Body Image

HOW DO WE SEE OURSELVES

From such a young age, we as women feel as if we just aren’t “enough”. This is a thought put into our heads early on by mostly everyone and everything around us, friends, family, media, you name it. We are being objectified even though we should just be seen as human beings who have feelings.

It is not just our hair or clothing we wear but the way our bodies are shaped. “People speak of natural beauty, but most human beauty is constructed, perceived, and regulated through a narrow cultural lens of what is defined as gendered attractiveness”(134). We are the ones telling each other what we want and what is perceived as beautiful. If someone doesn’t fit into this lens, then we label them as being unattractive. According to womenshealth.gov “a negative body image can lead to low self-esteem which can effect many areas in your life.”

Many things can go into having a negative body image such as the women in this video:

  • These things might include being teased about how you look from a peer.
  • Being told your fat, or too thin, because you can be one or the other, you must be perfectly the right amount of both.
  • Seeing images in media that have been altered and photoshopped.

“Attractiveness norms are maintained and changed through consumer markets” (135). Woman spend thousands on their beauty regimens, just so we can fit into a certain category of what others want us to look like. Whether or not we like it or not, we all do it. These cultural ideas of beauty change everyday so even if you end up looking the way society wants you too, it may not be acceptable in a few years time, and you’ll end up changing your look again. “According to advertising analyst Jean Kilbourne (2010), only 5% of today’s women fit the preferred body type, which leaves 95% of women wondering what is wrong with their bodies” (138).

Trying to create a positive body image for yourself will help you in the long run when you truly want to be happy. There are things you can do to create a more positive image for yourself. “The more you practice positive thoughts about yourself and the fewer negative thoughts you have about your body, the better you will feel about who you are and how you look” (womenshealth.gov). How you look is only one part of who you truly are, it is not what defines you. Stay away from people who make you think you’re not enough, because you are more than what society wants and no one is perfect!

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