body image and my opinion
by bezzle
Once again, another post when I should be studying, but your best pieces of work are done under pressure, eh?
One of things I think of when hearing ‘body image’ is ‘media’. Countless articles in the newspapers have been written about young women’s self esteem being destroyed, skinny models on the catwalk, etc. Strangely enough, all the ones I’ve read are written by females, because it seems more controversial, especially when interwined with feminism. So this is going to be directed at girls reading, but males feel free to comment!
Having read Crystal’s rant on accepting your body, and the reply from other male bloggers, I started thinking about this again. No, it is definitely not safe to believe that you are perfect and healthy at any weight. Denial and saying that acceptance is good will not save you from the increased risks of heart disease, diabetes and other obesity related illnesses. But sometimes, you have to understand that you can’t achieve that body you want, and even if you could it wouldn’t be worth the expense.
And skinny models. I’m truly tired of hearing the phrase ‘real women’. All women are real, unless they’ve had too much plastic surgery. Even the models on the catwalk are real. Never mind the fact that some do look like they need a good feed. The fashion industry is built on beauty, and if everyone likes the models skinnier, then we have no one to blame but ourselves for the eating disorders. But my point is: a skinny woman has no more right to be discriminated against than a fat woman. We can’t just assume a slender woman has had plastic surgery or an unhealthy diet. Maybe she can’t help it that she looks like what everyone else wants.
That brings me to another word I dislike the overuse of. ‘Empowering’. And don’t even get me started on ‘journey’. Anyway, the patronising of people who are ‘normal’ clothes sizes is quite irritating. ‘Glamazon’, ‘Big and Beautiful’, etc., and the advertising market’s use of ‘real women’ in advertisements, for example Dove. If you considered them ‘real’ as in what I take you mean as ‘everyday’, then you should drop the use of the real altogether. By using that adjective, you are contradicting your intended message.
Reading back, it looks like I’m another person thinking that underweight girls are fine, they’re beautiful and everyone who is bigger isn’t. But that’s not what I’m saying. I’m just saying that accepting other people’s body shape for what it is, and not making such a deal out of it is what’s important.
And then there’s Crystal Renn.
A size 16 model, famous worldwide, I think this is a shot of her on the Chanel catwalk.
Sometimes you wonder why feminism hasn’t really taken off, with all these females bashing each other and themselves up about superficial issues such as their clothes size.
wow… big words…
and heck yes. just coz im all skin and bones doesnt mean i dont eat enough, peeps. or, as i quote my mum’s friend: “too busy doing hw to eat properly”
wth.
LOLOLOL.
i have a feeling that’s why everyone at ruse is skinny. too distracted by hw to eat properly.
i think women are still women after plastic surgery x)
you’re only not a real woman if you’ve taken gender-bending surgery and treatment.
‘real woman’ is a buzzword. don’t use it at home, kids !
haha (Y) very good, thought-provoking conclusion
i think this issue is a cultural/generational thing. like how binge-drinking is prevalent in USA and Australia, but not in Europe – where it is even given to children at a young age. maybe when we’re 50, this will have disappeared.
NOW GET BACK TO STUDYING, BEZZLE !
Just a thought (yes, contrary to popular opinion, i DO actually think…sumtimes…) …if “real” does not mean “everyday” then why would the opposite be any more accurate? “Real” doesn’t mean something like “unattainable” or “incredibly rare” right?
But great food for thought!
why isn’t it safe to believe you are healthy and perfect at any weight? I mean… if u have a perfectly alright health guy/girl, wouldn’t overexercise lead to issues, e.g. anorexia?
Conversely, if your alright with accepting your body and you are as wide as you are tall, wouldn’t that increase obesity and related health issues?
My opinion…I think that a balance is required, with elements of both. some degree of acceptance, but there has always got to be a degree of motivation to strive for something better…Like…theres not just black and white, but nearly everything [desirable] lies in the grey area in between, i think.
for example, if you’re morbidly obese, you need to wake up and realise that maybe you could lose a few kilos.
sometimes acceptance needs a follow up of change.
i’m just being picky now, but Anorexia Nervosa isn’t a result of over-exercise. get it right x)
wow, food for thought, true true.
aaaand i agree with victor/kerrie’s opinion about balance yet having motivation for a better body and change. very insightful guys !
great blog post btws. love it (:
this post is helping resolve some of the rage i felt at max’s reply to crystal’s post. thank you <3