Tuesday, May 12, 2009

"Beauty Mark"

In class we watched the video “Beauty Mark”. This video touches on the negative ways in which the media and society portray beauty, while also investigating the hardships faced by Diane Israel in her quest to fit the social ideals. Diane Israel, a former elite athlete turned psychoanalyst, was angered by the stories of many of her clients suffering from eating disorders and negative body image. In her quest to find the reasons behind their problems, Israel was forced to face her own demons surrounding these issues.
For me, this video was greatly moving. The majority of my life so far has been spent participating in aesthetic based sports. In both cheerleading and gymnastics, small, toned bodies are highly valued. These requirements, along with vigorous exercise regiments and eating plans may give many participants unhealthy body images and feelings. No matter how high you jump, or how toned you are, many young people associated with these sports may feel insufficient. In the video, similar issues were brought up around runners and individuals in the athletic industry. Israel remarked on the absurdity of many of the standards that athletes hold themselves to, and how unhealthy and eventually deadly they can be. The video is a great educational tool for athletes and non-athletes alike. It shows the negative side of exercise and a perfectionist attitude and might be influential for many athletes.
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1 comment:

Kerrie Kauer said...

It is so interesting how sports and exercise can potentially manifest into harmful influences. With the prevalence of over-training and image focus in athletics, we need to be aware of this tendency as participants. My personal experiences of extreme exercise habits and body image disorders were primarily in gym settings. As a personal trainer I became aware of the extreme desires to lose weight and the "at all cost" attitude from some of the "regulars". Some people would spend hours at the gym, weigh themselves daily, and workout with injuries to lose or maintain their body weight. Looking around I noticed people much thinner than myself criticizing their bodies and scolding themselves for the dessert or few drinks consumed the day before. Where do we cross the line and take a trip to counseling rather than pilates? It seems like a difficult thing to measure. It is my hope that, as a society, we maintain the fun and health aspects of sport and exercise.

-Anat Journo

May 13, 2009 at 1:51 PM

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