Mandy Aguiar, Fall 2009
Everyday females are bombarded by the media with an idealized concept of beauty. Once the standard is set, society reinforces the message. Girls as young as four and five years old are being affected negatively by this social standard. It begins by playing with Barbie dolls, watching Disney movies, and reading fashion magazines. As they mature, they look towards Hollywood as a tool for understanding what is alluring. These actions create devastating long-term effects. As women, we must stand up for ourselves and redefine the term beautiful.
One aspect of body image that our society dictates is the acceptable weight a person must have in order to be considered appealing. In the last few decades, there has been a great pressure to be thin. On the website, models.com members can create portfolios and search for agents. When I scrolled through the profiles of all the women they were all mostly between 115-120 pounds but were 5’10 and 5’11. One young lady, Sydney, weighs 120 pounds and is 5’10. According to the BMI (body mass index) calculator on webmd.com, her weight does not even register; it falls under their underweight category. A few females on the site weighed 145 pounds and only one who weighed 170. No girls on the site weighed more than 170 pounds. This underweight physique is encouraged by many fashion designers and companies. “At five feet eleven inches tall and a size four, Vogue Model Kate Dillion quit the industry after she was ordered to lose 20 lbs from her 125 pound frame” (Prah). The pressure for models to be thin is then passed on to the average woman.
One detrimental effect of these high expectations is of developing an eating disorder. “Experts say eating disorders are caused by a complex mix of biological and psychological factors…along with a culture that promotes thinness”. These serious illnesses affect not only adolescent girls from affluent families but females of all ages and backgrounds. “Anorexia, bulimia and compulsive eating affect an estimated 35 million Americans, according to the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA)”. Television shines a bright spotlight on celebrities, such as Nicole Richie, and their struggle with the disease. Unfortunately, the exposure does not always create positive results. “The media reflect and exacerbate the problems,” argues Ellen Rome, a pediatrician in Cleveland and spokeswoman for the Chicago-based Academy for Eating Disorders. “These teen girls watch and read and observe and emulate.” I understand that the media and Hollywood alone cannot cause someone to be anorexic but I strongly believe that they play a large role.
American culture has gone through phases of glorifying curvy women and thin women. In the 1950’s Marilyn Monroe, and others who had similar round body types, were worshiped by men and women. There was a shift in 1959 with the launch of Barbie. Unrealistic expectations were projected by American pop culture on girls and women. “If Barbie were a real person, she would stand 5’9 and weigh a mere 110 pounds, with the unrealistic body measurements of 39-18-33”. After Barbie, runway model Twiggy (Leslie Hornby Armstrong) exasperated the problem further. “Before Twiggy, the average fashion model weighed just 8 percent less than the average American woman, but today fashion models are thinner than 98 percent of American women”.
This issue has tyrannized the woman of America long enough. It is imperative that it is corrected and prevented from occurring in the future. In order for there to be a change, it must begin at a grassroots level. Mothers, sisters, and all females should act as role models for one another. Instead of encouraging weight loss, we should promote healthy eating and a normal exercise regimen. We should persuade each other to look deep into the mirror and see our true beautiful feature. It is important to embrace our unique qualities that make us who we are. By creating a new personal definition of glamorous, we can all live happier and healthier lives.
Beyond that level, more can be done. In schools there should be an open discussion about the dangers of eating disorders and where they can find help it. This will provide girls with the power of knowledge. Alongside that, there should be a conversation about what is a healthy body and body image. At these schools, there can be assemblies where others who overcame the illness speak about their experience and how they got through it.
It is also critical that the fashion industry play an important role in this movement. Models should look more like the average woman. “In 2006, there was a ban of underweight models in a Madrid fashion show. The show used the body mass index or BMI — based on weight and height — to measure models. They turned away 30 percent of women who took part in the previous event” (cnn.com). If there were more bans like this one, it would definitely be a step in the right direction.
This pressure to be skinny is dangerous and detrimental to physical and mental health. The problem did not come out of nowhere and it is not suddenly going to disappear. With a combined effort from all women, this issue may be diminished. Ignoring it will only create more problems for future generations. If we all have a new understanding of what is beautiful we can create a positive and encouraging world.
Works Cited
Pamela M. Prah. “Eating Disorders: Is societal pressure to be thin to blame?”. CQ Researcher. 10
February 2009. Volume 16, Issue 6. Online. <http://library.cqpress.com.libproxy.umassd.edu/cqresearcher/document.php?id=cqresrre2006021000&type=hitlist&num=11>.
“BMI Plus Calculator”. Webmd.com. 2 December 2009. <http://www.webmd.com/diet/calc-bmi-plus>.
“Skinny Models Banned from Catwalk”. CNN.com. 13 September 2006. Online. 1 December 2009. <http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/europe/09/13/spain.models/index.html>.