How We View Ourselves
By Liz Panneton
Today we are bombarded by media on a constant basis, whether we know it or not. Cell phones, blackberries, television, radio, billboards, magazines you name it. It’s there, and along with all of these images, are ideas of the ideal, what we are supposed to gravitate toward in order to feel acceptance or confidence in ourselves. Our popular culture ideal is to have women be 5’10” to fit into a size 2, or less, pair of jeans, to have perfect round breasts in order to define what is considered desirable and feminine. However, this is becoming a problem that is being ingrained in young children and teenagers that is leading to more permanent damage. One website (www.nationaleatingdisorders.org) is organized to teach people about the effects of media on image says that, “A study of 4,294 network television commercials revealed that 1 out of every 3.8 commercials send some sort of “attractiveness message,” telling viewers what is or is not attractive (as cited in Myers et al., 1992). These researchers estimate that the average adolescent sees over 5,260 “attractiveness messages” per year.”
Issues of being thin and the definition of what is healthy is different for females than it is for males, but men face issues and pressures too they just face it differently. I recently administered a questionnaire with students here at Keene State to see how they view themselves. They were a variety of ages, majors, and class standing however the results were interesting. When men were asked personal questions about their bodies they strayed away to list anything specific and said they wished they were more muscular. Even though they are not striving to fit into a size 0 pair of jean (they didn’t know what that even meant) but they are expected to look like specific stars that have chiseled abs like Matthew McConaughey or they wouldn’t feel desirable. When asking girls what they thought of their bodies they said they wanted flat stomachs, desired to be 125lbs and would or have altered their bodies to fit the mold. One person who answered was a young man who was going through with surgery to alter their sex and found it to be a flaw. But by what standard? If something does not follow the instruction manual of the 1950’s conservative model then it is seen as being defunct and wrong. When asked to choose between two relatively famous women, Eva Longoria or Queen Latifah, who were more attractive girls chose Queen Latifah. The men however did not necessarily know those names and kind of recognized the faces but the majority chose Eva based almost a first impression glance. Another interesting result was when the students were asked how many calories were supposed to be a healthy daily amount for females were specific in numbers and one said no more than 1500 calories a day; whereas men either didn’t know what a calorie was or said, “like 2500-4000.” But even with the answers that they would never change themselves in order to fit in, there are many who do. While walking around on campus you can’t count how many people own Uggs, a Northface jacket, and leggings or wearing full sweats all the time, it’s hard to believe that people choose those things because they genuinely like to wear those items without influence.
On the national eating disorders website the facts are too real. In a 2003 review of the literature, Hoek and van Hoeken found:
• 40% of newly identified cases of anorexia are in girls 15-19 years old.
• Significant increase in incidence of anorexia from 1935 to 1989 especially among young women 15-24.
• A rise in incidence of anorexia in young women 15-19 in each decade since 1930.
• The incidence of bulimia in 10-39 year old women TRIPLED between 1988 and 1993.
• Only one-third of people with anorexia in the community receive mental health care.
• Only 6% of people with bulimia receive mental health care.
• The majority of people with severe eating disorders do not receive adequate care.
www.nationaleatingdisorders.org
It’s hard to think that we as a culture could ever truly change our system into thinking that being thin doesn’t necessarily constitute healthy and being obese may not be only about food but genetics and physical diseases. Either way it’s all about how you see yourself. When I asked several of my male friends who think people like Kate Hudson are attractive in a sense that it’s never going to happen, love women that are curvaceous, that don’t have rock hard stomachs and are happy with themselves. When the girls were asked which they preferred they thought muscles were attractive but not an expectation to have a successful and healthy relationship. Love yourself for who you are whether that is an artist, obsession with Shakespeare, the challenge of a good game, or playing the Wii, take those qualities from the inside and run with it, life will be much more rewarding. “Most of the shadows in this life are caused by our standing in our own sunshine.” –Ralph Waldo Emerson
mwalsh @ April 28, 2008