Post "Miss Representation," Take II: Let's Talk Body Image

Obviously, no discussion of how women are represented in the media would be complete without a discussion of body image.  We are constantly bombarded with issues of [seemingly] flawlessly beautiful women who fit the bill of what Michael Kimmel, the author of Guyland, would refer to in his point that men (or, rather, young men in the 16-26 age bracket) think of the ideal woman as effortlessly perfect.  That is what these women in movies and TV and on magazine covers look like: effortlessly perfect.  They can balance all of the pressures of daily life, and still look freshfaced, thin and stylish.  Easy, right?

Wrong.  What we all know deep down to be true (but, yet, what no one tells us), is that these women are, first and foremost, airbrushed.  There was one part of the movie that showed the extent to which a model was airbrushed to the point where she no longer resembled her former self, so that is a lot of what is at play here.  Not only do they have airbrushing, but many of them likely have a personal chef to cook them nutritious meals, a personal trainer to work out with them for hours upon leisurely hours (because c'est la vie of an entertainer to have lots of downtime while not working), an assistant to do all of their time-wasting errands for them, a nanny to take care of their children...the list is endless.  So NATURALLY they're going to look a little less haggard than your normal, everyday woman. 

The problem is that so many young girls and women get ideas about what they themselves should look like from the images that the media presents them with day in and day out, to the point where they begin to lose sight of what is normal, not to mention healthy.  I am the first one to admit that I have certainly felt insecure about my body (in fact, I would say that I have spent the majority of my life feeling that way, not necessarily all day every day, but it is definitely something that is more often than not in the back of my mind), and I would argue that you would be hard pressed to find a single woman who has NEVER felt insecure about any aspect of her physical appearance.  If such a woman exists, then I will worship at her feet and ask her to divulge all of her secrets to escaping self-loathing and masochism.

I am partly to blame for my own at-times negative body image.  I avidly digest every last bit of pop culture news, checking People.com and UsWeekly.com daily for the latest in the lives of the stars, so I let myself be more bombarded than most by those images (in fact, Dan brought a rare pop culture event to my attention that I wasn't aware of, and he said jokingly, "Come on People."  Okay, I deserved that).  I think that the important thing is knowing where to draw the line, understanding that those celebrities are airbrushed and have an extensive team at their beck and call to make their lives just a little bit easier.  Us mere mortals do not have that luxury.  So I know how to spot a fake like this when I see one (jeez, Photoshop much?).  The actual model is, while still thin, much healthier looking than this ad, in which her head appears bigger than her waist.  How are we supposed to break the culture of women who torture themselves to be thin when we have such prominently-featured ads as Ralph Lauren's portraying this unachievable standard.

Now,  I'm hardly the person to be preaching to the choir, but, in my experience, the best role models are those who take good care of their bodies- those women who are athletic and strong.  Yes, it is important to exercise, but it is also important to eat a well-balanced diet.  For me, I look at female distance runners and I think, 'Wow, that is what I want to look like.'  If you take care of your body, it will reward you by allowing you to do things like run marathons :)  That's what I'm aiming for next.  Of course, accepting one's body is a work of constant progress, but the less we take our cues from popular culture, the healthier our attitudes will be towards our bodies.