Women and Girls in the Media Blog #3
Diet Pills and Weight Loss
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When you see the images that media bombards us with on a daily basis, you can’t help but look at what kind of mold it is that a great majority of people try to fit themselves into, and you can’t blame them because it’s practically all that they see. We usually find women with extremely tiny waistlines gracing the cover of magazines. Contrary to what others believe, it is also the same thing for men, though they probably have less trouble when it comes to shrugging off the discomfort that it brings. Society has brought us up with unnecessarily harsh hopes when it comes to the perfect build. There is less emphasis on what it means to be healthy than there is about trying to fit into this ideal body shape that the media monsters flooding our minds with information.
What people should learn to understand is the fact that they should not believe everything they see around them. It becomes to easy for certain facts to elude us, such as the fact that, with all the technology that we have in our access it is effortless to trim down a waist that is already slim. It has even become an issue with other models whose images have been edited time and again, despite the fact that they already have small waists. These discussions have brought about the issue of: how skinny is skinny supposed to be? And because of that, people have learned to step away from these unrealistic goals of obtaining a waist that is, frankly, rather freakish to look at. However, not everyone can see past this façade, and in the hopes of achieving these goals, they end up causing more harm to themselves than originally thought.
Due to the knowledge that there are so many options out there when it comes to slimming down, people who are chasing a certain body shape are prone to trying everything out until they get what they want. However, some of these people do not know when enough is enough. In addition, apparently, for some, it is never enough.
http://www.skinnychef.com/fad-diets-dietpills
Building a Better Body Image
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Our society is obsessed with looks and weight, but that does not mean we have to passively accept the negative messages we receive about our bodies. In addition to the important tips listed in the book, here are other ways to empower yourself:
• Experiment with what weight feels comfortable to you, rather than trying primarily to be thin. Find your “set point,” a weight where your body feels comfortable and will fight to remain. Accept weight variations throughout the life cycle.
• Most of us judge each of our body parts individually — my thighs are too fat, my breasts too droopy, my lips too thick. Try experiencing your body as a whole, rather than as separate parts that need improvement.
• Instead of trying to conform to the rigid beauty ideal promoted in the media, experiment with finding a style or look that expresses something about yourself and feels good to you. When you exercise, pay attention to the rhythms and sensations you experience as you move. While exercise is often promoted as a way to lose weight and achieve an idealized body shape, it also often helps us feel good in our bodies, which in turn can help us accept and even celebrate how we look.
• Reject the imposed ideals that womanhood must be suppressed. If you have a curvy body, embrace your curves as symbols of power and pride.
• Notice how much time you spend worrying about your looks instead of being aware of what is going on inside of you or around you. Try practicing mindfulness, a technique used in meditation and yoga.
• Give up the media for a week. Forego reading magazines (especially fashion magazines!), watching television, or surfing the Internet. When you get the urge to click the remote control, go for a walk or invite a friend over for tea and conversation. At the end of the week, notice if you feel differently about yourself.
• Include women of all ethnic and racial groups, age groups, sizes, abilities, and sexual orientations in your circle of friends. When we expose ourselves to the rich and varied experiences of all women, our narrow ideas about beauty and bodies often change.
• Kill your inner supermodel. If you have an image of perfection in your head to which you’re constantly comparing yourself, get rid of it. You think your nose is too big? Compared to whose? You consider your stretch marks “flaws”? Where is it written that our bodies should be free of lines or marks or scars? Such bodies do not exist in real life.
http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/issues/stereotyping/women_and_girls/women
