Source #1:
Web address where the site can be located where you are lurking: N/A
A Summary of The Stated Purpose of the Site or Mission Statement: promoting fashion for people who are overweight
Observational Notes:
This site is a good source for black plus-size women since it promotes fashion suitable for them. The members of the group are active as evidenced by the fact that at the time of writing this paper, a photo posted seven hours before had recorded 1,690 likes. I would recommend this site since it encourages women who are overweight to develop a positive attitude towards themselves. Promoting the site would enable it increase the number of its followers.
Source #2:
Web address where the site can be located where you are lurking: N/A
A Summary of The Stated Purpose of the Site or Mission Statement: No mission statement
Observational Notes:
The site is not very relevant for Black plus-size women. It depicts women as sexual objects. The site seems to be aimed at promoting a certain body shape associated with overweight black women.
Source #3:
Web address where the site can be located where you are lurking: N/A
A Summary of The Stated Purpose of the Site or Mission Statement: No mission statement
Observational Notes:
This sit is relevant for black women because it depicts overweight, associated with black women, as a desirable thing and that which one should not be ashamed of. It is not possible to tell whether the followers of the site are active or not because the account is private. Consequently, one who does not follow it cannot gain access
Source #4:
Web address where the site can be located where you are lurking: www.beautifulcurvesboutique.net
A Summary of The Stated Purpose of the Site or Mission Statement: Promoting fashion for plus-sized women
Observational Notes:
This site promotes fashion for women who are overweight. It seeks to dispel the myth that plus-sized women are not attractive by attempting to prove that with the right fashion, black women who are overweight can look attractive. The followers are fairly active.
Source #5:
A Summary of The Stated Purpose of the Site or Mission Statement: No mission statement
Observational Notes:
This site is intended to display black women as attractive regardless of their body size. The site does not display the number of followers. However, the site contains 7 posts in total. Thus, it is not active.
Source #6:
Web address where the site can be located where you are lurking: N/A
A Summary of The Stated Purpose of the Site or Mission Statement: No mission statement
Observational Notes:
Source #7:
Web address where the site can be located where you are lurking: N/A
A Summary of The Stated Purpose of the Site or Mission Statement: No mission statement
Observational Notes:
The site is not very relevant for Black plus-size women. It depicts women as sexual objects. The site seems to be aimed at promoting a certain body shape associated with overweight black women
Source #8:
Web address where the site can be located where you are lurking: N/A
A Summary of The Stated Purpose of the Site or Mission Statement: showing off the body to create an impression that a plus-size person can also be attractive
Observational Notes:
This site is a good source of a Black plus-size woman because the owner is a black woman who is overweight. She posts photos flaunting her body. It can be deduced that she is proud of her body. Hence, she is trying to communicate that she is attractive regardless of her body size. Her followers are active based on the number of likes she gets on every post. Some posts attract as much as 400 likes. I would recommend this site for the current assignment since it provides a true picture of how Black women view themselves in the contemporary society.
Source #9:
Web address where the site can be located where you are lurking: N/A
A Summary of The Stated Purpose of the Site or Mission Statement: self-expression
Observational Notes:
The site is a good source of Black plus-size women since it is owned by a Black woman who appears to be overweight. She is flaunting her body as a means of expressing herself. The site has 555 followers. However, the followers do not seem to be active since the numbers of likes the posts get are relatively fewer. I would recommend this site for the present assignment since it depicts how Black women feel about their body.
Source #10:
Web address where the site can be located where you are lurking: bit.ly/1VnvmyO
A Summary of The Stated Purpose of the Site or Mission Statement: marketing shoes
Observational Notes:
This site is meant for promoting products that target overweight women. The fact that the photos posted on the site are those of plus-size Black women, coupled with the fact that the products target women who are overweight makes it a suitable source for a Black plus-size woman. The site also has 173,000 followers who are very active as evidenced by the number of likes or comments that every photo posted attracts. The agenda of the site is not different from the stated mission. I would recommend the site.
Source #11:
Web address where the site can be located where you are lurking: N/A
A Summary of The Stated Purpose of the Site or Mission Statement: No mission statement
Observational Notes:
The owner of this site is s Black woman who is overweight. She seems to be urging other Black women to accept themselves as they are. The theme of self-image is clearly displayed in the site. Therefore, the site is suitable for Black plus-size women. The site has about 80,300 followers who are active as evidenced by the high number of comments and likes each post on the site receives. Though the mission statement is not given, the agenda of the owner of the site seems to be to promote self-acceptance. I would recommend this site. The site can be improved by adding promoting it.
Source #12:
Web address where the site can be located where you are lurking: www.skhouseofstyle.com
A Summary of The Stated Purpose of the Site or Mission Statement: marketing of products
Observational Notes:
The site is a good source of Black plus-size woman since the owner is a Black woman who bases her approach for marketing on the body size of women. Followers of the site are active as evidenced by the high number of comments and likes each post receives. In addition, the main agenda of the site is promotion of clothing. I would recommend this site.
Source #13:
Web address where the site can be located where you are lurking: thefitperfectionist
A Summary of The Stated Purpose of the Site or Mission Statement: promotion of fitness Observational Notes:
This site is suitable for Black plus-size woman since it features a Black woman who promoting fitness in Black women. The followers of the site are active. The agenda of the site is to promote fitness. I would recommend the site.
Source #14:
Web address where the site can be located where you are lurking: PlusSize365.com
A Summary of The Stated Purpose of the Site or Mission Statement: information
Observational Notes:
This site features posts showing photos of Black plus-size women. The followers too are active since posts get many likes. I would recommend the site. The site can be improved by making the mission statement more specific.
Source #15:
Web address where the site can be located where you are lurking: N/A
A Summary of The Stated Purpose of the Site or Mission Statement: No mission statement
Observational Notes:
The site is not very relevant for Black plus-size women. It depicts women as sexual objects. The site seems to be aimed at promoting a certain body shape associated with overweight black women
Source #16:
Web address where the site can be located where you are lurking: N/A
A Summary of The Stated Purpose of the Site or Mission Statement: self-expression
Observational Notes:
This site promotes self-expression in Black women as evidenced by the photos what seems to be a mission statement. The owner posts photos of herself in various postures. The photos seem to suggest that the owner is flaunting her body. She is a Black plus-size woman. Therefore, this is a perfect site for Black plus-size women. The followers of this site are active as evidenced by the high number of likes that photos posted on the site record. For instance, one photo that seems to have been posted 2 weeks ago has 2152 likes. The agenda of the site is not different from what is displayed in the posts. I would recommend this site for Black women who are overweight and have low self-esteem. However, I would advise them not to ignore efforts to achieve healthy weight.
Source #17:
Web address where the site can be located where you are lurking: No website address
A Summary of The Stated Purpose of the Site or Mission Statement: self-expression
Observational Notes:
This site seems to provide an avenue for Black plus-size women to express themselves by portraying their body as being attractive. Therefore, it is a suitable site for Black plus-size women since it encourages them to appreciate their body. Besides, it gives an insight into how Black women create an image of themselves in the contemporary era. The site has205 followers who are active as evidenced by the fact that most posts attract hundreds of likes and many comments. The agenda of the site is not different from what is claimed in what seems to be the mission statement. I would not recommend this site for Black plus-size women because it seems to promote overweight. Besides, the site seems to objectify women. However, the site is recommended for this assignment and Black overweight women with low self-esteem.
Source #18:
Web address where the site can be located where you are lurking: N/A
A Summary of The Stated Purpose of the Site or Mission Statement: No mission statement
Observational Notes:
The site provides an avenue for the owner to express herself by posting photos flaunting her body. Since she is a Black plus-size woman, the site is a good source for Black plus-size women. The site has 167 followers who are active as evidenced by the high number of likes and comments that each post attracts.
Source #19:
Web address where the site can be located where you are lurking: www.xvideos.com/profiles/larryassmundo
A Summary of The Stated Purpose of the Site or Mission Statement: The mission is for the owner to express himself and invite others who share his view to express themselves too on the site.
Observational Notes:
This site is intended to proclaim the attractiveness of Black plus-size women. Therefore, it is a good source of Black plus-size women. The site has 4,667 followers who are active. The agenda of the site is not different from the activities on it. I would not recommend the site because it depicts women as objects. However, the site is suitable as a source of Black plus-size women. The site could be improved by increasing the number of followers.
Source #20:
Web address where the site can be located where you are lurking: No web address
A Summary of The Stated Purpose of the Site or Mission Statement: No mission statement.
Observational Notes:
The site seems to proclaim the attractiveness of the body of Black women. Therefore, it is a suitable source for Black plus-size women. The followers are inactive. I would recommend the site for plus-size women with low self-esteem. The site can be improved through promotion to increase the number of followers. Besides, it can be improved by putting a clear mission statement.
Source #1:
Amy, N. K., Aalborg, A., Lyons, P., & Keranen, L. (2006). Barriers to routine gynecological cancer screening for White and African-American obese women. International journal of obesity, 30(1), 147-155.
Article summary
This source reports the findings of a study that was carried out to investigate the factors that attribute to the lower rates of gynecological cancer screening in overweight or obese women. 498 white and Black-American women with a BMI greater than 25 took part in the survey. The following barriers to taking the gynecological cancer screening test were identified: disrespectful treatment, negative attitudes of providers towards obese women, unsolicited advice to lose weight, feeling embarrassed at being weighed, and medical equipment being too small to be functional. Besides. the results show that the number of women who reported barriers to gynecological cancer screening increased with an increase in BMI.
Observatory thought or comment
The findings reported in the article are common in the healthcare sector. I have also observed that women who are overweight are more reluctant than their counterparts with moderate weight to take the gynecological cancer screening test. In the article, Amy, Aalborg, Lyons, and Keranen (2006) do not show any disparity in the barriers faced by overweight women between the Whites and Blacks.
Source #2:
Ward‐Smith, P., & Peterson, J. A. (2015). Development of an instrument to assess nurse practitioner attitudes and beliefs about obesity. Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners.
Article Summary
In the article, Ward‐Smith, and Peterson (2015) reports the describe a study that was conducted to describe nurse practitioners’ self-reported attitude towards obese patients. 358 nurse practitioners who were attending a national conference took part in the survey. The results of the survey showed that nurse practitioners have the following perceptions of obese patients (Ward‐Smith & Peterson, 2015):
They are not as good as others
They are untidy
They are not as successful as people who are not obese
They are not healthy
They are not suitable for marriage
Observatory thought or comment
This study shows that nurses have a negative attitude towards obese individuals. When nurses have a negative attitude towards a certain group of patients, they are likely to be biased while delivering care to such people. Since majority of Black women are overweight, they are likely to suffer bias from nurses than their counterparts with normal body weight. The fact that nurses have a negative attitude towards overweight patients presents challenges to this group of people in their attempt to seek care services.
Source #3:
LaVeist, T. A., Nickerson, K. J., & Bowie, J. V. (2000). Attitudes about racism, medical mistrust, and satisfaction with care among African American and white cardiac patients. Medical Care Research and Review, 57(4 suppl), 146-161.
Article summary
This article describes a study conducted to examine the factors determining the satisfaction with medical care in African-American and White cardiac patients. 781 African-Americans and 1,003 Whites took part in the study. The study found that African-Americans were more likely than their White counterparts to report low level of satisfaction with care. African-Americans also perceived racism and mistrust more than their White counterparts.
Observatory thought or comment
This article is relevant since its findings indicate that there are underlying causes of the disparity in the level of satisfaction with care between the Whites and Blacks.
Source #4:
Wee, C. C., McCarthy, E. P., Davis, R. B., & Phillips, R. S. (2000). Screening for cervical and breast cancer: is obesity an unrecognized barrier to preventive care?. Annals of internal medicine, 132(9), 697-704.
Article summary
The article describes a study conducted to examine how obesity is related to screening with papanicolaou smears and mammography. 11,435 women took part in the study. The study concluded that women who are overweight or obese are less likely to be screened for cervical and breast cancer than women with normal weight (Wee, McCarthy, Davis, & Phillips, 2000).
Observatory thought or comment
Since this source concludes that obesity is a barrier to screening for cervical and breast cancer, it follows that it is one of the barriers or challenges that Black women, 85% of whom are obese, face in the health care sector.
Source #5:
Puhl, R. M., Moss-Racusin, C. A., Schwartz, M. B., & Brownell, K. D. (2008). Weight stigmatization and bias reduction: perspectives of overweight and obese adults. Health education research, 23(2), 347-358.
Article summary
In the article, Puhl and colleagues describe a study conducted to identify the subjective experiences of obese and overweight adults of weight bias. 274 females and 44 males took part in the study. The study found that stigma concerning overweight is common in various aspects of life.
Observatory thought or comment
The fact that the obese adults who took part in the study admit experiencing stigma nearly all aspects of life imply that health care too may be implicated.
Source #6:
DeJoy, S. B., Bittner, K., & Mandel, D. (2016). A Qualitative Study of the Maternity Care Experiences of Women with Obesity:“More than Just a Number on the Scale”. Journal of Midwifery & Women’s Health.
Article summary
The article describes a study conducted by DeJoy, Bittner, and Mandel (2016) to explore the experiences of obese women in the maternity care system of the United States. In the study, 16 women with BMI of at least 30 were interviewed on phone. Most of the participants reported at least one encounter of negative prenatal care.
Observatory thought or comment
This study shows that women encounter stigma while seeking health care services due to their weight status.
Source #10:
Chad Brooks. (2014, October 23). Overweight Women Face Big Challenges at Work. News Daily. Retrieved from http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/7343-overweight-women-workplace.html
Article summary
In this article, Brooks reports the challenges that overweight women are likely to encounter at work place. He points out those obese women are likely to make less money than their counterparts with normal weight. Besides, he reports that overweight women are likely to have less interaction with customer and work in more physically demanding jobs than women with normal weight.
Observatory thought or comment
This article implies that overweight women are discriminated against at work. The health care sector is likely to be affected. .
Source #11:
Charing Ball. (2015, February 5). Why Aren’t Black Women The Face Of, Or At Least Part Of, The New Plus-Size Acceptance In Modeling? Madame Noire. Retrieved from http://madamenoire.com/509156/arent-black-women-face-least-part-new-plus-size-acceptance-modeling/
Article summary
In the article, Ball is complaining about what appears to be an attempt by the media to disregard the beauty in the plus-size of Black women but portray them as having problems with weight that needs to be solved.
Observatory thought or comment
The views expressed by the author in the article represent the views expressed by many Black women working in various sectors including the health care sector.
Source #12:
Cross, N., Kiefner-Burmeister, A., Rossi, J., Borushok, J., Hinman, N., Burmeister, J., & Carels, R. A. (2016). Facial attractiveness, weight status, and personality trait attribution: The role of attractiveness in weight stigma.Obesity Research & Clinical Practice.
Article summary
The article describes a study conducted to examine how weight status and facial attractiveness influences personality traits. The study found that weight status affects the relationship between the attractiveness of the body and personality trait attribution.
Observatory thought or comment
The article provides insight into the contribution weight makes to the perception of weight.
Source #13:
Pausé, C. (2007). Invisible women: Exploring weight identity in morbidly obese women (Doctoral dissertation, Texas Tech University).
Article summary
The article’s aim is to explore weight identity in women who are obese. The study found that women obese woman have a positive perception of their weight.
Observatory thought or comment
This article will help reinforce the previous finings that show that Black women who are plus-size.
Source #14:
Ahern, E., & Tally, A. (2010). Exploratory study on social work students' attitudes on body size.
Article summary
The article describes a study conducted to explore the attitude and beliefs of social work students concerning body size and image. 115 students took part in the survey. The study found that there is an association between the weight of the participants and their respective beliefs concerning overweight.
Observatory thought or comment
This article emphasizes that people’s beliefs about overweight is based on their weigh status.
Source #15:
Lankau, M. J., & Scandura, T. A. (1996). An examination of job attitudes of white, black, and Hispanic nurses in a public hospital. International Journal of Public Administration, 19(3), 377-398.
Article summary
This article describes a review conducted to examine the job attitude, turnover intentions, organizational commitment, and job burnout in Whites, Hispanics, and Blacks who are working in public hospitals. The study found that Whites have less organizational commitment than their Black counterparts. Furthermore, Hispanics have a significantly higher job satisfaction than Whites and Blacks.
Observatory thought or comment
The levels of job satisfaction, job burnout, and organizational commitment can influence the attitude and care that a health care provider can render. Given that Whites tend to experience higher levels of job burnout than Blacks, their attitude towards certain people especially obese is likely to be negative.
Source #16:
Puhl, R. M., & Heuer, C. A. (2010). Obesity stigma: important considerations for public health. American journal of public health, 100(6), 1019-1028.
Article summary
The article seeks to examine the evidence showing that overweight and obese people are subjected to stigma in public health. Some of the forms of stigma investigated in this case include whether obese people are often blamed for their weight status and whether there is a wide belief that stigmatization contributes to healthier behaviors.
Observatory thought or comment
This article implies that stigma towards obese people is a common phenomenon in the health care sector. Therefore, it gives insight into the psychological torture that obese people seeking health care services often go through.
Source #17:
Tuttas, C. A. (2015). Perceived Racial and Ethnic Prejudice and Discrimination Experiences of Minority Migrant Nurses A Literature Review.Journal of Transcultural Nursing, 26(5), 514-520.
Article summary
The article explores the perceived prejudice experiences that the minority migrant nurses experience.
Observatory thought or comment
This source is relevant in this assignment in the sense that it indicates that African-America people with migrant backgrounds are also likely to suffer the same prejudice as other minority migrants.
Source #18:
Brown, A. L. (2015). Factors Relating to Underrepresentation of Black American Women in Health Care Administration.
Article summary
The article describes a study that was conducted to examine the experiences, influential or deterrent factors that inhibit the advancement of Black American women in the health care field, and their experiences at different stages of career progression. The study identified perceived and experienced racial issues as some of the factors determining the experiences, influential or deterrent factors that inhibit the advancement of Black American women in the health care field.
Observatory thought or comment
This article provides some of the challenges facing Black American women in the health care sector. It shows that they are underrepresented in the health care sector.
Source #19:
Chihambakwe, D. (2015). The consequences of workplace bullying, on targets and observers, in the nursing environment (Doctoral dissertation).
Article summary
In this article, Chihambakwe (2015) describes a study aimed at determining the prevalence of workplace bullying in nursing sector. The study further seeks to whether social support can moderate the association between workplace bullying and the likelihood to leave the profession, psychological wellbeing, and job satisfaction (Chihambakwe, 2015). Additionally, the study sought to determine whether the socio-demographic profile of the participants influence their perception of bullying. The study found that the prevalence of workplace bullying is high in the nursing sector. The study further found that social support is a moderator to workplace bullying and psychological wellbeing.
Observatory thought or comment
This source provides an insight into the prevalence of workplace bullying.
Source #20:
Anderson, K. R. (2009). Does the Perception of Obesity Cause Discrimination in the American Workplace?.
Article summary
This article describes a study conducted to show the extent of obesity in the United States, the socio-demographic perceptions concerning the problem, stigmas placed on obese people, and the workplace obesity that people face (Anderson, 2009).
Observatory thought or comment
This source provides insight into the scope of workplace discrimination people who are overweight.
Black women have experienced a widespread stigmatization based on the stereotypes that people hold towards them. The attitude of the society towards Black woman has always been unfavorable towards their progress. The media has also not offered an adequate assistance either. Instead, the media’s portrayal of Black women has consistently been attached to the stereotypes associated with them. Obesity is the main form in which Black women have been portrayed. This has resulted in further deepening of the stereotype towards them.
In the digital era, a significant change in the manner in which the Black women are being portrayed has been witnessed. With the emergence of the digital era, there has been a shift from a wide perception that Black women who are overweight are unattractive to the perception that overweight and obesity can also be attractive. In the contemporary era, Black women are using social sites to change the perception that being a plus-size is an automatic indication of being unattractive. In this case, most people posts photos that seem to show them flaunting their body. Most of the social sites I reviewed portrayed certain aspects of Black women’s figure as attractive and that which should be embraced. Many photos featured Black women in revealing cloths and postures meant to elicit sexual perceptions. The shift has succeeded tin changing the perception of what it means to be attractive.
Black women face numerous challenges in the health care sector. In this case, both nurses and patients face these challenges. Most of the problems that Black women experience in health care sector are similar to those experienced in other sectors. Many studies show that women who are obese experience widespread bullying in work places. The study conducted by Chihambakwe (2015), for example found that the prevalence of workplace bullying is high in the nursing sector. In this case, women who are obese are the victims.
The main challenge facing Black plus-size women stems from the attitude that the society has towards them. Many studies show that people have negative attitudes towards Black plus-size women. According to a study conducted by Ward‐Smith and Peterson (2015) to examine the attitude and beliefs of health practitioners about obesity, the following perceptions were identified:
They are not as good as others
They are untidy
They are not as successful as people who are not obese
They are not healthy
They are not suitable for marriage
Based on the attitude held towards Black women, many of them face discrimination at their workplaces. The discrimination facing Black plus-size women partly hinders them from seeking health care services. For instance, studies show that overweight women are more reluctant to seek cancer screening than their counterparts who have normal weight. For instance, the styd conducted by Amy, Aalborg, Lyons, and Keranen (2006) showed that disrespectful treatment, negative attitudes of providers towards obese women, unsolicited advice to lose weight, feeling embarrassed at being weighed, and medical equipment being too small to be functional are some of the barriers facing overweight women from taking cancer screening. Another study, conducted by Wee, McCarthy, Davis, and Phillips (2000) also show that overweight women are less likely to take breast and cervical cancer screening.
References
Amy, N. K., Aalborg, A., Lyons, P., & Keranen, L. (2006). Barriers to routine gynecological cancer screening for White and African-American obese women. International journal of obesity, 30(1), 147-155.
Chihambakwe, D. (2015). The consequences of workplace bullying, on targets and observers, in the nursing environment (Doctoral dissertation).
Ward‐Smith, P., & Peterson, J. A. (2015). Development of an instrument to assess nurse practitioner attitudes and beliefs about obesity. Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners
Wee, C. C., McCarthy, E. P., Davis, R. B., & Phillips, R. S. (2000). Screening for cervical and breast cancer: is obesity an unrecognized barrier to preventive care?. Annals of internal medicine, 132(9), 697-704.
