A professor came and talked to our class about body-image issues and eating disorders. Media is a problem in creating a impossible ideal image through already very thin models. However, I disagree that talking is the best solution for this epidemic that is sweeping the nation. It is a good idea for small impact and essential if you are a parent, but when it comes to trying to help the world we need a better solution.
This solution, for those who have not yet fallen into an actual eating disorder, is related to why women are having such a hard time accepting their body shapes. Women look around and most of the people they talk to and most of the reading material on the subject matter is about how to become more attractive and reinforcement of the impossible ideal. Like the professor talked about, the lies are everywhere. Models get themselves sick trying to be thin enough and then they are photo shopped to look even better. Teenagers are used to model adult market clothing because they are the ones small enough to fit the specific mold. Clothing is designed to only fit the model body type and so regular people won't look as attractive in their clothing lines.
What do women need (much like people in general)? An example and models that show a regular, healthy proportioned woman who is happy the way she is. Designers need to design to the varying body shapes. Models need to represent the different body types and be healthy. Tabloids need to stop reporting about how female celebrities are matching up to the impossible ideal. Magazines should report on important accomplishments of women and not just how they look. Women need to be told that they should take care of themselves and that is good enough.
It requires a cultural change, but if we had a small group of celebrities, a magazine, designers, and a clothing company that held up to those requirements and got the word out, that group could possibly change the world. It will take a while as the current culture is so ingrained in the negative cycle, but luckily humans like change and it could be a healthy swing in the right direction. This would also take a large step in the world of gender equality if women were able to escape the burden of body primping and were instead able to focus on being themselves.
This solution, for those who have not yet fallen into an actual eating disorder, is related to why women are having such a hard time accepting their body shapes. Women look around and most of the people they talk to and most of the reading material on the subject matter is about how to become more attractive and reinforcement of the impossible ideal. Like the professor talked about, the lies are everywhere. Models get themselves sick trying to be thin enough and then they are photo shopped to look even better. Teenagers are used to model adult market clothing because they are the ones small enough to fit the specific mold. Clothing is designed to only fit the model body type and so regular people won't look as attractive in their clothing lines.
What do women need (much like people in general)? An example and models that show a regular, healthy proportioned woman who is happy the way she is. Designers need to design to the varying body shapes. Models need to represent the different body types and be healthy. Tabloids need to stop reporting about how female celebrities are matching up to the impossible ideal. Magazines should report on important accomplishments of women and not just how they look. Women need to be told that they should take care of themselves and that is good enough.
It requires a cultural change, but if we had a small group of celebrities, a magazine, designers, and a clothing company that held up to those requirements and got the word out, that group could possibly change the world. It will take a while as the current culture is so ingrained in the negative cycle, but luckily humans like change and it could be a healthy swing in the right direction. This would also take a large step in the world of gender equality if women were able to escape the burden of body primping and were instead able to focus on being themselves.
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