I think that our culture struggles greatly with obesity because everything has turned into convenience. Living in America, it’s often easy to seek out, the “fast, cheap, and easy.” Many of us like to go through the drive-through, and like to find the closest parking spot, etc. I am definitely guilty of this as well. We are living in such a fast paced society that the convenient way of life is what we know and with the rising cost of living it is hard to spend time focusing on “healthy living.” Stress and lack of sleep can often lead to weight gain as well, and many people experience both on a daily basis. It’s interesting because although our society has this struggle with obesity, the images we see of beauty and perfection are the polar opposite. Covers of girls on magazines, actors and actresses on tv, models on the runway, more commonly than not, are portrayed as having an “ideal” body. They are fit, tall, have a big smile, and white teeth. The media focuses on sending messages of what beauty is through touched up images using computers, which is easy to forget. The part in Killing us softly 3 when Jean Kilbourne discussed how women are becoming objectified was really eye-opening for me. I never thought about it like that but she raised a good point about how women’s bodies are used as beer bottles, and plastic surgery is encouraged. When we are immersed with these images in radio, tv, magazines, it is hard to ignore. The media is very influential and when adolescents are exposed to the “beauty” in the media it is not surprising that they will go to extreme measures in an effort to achieve that size 0 waist, or the large breasts, and the plump limps. Reading Evelyn Lau’s article was extremely sad because so many people go through this battle with food. It reminded me of the power that food can have. It almost made me mad that we have set our society up to make people feel like they aren’t thin enough, or they are too thin, not tall enough, and not physically fit. Reading about her family blaming her for the diet they started and her mom’s obvious disapproval was heartbreaking. However the mother may have been doing it out of love in some strange way. The whole issue of weight and physical appearance is somewhat sensitive but some cultures are quite blunt and it’s no different when it comes to physical appearance. It’s funny because my friend and I were having a conversation about how family will comment on things like weight gain, etc. We had both experienced aunts and uncles telling us things about the way we look. I’ve learned through the good and the bad that it’s all about confidence. You really have to love yourself in order to accept or at least get through both criticism and compliments. If you are unhappy with yourself, the things people say good or bad often mean nothing. Although this is so much easier said and done. Things like the reluctant hero magazine talked about in the Body image video were great because it can be inspiring for young girls. It is vital to have positive outlets for people to see that the beauty in ads do not exist without electronically enhancing images.
Rothstein, Stephen, G. "Reflux and Vocal Disorders in Singers with Bulimia” Journal Of Voice. 12.1 (1998): 89-90
1 comment:
d not agree more with your post. The problem in America is there because it has been created as you said to be faster cheaper and better. For as long as I can remeber this was the goal of the United States. The battle with food in America is being fueled at an even greater rate in recent years With the current technology in food production and the increasing alcohol industry. As you noticed in killing us softly women are being objectified to represent selling alcohol and food. There is an ideal in our country for what is "perfect" and as you said we are always striving for what bigger and better. The cycle we have created is a vicious one and I wonder if we will ever escape it.
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