Dr Nadia Craddock
Dr Nadia Craddock
United Kingdom
“I’m energised by creativity, innovation, movement, and fun, and I see these as key words for future work into the promotion of positive body image and eating disorder prevention.”
Born and raised in South East London, Dr Nadia Craddock is a Research Fellow at the Centre for Appearance Research in Bristol. With a PhD in Psychology, she is fast becoming the leading expert in harnessing the power of big business to leverage global change in body image and appearance diversity.
Nadia is internationally recognised for her community outreach and engagement, and giving a voice to often vulnerable and underrepresented populations. She is the host of two esteemed podcasts that connect and educate listeners on the topics of body image, eating disorders and mental health.
How did you come to be a Dr in Psychology?
I started university a little later than most, at the age of 24. I chose the University of Bath as it offered one of the top psychology programs in the country, and I fell in love with the beautiful city and surrounding countryside, several hours away (but worlds apart!) from where I grew up in South East London. As part of my undergraduate degree, I had the opportunity to do a placement year in Boston. This year was pivotal in shaping what was to come next. I worked as a Research Assistant at the McLean Hospital on a school-based initiative that focused on promoting social-emotional development and resilience among young people from underserved communities. That same year, I had the opportunity of auditing several graduate school classes at Harvard. I was hooked, and a year later in 2014, I started my Master’s program in Human Development and Psychology at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Up until then, I hadn’t considered a career in academia and a PhD certainly was not on my vision board. However, following my Master’s degree and a chance encounter with Professor Phillippa Diedrichs, I moved back to the UK and started a Research Associate position at the Centre for Appearance Research. Before I knew it, I had started my PhD in 2016.
Tell us about a distinctive memory of how body image affected you?
My body image memories are complicated by the factthat I had an eating disorder throughout my teens and twenties. Growing up, I was often complimented for being ‘thin’ until I became ‘too thin’ (even by Y2K standards). People still made (well-intentioned) comments about my body but the content and tone changed: I either looked a bit ‘better’/’healthier’ or I looked ‘awful’. My body, inadvertently, became a means of communication: I was doing okay or I wasn’t. It took me a long time to learn how to express that I wasn’t okay without showing it by the size of my body.
Eating disorders are complex illnesses that are caused by a constellation of factors that vary from individual to individual. Risk factors can include a genetic predisposition, trauma, food insecurity, being bullied or teased, perfectionism, low self-esteem, a fear of vomiting or choking, dieting etc. Body image memories are complicated for me because when I had an eating disorder, there were times when I really liked how I looked, and times when I really did not. Looking back however, irrespective of whether I like my body or not, I was constantly preoccupied with my appearance and I placed a lot of value on how I looked.
Why did you get into body image and mental health research and work?
I hadn’t even heard of the job ‘body image researcher’ until I met Professor Phillippa Diedrichs at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in 2015, aged 29. I was approaching the end of my Master’s program at Harvard and had decided to attend a talk hosted by the Strategic Training Initiative for the Prevention of Eating Disorders (STRIPED) directed by Professor Bryn Austin, as a ‘break’ from working on my final assignments. The talk was about the collaboration between the Dove Self-Esteem Project, the World Association for Girl Guides and Girl Scouts, and the research team at the Centre for Appearance Research. Put simply - it blew me away. The potential was endless. The cutting edge partnership drew on the expertise of academics, industry and community partners to deliver evidence-based body image programs around the world filled me with optimism. I spoke with Phillippa after her presentation, and the rest as they say, is history.
What work are you most proud of to date?
It’s hard to pinpoint a specific project, as I feel proud of all the work I have been involved in. That said, as is often the case, we can often feel most proud of the projects that felt the biggest challenges, which for me, was my PhD. My PhD aimed to explore ways to foster body image from a business point of view through the lens of corporate social responsibility. It was an amazing opportunity to speak with over 40 executives from the fashion, beauty, advertising, and cosmetic procedures industries. We explored the various opportunities, challenges, and barriers they faced when attempting to be more inclusive and challenge the status quo of promoting unrealistic appearance ideals. This was 100% the fun part – speaking with people, who were very generous with their time, opinions, and expertise! On the flip side, one of the toughest parts was getting up to speed with the academic business literature (a completely new field for me) and situating this knowledge alongside corporate practice.
I am also proud of my enthusiasm and commitment to science communication and public engagement. As a podcast enthusiast, I co-host not one but two podcasts! The first is Appearance Matters: The Podcast, the official podcast for the Centre for Appearance Research, which we launched weeks after I started my role as a Research Associate back in 2016. The podcast is now 6 years old, and listened to in over 100 countries around the world. The second is The Body Protest, which I co-host with friend and writer, Honey Ross. Through podcasting, I’ve had the privilege of interviewing many leading experts in the field of body image and eating disorders, as well as public figures such as Jameela Jamil, Lena Dunham, Katherine Ryan, Deborah Francis White, and Susie Orbach. In turn, I am regularly invited to speak to businesses, government, schools, and non-profit organizations on the topic of body image and eating disorders.
Why is this work important to you, where do you see it going and who would you like to work with?
Obviously, this work is personal – it’s hard for it not to be. I also believe that when we bring the right experts and organizations together, we can make a huge difference by tackling the sticky, joy-sucking issues of low body confidence and eating disorders. Importantly promoting body confidence and eating disorder prevention initiatives don’t have to be joy-sucking! Quite the opposite. I’m energized by creativity, innovation, movement, and fun, and I see these as key words for future work into the promotion of positive body image and eating disorder prevention.
As a woman of color who grew up in a relatively deprived area in South East London, it is important to me that the work I do is inclusive, fosters belonging and community, and reaches those who are often overlooked. In doing so, it is essential the work pushes back strongly against appearance discrimination. Some of my work focuses on colorism - skin shade prejudice - a pervasive and insidious issue related to racism that affects mental health, physical health, and people’s life opportunities.
My dream is to work on projects that support the incredible work done by grass-roots and community organizations as well as schools so I can have a direct impact on young people. I’m also excited by the prospect of working with advertisers, brands, and media organizations on their purpose and message when it comes to body confidence and inclusivity to together we can affect cultural change.
The Small Print
Education
Doctor of Philosophy (Psychology), University of the West of England (2016-2019)
Master of Education Degree in Human Development and Psychology, Harvard (2015)
Bachelor of Science Degree in Psychology (First Class; Top-of-Class), University of Bath (2010-2014)
Current Appointments
Research Fellow, Centre for Appearance Research at the University of the West of England
Other Appointments
DEI advisory committee member to the board of directors, Academy for Eating Disorders (2019-present)
DEI committee co-chair (2019-2020), Centre for Appearance Research
School Governor, Writhlington School (2019-2021)
Co-host and executive producer of Appearance Matters: The Podcast (2016-present)
Co-host of The Body Protest (2019-present)
Visiting Scholar, Strategic Training Initiative for the Prevention of Eating Disorders, Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health (2018-2019)
Publications
Can be viewed here
Honors & Awards
The 2021 Seymour Fisher Outstanding Body Image Dissertation Annual Award (2022)
Santander UWE Postgraduate Travel Bursary (2019)
Academy for Eating Disorders Student / Early Career Travel Fellowship (2017)
British Academy of Management Doctoral Symposium Award Winner (2017)
Travel Scholarship, STRIPED, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health (2014, 2015)
The University of Bath Alumni Award (2014)
The Bath BP Centurion Award (2014)
The British Psychologist Society Undergraduate Award (2014)
The Helen Haste Psychology Prize, Runner Up (2014)
V.C. Education Chamberlain Award (2010-2014)
When I’m not working, you’ll find me…
Outdoors – cycling, swimming, or hiking. Being outside in nature is one of my favorite ways to relax and recharge.
On the netball court. I rediscovered my love of team sports when I took up netball last year after a 20-year hiatus from the game. I adore my team, the friendly competition, and re-learning old skills.
Covered in paint, immersed in my latest arts and crafts project. I started painting again during lockdown and it has become the most indulgent, grounding, and freeing rainy-day hobby.
Spending time with family and friends, and my sister’s dog – who I am obsessed with!
With my head in a book…. ideally on the beach, by the pool, or in a cozy coffee shop.
Connect with me
Find out more about Nadia and their work.
Work with us
For information about working with Nadia on your project please get in touch.