Youth, Body and Beauty: A Case Study of Female University Students in Tabriz

This article examines the relationships between body-image, self-esteem and the indices of body weight and body size. It is hypothesized here that our understanding and perception about body are essentially subject to varying socio-cultural contexts. The discussion of this article is based on the results of a survey which includes 395 female students of the Islamic Azad University in Tabriz. According to the results of this analysis, two main patterns can be addressed. First, the self-esteem of these youth is mainly affected by their perception about body. This pattern can be partly explained by the fact that physical attraction becomes more pronounced in the society and culture. Second, the youth included in this analysis have given a relatively less credit to the weight and size of their body. This pattern also tends to accord with the fact that body-weight does not receive a high priority in this socio-cultural context.