I always get confused about the issue of body image.
We are bombarded with images of models who are very skinny, but who, for the most part, look good in the clothes they are trying to sell to you (in my opinion). We're also told that the way these women keep their bodies in such a form is quite unhealthy. For a long time, I've thought that supermodels just have that type of body naturally; my best friend in high school could eat whatever she wanted without gaining a pound. Recently I saw an episode on something like 20/20 about models (of the runway variety) and it is ridiculous what those girls go through to keep their body in that kind of shape. They eat little to nothing and work out for hours every day. I have to assume that this rigid regiment is the norm for supermodels, because very few of us have the metabolism to keep us that thin naturally.
The converse of the idea that "those women (models) are unhealthy" is that women of all shapes and sizes should love their body. I'm not opposed to this ideology, but the tricky part about it is that it empowers women who are utterly unhealthy in the opposite way (i.e. obese) to embrace their curves and possibly use the idea that the type of skinny they see in the media is unhealthy and unnatural as an excuse for being just as unhealthy and unnatural. We use words like "voluptuous" and "curvy" to describe women who are overweight and, although I appreciate putting a positive spin on negative body image, I can't stand it that we seem to be condoning negative health behavior that is just as detrimental as the kind that leads to being super thin.
Today I saw this picture on Pinterest with the caption "What would happen if we sold Barbies like this?" (It is, admittedly, the reason for this post.)
I personally think if we sold Barbies like this that little overweight girls would think that it's okay to be overweight because they look just like their Barbie dolls.
I don't think that little girls look to the Barbie doll as their ideal body image, nor do I think that Barbie is a catalyst for eating disorders. Yes, if Barbie were a real woman, her proportions wouldn't exist without plastic surgery...
... but I don't think that girls look at their Barbies and think, "I have to look like that!" I think Barbie is a scapegoat for a bigger media body image issue. (I do think that Barbie should have a more proportionate body size, though.)
I, myself, have body image issues. My stomach isn't flat enough, I have love handles that probably will never go away, my thighs and arms are jiggly, my boobs aren't big enough, etc. I know, though, that I am a healthy weight. I also know that don't eat as many fruits and vegetables as I should and that if I worked out a little more that my body image would probably be better than it is. So my question is: why is it always about the outliers--the super skinny and the super "curvy." Neither of those are healthy and neither of those should be seen as beautiful. I realize that "healthy" looks different for everyone and that's why I think that that--HEALTHY--should be seen as beautiful. *steps off soap box*
We are bombarded with images of models who are very skinny, but who, for the most part, look good in the clothes they are trying to sell to you (in my opinion). We're also told that the way these women keep their bodies in such a form is quite unhealthy. For a long time, I've thought that supermodels just have that type of body naturally; my best friend in high school could eat whatever she wanted without gaining a pound. Recently I saw an episode on something like 20/20 about models (of the runway variety) and it is ridiculous what those girls go through to keep their body in that kind of shape. They eat little to nothing and work out for hours every day. I have to assume that this rigid regiment is the norm for supermodels, because very few of us have the metabolism to keep us that thin naturally.
The converse of the idea that "those women (models) are unhealthy" is that women of all shapes and sizes should love their body. I'm not opposed to this ideology, but the tricky part about it is that it empowers women who are utterly unhealthy in the opposite way (i.e. obese) to embrace their curves and possibly use the idea that the type of skinny they see in the media is unhealthy and unnatural as an excuse for being just as unhealthy and unnatural. We use words like "voluptuous" and "curvy" to describe women who are overweight and, although I appreciate putting a positive spin on negative body image, I can't stand it that we seem to be condoning negative health behavior that is just as detrimental as the kind that leads to being super thin.
Today I saw this picture on Pinterest with the caption "What would happen if we sold Barbies like this?" (It is, admittedly, the reason for this post.)
I personally think if we sold Barbies like this that little overweight girls would think that it's okay to be overweight because they look just like their Barbie dolls.
I don't think that little girls look to the Barbie doll as their ideal body image, nor do I think that Barbie is a catalyst for eating disorders. Yes, if Barbie were a real woman, her proportions wouldn't exist without plastic surgery...
... but I don't think that girls look at their Barbies and think, "I have to look like that!" I think Barbie is a scapegoat for a bigger media body image issue. (I do think that Barbie should have a more proportionate body size, though.)
I, myself, have body image issues. My stomach isn't flat enough, I have love handles that probably will never go away, my thighs and arms are jiggly, my boobs aren't big enough, etc. I know, though, that I am a healthy weight. I also know that don't eat as many fruits and vegetables as I should and that if I worked out a little more that my body image would probably be better than it is. So my question is: why is it always about the outliers--the super skinny and the super "curvy." Neither of those are healthy and neither of those should be seen as beautiful. I realize that "healthy" looks different for everyone and that's why I think that that--HEALTHY--should be seen as beautiful. *steps off soap box*
Comments
Post a Comment