Women and Body Image

One of the subjects we talked about in class this semester was about women and their body image.  We have learned so much in class that relates to women and how their body image is affected. The media  plays the biggest role in why women are so worried about their body image.  This video sums it up perfectly:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31Ajvix6DXs&feature=related

Everyday girls, teenage girls, and women are exposed to magazines, advertisements, commercials, and etc. that show women who are skinny, with long hair, and pretty faces.  This greatly effects women, and I know has affected me!  It makes me question, who deemed these women as "beautiful"?  Why is it that in our society, skinny is the dominant trait for a women?  Not only has media affected my views on how I should look, but I know it has affected many of my friends views.  I've known people who have become bulimic and anorexic because they don't look like these women on the covers of magazines- it truly is sad!    Although I do believe that being healthy is extremely important, I don't think the women should strive to look like these models/actresses/sport athletes that we constantly see.  Women forget that these people probably have trainers, plastic surgery, private chefs, and etc. to help get them that way.  They're photo shoots are also photo shopped to make them look better.  As spoken in class, this is what causes our society to have "fat phobia".  We are scared to not be "fat" because media tells our society we should not be that way.  As I said before, healthy is what we should all strive for, not a certain look.  I have noticed that being fit is becoming the new in thing, rather than being extremely skinny-which I think is not necessarily the best, but better.  Women should be happy the way that they are and not let media cause them unhappiness.  If a woman is truly unhappy with her body, she should do something about it because she wants it for herself, not because society tells her too!

Alyssa Salindong
Kin 338I