I went into the local grocery store and scanned the magazine rack for something that was a good example of western culture's ideal of how women are "supposed" to look. The magazine that caught my attention the most was Women's Health; ironic right? A magazine that is supposed to inform women about their health was going to be the perfect example of why western culture promotes a generally unrealistic yet idealized image of a woman.... anyways there is a lot to dissect so here is the cover i saw..
GREAT BUTT...WEIGH LESS..... this is what women's health should consist of?? hmm..
Lets first break this down by the messages this is sending to the general population of all ages as they are in the grocery aisle.
Toddlers: They might not be able to read, but they can see. Children at this age learn what is or what is not appropriate through modeling behaviors of others. Those adults with children, I can assume that you have taken them to the grocery store with you and they have probably seen the magazines in the check out stand. What does the child see in this picture? A lady in her underwear and a small top smiling, she looks happy and seems to be enjoying herself. Children may not understand that this might "just be for the magazine" or that its only ok to dress like this if your an adult. All they see is a half naked woman on the cover of a magazine, looking happy to be there. What do you think this is telling your child? It could be sending numerous messages, but one that it could be sending is "this is what girls wear. i am wearing this and i am happy. this is what girls look like when they wear this". Boys see this and girls see this. both are getting similar messages of how girls are supposed to look. This is how media can start to shape what is the "ideal women" even at such a young age.
Big Kids: These kids might not be able to read very well, but they know their words. As stated previously, the biggest words on the front cover are "Women's Health" and "Great Butt". Health is being associated with having a great butt. Sounds ridiculous, right?. Children are looking at this magazine and seeing something that is supposed to educate them on their health, however in this case health means to great butt and to weigh less. Something else to point out is, what does weigh less mean? Weigh less than what? It doesn't say, all it says is to weigh less. Thinness is valued greatly in western culture, so much that it doesn't seem to matter what size someone is, just that they have to be thinner to be ideal. You would think a magazine that promotes health should read "Learn how to maintain a healthy weight" or "Find out your healthy BMI range"...but it doesn't, it just says that for Women's Health, they should just weigh less. Once again, there can be a lot of different messages taken from this cover, but the potential that a kid can take this magazine and connect being healthy to having a great butt is the not the appropriate message to be sending.
ADULTS: US! the ones who think that they might not be as influenced by the media as these children are, the ones who believe they are no susceptible to peer pressure or social pressure, yet we are the ones who are buying it because the title says "WEIGH LESS...GREAT BUTT...FLAT BELLY IN LESS THAN 15 MINUTEs". Magazines pay lots of money to find out what consumers are attracted to and what makes them more inclined to purchase their magazine, so having those titles on the front cover is not by chance, its by what is known to sell. and we purchase these magazines because we have been taught over the years that to be thin is ideal, that we must "weigh less" than we do to feel better, that flat abs are going to get us a better life or a cuter boyfriend and that "mind blowing morning sex" should be accompanied by a "great butt". It's a little crazy if you think about it.
but is this what we truly believe? it can have some truth to how we feel, this is what keeps plastic surgeons in business, tucking, sucking, and lifting; it is a multi million dollar practice. People want to look better than they do, because they heard someone say they need a straighter nose, they need bigger boobs, and they need a smaller waist in order to feel better about themselves. Don't get me wrong, working out and eating well changes the shape of our bodies and makes us stronger and we might enjoy the way we look now opposed to how we looked before we started going to crossfit or hot yoga or whatever you do to keep in shape, but making sure your happiness with yourself is not contingent on how many classes you do or don't attend is important It is important because the image of our bodies should not shave such a strong influence about how we view ourselves. We are smart, we are courageous, we are independent, we are brave, we are creative, we are loving, we are loveable, we are so many more important things than the message our body image sends. Stay mindful of the messages that are out there, but more importantly be mindful of how those messages might affect you. They are so many people unhappy with their appearance due to these messages that have been sent to us our entire lives, so how can we overcome something that is almost engrained into our minds? I don't have the answer to that, but I can say what helps is acceptance. Accepting yourself for who you are right now, not last year, not after you do a 30 day bootcamp, but right now in the present.
On a personal note, there was a time that I did not feel happy with how i looked, to the point that I was ridiculous enough to make a list of plastic surgeries I could have done (this was after that horrible show The Swan--if you don't know if google it). Basically I wanted to look "ideal", what society had said was "ideal". as i got older, through many different life experiences, it clicked for me. I learned to love how i looked, regardless if i was 20 pounds heavier than i was in high school, or if my boobs weren't as big as my best friends, or if i didn't fit into a sample size as a model casting. I didnt let that determine how I felt about myself. I have learned to just truly love how i look, and have seen how much happier I am because how much i DONT stress about it.
so stop standing in front of the mirror, analyzing and critiquing all the things you don't like about yourself. stop changing your outfit 50 times before you leave the house because you don't feel it "looks ok". you look great. I stumbled upon a quote this week that is a good closing to this entry...
"Over the years I have learned that what is important in a dress is the woman who is wearing it."
— Yves Saint-Laurent
That's all for now. I hope you enjoyed reading this topic, one of my favorites so far. youre all so beautiful :) and thank you for reading!
