We examined the life histories of older lesbian, bisexual, and queer women, focusing on the stories they told about their bodies and sexuality from early to later life. Guided by a narrative constructionist approach, a series of two life history interviews were conducted with 17 lesbian, bisexual, and queer women aged 65–86. Two themes were constructed through a narrative thematic analysis: Queering the Corset: Negotiating Gender Expression and (Aspirational) Aging Body Acceptance. Participants experienced body-related freedom through ‘tomboy’ expressions of physicality as children. This body autonomy was constrained in adolescence and adulthood due to heterosexist messages surrounding idealized femininity relayed by family and (heterosexual) men, which disrupted self-care yet catalyzed attuned, queer desire and positive embodiment. Women worked to accept their bodies as they aged; they experienced some body dissatisfaction in relation to age-related body changes, yet gratitude and pride in their older queer identities. The findings highlight concurrent positive and negative body image, and breadth of body-related experiences ranging from attunement and agency to discomfort and disruption throughout the life course. This work contributes to body image and embodiment research by moving beyond dominant (youthful) heteronormative perspectives by illuminating how ageism and heterosexism can shape body-related experiences.

中文翻译：

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“我试图以不同的方式欣赏它”：老年女同性恋、双性恋和酷儿女性的身体形象和整个生命历程的体现

我们研究了老年女同性恋、双性恋和酷儿女性的生活史，重点关注她们从早年到晚年讲述的关于自己身体和性的故事。在叙事建构主义方法的指导下，我们对 17 名 65-86 岁的女同性恋、双性恋和酷儿女性进行了两次生活史系列访谈。通过叙事主题分析构建了两个主题：Queering the Corset：协商性别表达和（理想的）衰老身体接受度。参与者在孩童时期就通过“假小子”的身体表达体验了与身体相关的自由。这种身体自主权在青春期和成年期受到限制，因为家庭和（异性恋）男性所传递的围绕理想化女性气质的异性恋信息，扰乱了自我保健，但却催化了调和的、酷儿的欲望和积极的体现。随着年龄的增长，女性努力接受自己的身体；他们对与年龄相关的身体变化感到不满，但对自己较老的酷儿身份感到感激和自豪。研究结果强调了同时存在的积极和消极的身体形象，以及整个生命过程中与身体相关的体验的广度，从协调和代理到不适和破坏。这项工作通过阐明年龄歧视和异性恋主义如何塑造与身体相关的体验，超越了占主导地位的（年轻的）异性恋主流观点，为身体形象和体现研究做出了贡献。