Cuerpos Marcados: Latina Mothers, Body Image, and Cancer Experience

• In Event: 20809 - Section on Sociology of Body and Embodiment: Open Session

Abstract

Cancer alters the body, social identity, relationships, and self-perception. For Latina mothers whose identities are deeply intertwined with controlling images of cultural expectations shaped by strength, resilience, and desirability, cancer-related bodily changes present unique challenges. Treatment such as chemotherapy, radiation, or surgeries such as mastectomies, hysterectomies, or amputation, as well as physical changes such as hair loss, weight fluctuation, scarring, and swelling, reshapes the relationship with their bodies. This study explores how Latina mothers experience and negotiate tensions with their body image in the wake of cancer. Drawing on 40 in-depth interviews with Latina mothers in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area, this study highlights the emotional and social negotiations they engage in to reconcile their pre- and post-cancer bodies to answer the following research questions: 1) How do Latina mothers negotiate embodied disruptions caused by cancer? 2) How do Latina mothers reconstruct, resist, or transform their sense of self and bodily identity in response to controlling images of social and emotional tensions arising from embodied disruptions? This research contributes to embodiment literature by showcasing how cultural norms, gendered expectations, and racialized beauty standards shape illness-related bodily changes. By centering the voices of Latina mothers, this research challenges Eurocentric frameworks of body image, advocating for a more inclusive and culturally responsive approach. Furthermore, this research speaks to how controlling images of Latina mothers permeate into health experiences and affect their relationship with their bodies.
 

Author

• Daniela Carreon, Arizona State University-Tempe