Lesbian Culture Under a Microscope

by shamanic

A study out this week indicates that lesbians are twice as likely as straight women to be overweight or obese, but also finds that lesbians have a healthier sense of body image than their straight peers.

As a lesbian carrying a few extra pounds, I think this study is probably pretty accurate, and that the situation has more complicated origins than the authors cite (according to the news report I'm linking. The article itself is subscription only at the American Journal of Public Health. The abstract is here.)

First, there's a tendency in my community to reject all "heteronormative" standards; second, lesbians tend to have a different (I would say better, sexier, and much, much hotter) beauty standard than other groups seem to; and third, we have a well-developed bar culture that a great many lesbians utilize as a social nexus. There's also an economic factor at play: single females are usually at the bottom of the income scale in America, and coupled females are usually at the bottom of the income scale for families. There often isn't extra cash to pursue gym memberships and home fitness equipment.

Then there are the ordinary stresses of time management and the work/life balance that all Americans struggle with.

All the same, the authors' conclusion that this is a demographic that needs intervention in this area is accurate. If I recall correctly, we're also usually underserved in medicine for a variety of reasons (low paying jobs, lack of health insurance, gender sensitivies, annoyance at being asked twenty times in an hour if you might you pregnant, etc.) We also have a high prevalence of substance abuse, especially alcohol and tobacco.

In short, my community's a little bit of a mess. Historically, we've taken care of each other, organized amongst ourselves and allies, and made progress when problems were identified. Perhaps studies such as this one will help crystalize some action in my community, and let the wider medical world know that we could use some assistance charting a course for an accessible, grassroots lesbian health initiative (but also, I {heart} my city).

Hat tip to Andrew Sullivan.