressure to achieve academic or career success, familial expectations, and societal norms around body image can contribute to the development of eating disorders in Asian women. For example, there may be cultural pressure to maintain a slim figure or adhere to traditional beauty standards, which can exacerbate disordered eating behaviors. It is also known that cultural values such as “perfectionism are strongly correlated with eating disorders. Research has found that Asian Americans as compared to European Americans report higher levels of perfectionism” (Tewari & Alvarez, 2009, p. 546). Tying together the history of beauty standards in Asia and the migration of Asians to the United States, factors such as acculturation should also be considered when looking at body image in Asian Americans. As they navigate between their cultural heritage and the dominant culture, they may experience conflicting messages about body image and beauty, leading to internalized stigma and distress.
A major reason why eating disorders are underreported in the Asian American women population is the stigma associated with mental health disorders. The stigma around mental health has prevented access to treatment and support. Argued as American, “we as a country are not unique in what our history holds, but where we are more unique is in our denial. I suggest that this denial displays the difficulty we have to hold the trauma that is still within us” (Moss, 2019). Although, I would argue denial is apparent in Asian American culture as well. Cultural taboos surrounding mental health issues and a lack of culturally sensitive resources may further contribute to the invisibility of eating disorders in Asian populations. This denial exacerbates the reality of both eating disorders and body dysmorphia in the Asian American community. Looking at the intersections of Asian and American culture, Asian American body image issues are taboo on both sides. This can be described and depicted through the verbiage of “minor feelings'' which can be described as “the racialized range of emotions that are negative, dysphoric, and therefore untelegenic, built from the sediments of everyday racial experience and the irritant of having one's perception of reality constantly questioned or dismissed” (Hong, 2022, p. 55). Racial issues that are brought up by minority groups are often minimized or questioned to maintain positions of power and privilege. Asian American women are placed in a bind when bringing up issues of mental health, and more specifically, body image, due to the cultural stigma of mental health in Asian culture and the dismissal of feelings of minority groups in the United States.
Not only is the denial of eating disorders and body dysmorphia in the Asian American community an issue, barriers to treatment remain a struggle for this particular population. Addressing these barriers requires a multi-faceted approach that takes into account the cultural and social contexts in which eating disorders occur. Asian women may face unique barriers to accessing treatment for eating disorders, including language barriers, cultural differences in help-seeking behavior, and limited availability of culturally competent care providers. Many Asian Americans may prefer to communicate in their native language, yet psychotherapists may not always have proficiency in these languages. This can create a barrier to effective communication and hinder the therapeutic process. Even if therapists provide interpretation services, nuances and cultural subtleties may be lost in translation, impacting the quality of care. Additionally, psychotherapists who are not familiar with Asian cultures may inadvertently make assumptions or misunderstand cultural norms, beliefs, and values. For example, individualism versus collectivism, attitudes towards mental health, and the role of family in decision-making may vary significantly between Western and Asian cultures.
Asian Americans often place a strong emphasis on respect for authority, filial piety, and saving face. Psychotherapists who are unaware of or disregard these cultural values may inadvertently undermine rapport and trust with their clients. With certain topics, such as mental illness being considered taboo or shameful in some Asian cultures, therapists are required to approach discussions with sensitivity and cultural awareness. A prime example of a cultural difference is that “Asian American parents often use critical and authoritarian parenting techniques, referred to as “shaming,” to help motivate their children to succeed” (Tewari & Alvarez, 2009, p. 546). Without cultural competence, therapists may misinterpret behaviors or fail to address underlying cultural factors contributing to the client's concerns. Psychotherapists who lack cultural competence may not adequately address these cultural barriers or may inadvertently reinforce stigma through their approach. This can lead to underreporting of symptoms, delayed treatment-seeking, and poorer outcomes for Asian American clients. Recognizing and addressing these issues requires a nuanced understanding of the intersecting factors that shape individual experiences and perceptions of beauty, identity, and mental health.
While there are many systemic barriers to treatment, or rather, the lack of treatment, of Asian American women in psychotherapy, there is some degree of personal responsibility for the collective to take action and accountability in one’s mental health in regards to body image. It should be noted that Asian American women often will often blame themselves “for not having a “comeback” and having to deal with the agitation for a prolonged period of time. We can only conclude that the emotional turmoil could be long lasting and take a psychological toll on the recipient” of microaggressions from both the public and psychotherapists (Sue et al., 2007, p. 78). There are many understandable reasons why Asian American women are hesitant in seeking treatment and “racialized trauma is much like an infection. You didn’t ask or attempt to become infected. But once you’ve fallen ill, it is your responsibility to heal—not through some ostensible act of will, but through an embodied, emergent process” (Menakem, 2022, p. 92). The process of reclaiming one’s body against the face of many oppressive systems is much easier said than done, especially when current models of therapy are not inclusive of Asian American women.
Traditional Western models of therapy may not always align with the cultural preferences and expectations of Asian American clients. For example, approaches that prioritize individual autonomy and assertiveness may be less effective for clients from cultures that emphasize interdependence and humility. Psychotherapists need to adapt their therapeutic approach to be more congruent with the cultural background and needs of Asian American clients. A way in which this can be addressed is accessing “the Third” which “is connected to one’s capacity to step outside of their relationship with another person and acknowledge that—in effect—three distinct realities are at play in any two-person relationship” (Fort, 2022, p. 231). In creating the therapeutic alliance between the client and therapist, both must acknowledge the different frames of reference in which the two are bringing into the dynamic. Each of the two hold various levels of power and privilege which impact the therapeutic relationship. When it comes to Asian American women as the client, they have a long standing history of being marginalized on the predominant levels of race and gender, although are not just limited to those.
The model of therapy and cultural values and beliefs intersect in significant ways when it comes to providing culturally competent mental health care for Asian Americans. Culturally competent therapists “are to address three areas: cultural self awareness, awareness of the worldview of the client, and developing culturally appropriate intervention strategies” (Jones, 2007, p. 3). Traditional Western models of therapy, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) or psychoanalysis, often emphasize individualism, self-expression, and direct confrontation of problems. However, these approaches may not always resonate with Asian American clients, particularly those from cultures that prioritize interdependence, harmony, and indirect communication. Culturally competent therapists recognize the need to adapt their therapeutic approach to better align with the cultural preferences and expectations of Asian American clients. This may involve incorporating elements of Eastern philosophies or therapeutic techniques that emphasize mindfulness, acceptance, and relational harmony, such as mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT), especially when it comes to working with body image. Working with Asian American women will require lots of patience and care due to many of the ascribed attributes and values of Asian cultural values. Therapists can foster trust by demonstrating empathy, active listening, and cultural humility.
Another way in which Asian American women are missed in traditional psychotherapy is recognizing the diversity within Asian American communities. Even in this paper, there is a disservice to Asian American women as the Asian American communities are incredibly diverse, encompassing individuals from various ethnicities, languages, religions, and socio-economic backgrounds. Psychotherapists must recognize and respect this diversity, avoiding the tendency to generalize or stereotype Asian American clients based on superficial assumptions. Cultural competence requires an understanding of the unique experiences and identities within Asian American communities and an appreciation for their intersectionality. Just as psychotherapy attempts to fit all people under one umbrella, it also assumes that all Asian Americans are the same and can be treated using the same modalities as their counterparts.
While psychotherapy can be an effective tool for addressing mental health concerns, it is essential for therapists to recognize and address the ways in which power and privilege not only impact the client, but also impact the therapeutic relationship furthering the need for cultural competence. This involves ongoing education, self-awareness, and a willingness to adapt therapeutic approaches to better meet the needs of diverse clients. By fostering cultural humility and sensitivity, therapists can create a more inclusive and effective therapeutic environment for Asian American women in the therapeutic work around body image. In summary, integrating cultural values and beliefs into the therapeutic process is essential for providing effective mental health care to Asian American women. Therapists must be mindful of cultural differences in therapeutic preferences, communication styles, and values, and adapt their approach accordingly to ensure that therapy is culturally responsive and relevant to clients' needs and experiences.
Resources
Fort, C. (2022). Intersectionality and psychotherapy: Attending to power, privilege, and positionality in light of the third. Journal of Psychology and Christianity. 41, No. 3, 229-237.
Hong, C. P. (2020). Stand up. In Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning (pp.36-65). One World.
Jones, J. (2007). Best practices in Multicultural counseling. In A. Thomas, J. Grimes (Eds.), Best Practices in School Psychology V. (pp. 1-13). National Association of School Psychologists. http://www.stemteacherlearning.com/uploads/topics/multiculturalism-in-the-classroom/JonesBestPract.pdf
Lee, D. D. (2022). Doing Asian American theology: A contextual framework for faith and practice. IVP Academic.
Menakem, R. (2022). The Quaking of America (Ch 20). Central Recovery Press (CRP).
Moss, W. (2019). Collective Trauma. The Allender Center Blog https://theallendercenter.org/2019/09/collective-trauma/
Sue, D.W., Sue, D., Neville, H.A., Smith, L. (2019). Counseling the culturally diverse: Theory and practice, 8th Ed. New Jersey: John Wiley and Sons, Inc.
Tewari, N., & Alvarez, A. N. (Eds.). (2009). Asian American psychology: Current perspectives. Psychology Press.
