Why does Beautiful have to =skinny

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=EuFQMZQjG6s

So i just watched this video and was amazed by the way i felt at the end. We talked this week about how we have been bombarded with images that give us expectations to how we should look ourselves. We also discover how these expectations are often fake and unrealistic. Models are being air brushed, pictures are being touched up to create a whole new face. Still we feel that we have should still strive to appear model perfect. These images can sometimes cause young teens, girls specifically to turn to alternative such as anorexia to achieve a body that other people will appreciate. This proves that more often girls who love the way their body looks are attacked by images to only be happy if they lose some weight. Teenagers should not have to worry if their body shape is considered beautiful by other people's standards. We should all be able to look in the same mirror and think the same thing, " the way i look is beautiful no matter what you see". Teens struggling with anorexia are using these false expectations to destroy their beauty just to mimic something that was created by a guy sitting at his desk and using  computer program. The view of how skinny is beauty is so shallow and this is coming from someone who happens to be a size two. I know a little cliche, A skinny girl is complaining about being skinny. Well i have a right to complain because i get the same stares and weird looks as anyone else but i get them because of the false assumption that i am anorexic and wish to be stick thin. MY answer to that stupid question is no, I would still find myself to be perfect if i gained five to ten pounds but sometimes you body doesn't work the way you want it to. MY skinniness made my dad  have the dream that i was going to be a supermodel, I mean really you have a daughter that the greatest thing you could think of for me is that " well honey you can make a great model one day with the way you look". I would hope that as my dad he would say i could be president, a scientist, or an astronaut but needless to say he had the same mindset as any other man. The fact that beauty is what will make you great, but i say being great makes me beautiful. One day i hope that men will look further than skin deep, that one day girls won't have a fear of having to lose weight to feel accepted, and i hope one day that all people male and female can look into the same mirror and see the same thing " true Beauty"

Body Image: Bigger Can Be Beautiful

These days women are getting thinner and thinner, trying to lose weight verging on psychotic. The thinner, the more beautiful they are. I am also one of those who try to be “beautiful” by losing weight. The difference is that I don’t want to be thin at the expense of my health. I won’t be fat, while I won’t be sick instead of my outer beauty. “Thinner is beautiful” is western culture, and the media is the one which spreads the culture. We often see really skinny female actors and fashion models on TV, and think them beautiful. Yes, actually they look beautiful, but they might not be beautiful considering their health condition.

Reading the article, I was surprised even the models who kept really skinny shape feels that they should be healthier rather than they try to be “ultra-thin”. There is no way if you die after continuing hard dieting. We don’t need to be like super models or sexy movie actors, no matter how they look beautiful. Maybe they are naturally skinny or genetically to be skinny, and if so we cannot be like them forever. So it is better to quit dieting and start healthier life.

The clue is how we can change the way we look at the “beautiful” women. We might need to look them differently from the way the media editors want us to do. As the statistic says, more than 50% of women in the United States are not confident with their weight and/or their looks. If they are really fat, they should try to lose weight, not for being beautiful, but for be healthy. On the other hand, if they are too skinny like the super models on the TV shows, you think twice and find the better way to be beautiful women.

 

http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/body-image-bigger-can-be-beautiful

 

The Dollhouse

Imagine if you could script the perfect date, what happened, where you go, who goes with you, how they act, how they look. What if all you had to do was type out your dream date or perfect afternoon into a computer and that became a reality.

The television show Dollhouse is based off of this premise. A corporation arranges for your exact specifications and all you have to do is pay their fee. And how do they do this? They program people.

The corporation finds people who are desperate; they might be desperate for a new life, an escape or maybe just money. The corporation offers them this. All they have to do is sign their life away for five years. If they enter into this agreement, their minds are wiped, with no memory of their previous life. They become the “tabula rasa,” the blank slate. The Dollhouse then imprints the specified personality into the person and sends them out on their “engagement.”

Could there be any greater objectification? The majority of the “dolls” are young, thin, attractive women, who in their doll state have no personality and no knowledge, they are children. The distinction between who they are in their doll state, innocent, and who they are in their “active” state, usually sexual, is pretty extreme.

It is interesting to note that a television show such as this made it on to network television and in popular culture. So what was Joss Whedon getting at? Did he intentionally bring up this subject?

I think this might be the case since his other main television show, “Buffy, The Vampire Slayer” has a very strong female protagonist. Although it is interesting to note that although Buffy is supposed to be a strong and powerful, independent woman, the main conflicts in the show are often emphasized by the “boy problems” which arise from Buffy and her boyfriend. She is rarely without a significant other. She is also often times shown with having little power or strength when it comes to guys.

Point being, Joss Whedon loves to put stereotypical characters in very not stereotypical situations. 

Jenna Marbles Doses a Reality Check

            Women, specifically, are constantly being tested against society's standards of "beauty". What does it take to become beautiful? We all grow up in a world where image comes first and everything else is second. Young girls are taught to perform their gender roles through make up, sexuality, and exploitation of their bodies. This is a direct effect of the media's definition of beauty. As a result, we pride ourselves in change in order to reflect what we wish to become- beautiful.

            This objectification of women hurts individual judgment, self-esteem, and further distorts our perceptions of beauty. Jenna Marbles humors all of what women do to conform to society's expectations of appearances- the fake tanning, the bleaching of hair, caked on makeup, and even proudly announcing that she aims to "look like a whore" when getting ready. Though clearly a pun, this is very much some of the many things that women do to set themselves 'closer' to what we have been taught is beautiful.

'How To Trick People Into Thinking You Are Good Looking"

-Jenna Marbles

            Though Jenna makes fun of the way that practically ALL women feel, in a sense, it is a good reminder that we need relax when it comes to appearances. We, as women, have become sucked into this theory that we are not pretty until we have completed the necessary steps, the daily routines and the transformations from natural to done-up. Society has placed the stereotype that only "nerds wear glasses", therefore contacts offer a solution for this "problem". Additionally, Jenna has her Master's degree, yet promptly announces her decision to "dance in her underwear" as a career. Essentially, she is saying that those with less attractive features get jobs out of the public eye, while those who put effort into their appearance are only useful for only their looks. This idea of short-term perfection is objectifying those who come off as beautiful, and those who we would consider unattractive. "Pretty people have it easy" is a term coined from this very same idea.

            There is a universal loss of pride in originality, uniqueness, and individuality. Every day women go through a checklist of things to conquer regarding their appearance before we can be "public appropriate"- the right outfit, the shoes that match, the contrasting eye shadow, the perfect purse, hair that flows with the look, and the absolute right shade of lip gloss. Less and less are we focusing on what we enjoy and like about ourselves, and more and more are we digging for flaws. What is the point of this? We search for our insecurities in order to fix them, recreate ourselves, and pretty-up our undesirable traits in order to reach this irrational point of perfection.

            In the end, nobody is perfect. Sometimes, we have to laugh at society. And by laughing, I really mean totally disregarding its every stupid, made-up, critical social expectation. Enough is enough! Everyone is beautiful in his or her own unique way- with, or without, media's input. It is ridiculous how much we influence

Beauty Ideals From the Past

Going along with the theme of body image, I chose an article on Huffington Post that touched on how the beauty ideals from today are drastically different from those in 1912 as well as the Renaissance period. Although the article isn't very long it makes a good point about how beauty ideals haven't always been about being slim and tan. It juxtaposes the ideal woman from 1912 to those of 2012. The difference is apparent. Not only was size a factor in beauty, but the woman from 1912 was also commended on her political views and personal qualities. Flash forward to the present and think about how many times you hear someone say, oh she’s got a great personality, she’s so beautiful. It’s always, “look at her body”, “look at her clothes”, her makeup, her physical characteristics. At the end of the article a slideshow featuring famous Renaissance portraits of women shows the paintings as the originals and after they have been retouched to reflect today's beauty standards. I think by retouching these iconic photos it shows people how ridiculous beauty ideals can be. Usually when people view these photos they don’t think “Man was that chick fat”, they usually appreciate the art. So why don’t people appreciate women in the flesh as being beautiful regardless of size? Speaking of which, this article mostly focuses on sizism, commenting on how the ideal woman of 1912 was a woman who weighed 171 pounds and liked to eat beefsteak. I believe this article helps break down social constructs of beauty by demonstrating that there are other ideas of beauty, even within our country’s history. I find the slideshow at the end the most interesting. The women depicted in these portraits are supposed to be the most beautiful. However, by today’s beauty standards these women just don’t measure up. While this article does illuminate how beauty ideals have changed, I wish it would explore more about how beauty was perceived in the past.

Link to Article

The true of manhood

Reference: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/30/times-of-india-mahood-definition-ad-respect-women_n_2583588.html#slide=more265848

              "The true test of your manhood is how you treat a woman. All women. Any woman. Every woman," the quarter-page advertisement read. When you think about masculinity, probably you would associate it with power or physical futures. The Indian newspaper printed an advertisement asking men to respect women because more and more women suffer from men’s violence in India. Some campaigns were also created by the police department or non-profit organization in order to eradicate rape culture. They are calling for men to act like good human beings, not act like real men associated with power. However, because of the high value placed on a bride’s virginity and the dangers to a girl’s future if there is a taint on her honor, rape is often not reported, and the men who rape are counting on this reticence to go public. The problem of rape is in part the problem of a highly unequal society where women are low status and often somewhat segregated and disadvantaged. 

Kimmel and Messner (2007) say that some men make use of certain crimes like violence or rape to construct various public and private masculinities within particular social situations: the street, the workplace, and the family. They take their male privilege for granted and misunderstand what they can be accepted to do as ‘real’ men. The cultural ideals of hegemonic masculinity are framed through social structures. In addition to that, in this case, classism is also relevant to the violence. Many women in bottom of the hierarchy suffer from rapes by men in top of one under Caste, a form of social stratification. Although it would take a long time to change the notion or the idea toward women in the society under the context, people and government should strive to abolish those violence by countermeasures. 

Women as Objects

This week's focus on women in advertisements has always been a focus in my life. Ever since I was in late middle school/early high school, I've had the worst self-confidence. And watching size 0 models on TV doesn't help me gain more self-respect for myself.
The other day, I was listening to Pandora. I was on the Today's Hits radio, and Nelly's new song popped on. It's called Hey Porsche. And the whole time I was listening to it I was thinking 'Wow! Women are portrayed as cars now. That's just great.' I think this new song completely and totally illustrates what we've been talking about in class, and from the Killing Us Softly video. The whole song talks about how he, Nelly, wants to ride her and try her: "Hey little Porsche, I just wanna try ya". What the heck, man? Do we really want our children of this generation to hear this kind of thing? I remember when I was young, and My Humps came onto the market by The Black Eyed Peas. I had no idea what they were talking about, and I sang the lyrics everywhere because they were catchy. Kids now will be singing these lyrics, and won't know what they mean. Kids don't know any better.
Here are some other lyrics that just made me want to throw up in my mouth: "You sexy thing, you turn me on, I need a private show, here on the lawn, in my garage".

The rest of the lyrics are on the following link: http://www.lyricspremiere.com/nelly-hey-porsche-lyrics.html#ixzz2KWcSMJqm

The first thing that came to my mind when listening to this song was the advertisement we watched in class about the new Fiat. The gorgeous Italian model who was dripping whipped cream on herself in front of a nerdy looking guy. He was totally in love with her and the idea that she could've been his. But then he opened his eyes to see that it was just a car. It's just gross to think that people actually want to put this kind of thing on TV.
I just want people to see that women are not cars, beer, tables, or objects in general. Women are people and need to be respected and treated as such.

New wave of activists challenge notions of beauty

Media is one of the most influential institutions in terms of giving us a certain message constantly in all aspects of every day life. Regarding the beauty ideal, it has extended the gap between the ideal and the reality of beauty by influencing culture and dictating gender norms and values which reflect the power existing in the society. Dominant power such as white, middle-class, able-body, and straight women is regarded as ideal and those manipulated image in the media would be exaggerated by media and firmly embedded in the society. Actually, media often make the image of women more violent and sexualized in order to get viewers’ attention. So it is very important to think about how media influence our perspective and why it can be dangerous.

As we discussed in the class, beauty ideal is internalized and lead to horizontal hostility which is the resentment and anger about one’s situation onto other status of people. Regarding Caroline Heldman, a professor of Occidental University, saying “your value of self-worth is dependent on the amount of sexual attractiveness you have to the outside world,” we are extremely concerned about our body because we are afraid of the eyes of others to our body being failed to meet the ideal. Our bodies are not just a property of our own but the objects to be seen by others. Fat oppression is one of those social products prevailed by media. Being thin is a major concern for women not only in the US but also all around the world. According to the National Eating Disorders Association, 10 million women are suffering from anorexia or a bulimia and 80% of all 10 year-old children are afraid of being fat in the US. I think it’s significantly big.

I think it is a good thing to be aware that we are seen by others in that it can restrain the extreme or inappropriate act in some cases but at the same time. For example, parents’ surveillance plays important role in preventing their children from becoming delinquent. However, at the same time, it holds the potential danger to draw some extreme acts such as anorexia and bulimia by giving us too much pressure on our bodies. In addition, it is true that obesity has a lot of negative impact on our bodies but we need to be aware that what media and diet companies allege is not the importance of being “healthy” but loosing weight until they reach the impossible ideal. And as long as we justify ourselves by regarding fatness as personal choice and negotiatable, the stigma against the fat people keep existing.

What counts would be how to react to the pressure from the others. No matter how institutions like media or peers press us, we should keep in mind that our body is ourselves’ and do not have to change by cosmetic surgery, photoshopping, or taking pills. Even if media will keep producing beauty ideals based on domestic cultures and a lot of people tend to follow it without thinking or challenging, as we learned the Intention of to maximize their profit and the system of how media constructs our image of beauty, we can change our behavior toward that biased information. From the article, Jesse Rosten, a California-based commercial director and filmmaker’s words will be good to remember. “Go easy on yourself. We are all human, and it's OK to look like a human. Nobody will ever measure up to a beauty ideal that is, literally, physically impossible."

 

References:

http://www.cnn.com/interactive/2012/03/health/infographic.eating.disorders/index.html?iid=article_sidebar

Going to extremes: Eating disorders

http://www.cnn.com/2012/03/09/living/beauty-media-miss-representation/index.html?iref=allsearch

Sex, lies and media: New wave of activists challenge notions of beauty

Homosexuality: God Given, or Choice?

              Is homosexuality an effect of nature or nurture? This question sparks fire from those who feel that sexuality is a choice, and those that preach the lyrics of Lady Gaga's hit song "We Were Born This Way".  It is important to recognize that, as humans, we have the great ability to be different. More specifically, it is important to express our differences with enough confidence to fit within society's standards. Twins have been used in various studies when it comes to examining sexuality. Growing within equal environments, sharing similar or matching DNA, carrying out the same mannerisms, yet having "abnormal" sexual preferences, raises more than just eyebrows for scientists. National Geographic took a closer look at the biology of twins, making an incredible discovery on homosexuality.

             EXTERNAL LINK: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=saO_RFWWVVA

           As National Geographic explains, testosterone is administered to each twin within the first six weeks of development; this is responsible for the "masculinity" within a fetus (body hair, "manly" thoughts, etc.). Typically, one twin has a tendency of taking in more testosterone than the other. Around week eight, the testosterone is released within the body and directed towards to hypothalamus- which tells us who and what we are attracted to. According to some scientists, the more testosterone in the brain, the more likely that person will be attracted to women. Essentially, they are saying that when a fetus does not produce enough testosterone, the brain does not register the signals that make females sexually desirable- resulting in the desire to like men. However, keep in mind this is just a theory.

               The research explains that fraternal twins have a 25% of one being gay, whereas in identical twins, there is a 50% chance. Being a twin, I found this video extremely fascinating. Both my twin and I classify ourselves as straight, and I do not remember a time when we felt otherwise. I have met many twins over the years, and for some reason I do not recall meeting any that expressed themselves as being gay.

               I fully believe that there is oppression among homosexuals, due to the orientation of their sexuality being unknown. Most of the time, people like life in the form of yes/no, black/white, right/wrong, etc. Sexuality breaks the mainstream of "social normalcy", allowing for skewed and independent thought to a subject so personable. Those who do not fit along these lines of "correctness" are for some reason targeted... and persecuted. This system of oppression could very well be attacking something far out of our control- biology.

               When people argue over whether or not being homosexual is a biological or environmental effect, there is no defining line, in my opinion. This video is just one theory as to how homosexuality comes about. Personally, I would like to argue that everyone should have free-range of his or her feelings, regardless of whether or not it was "genetically coded". 

Mrs. Livingston and the Critic

Current Event Link: http://shine.yahoo.com/visit-britain-us/overweight-news-anchor-takes-fat-shaming-bully-task-193700343.html.

Jennifer Livingston is a reporter for WKBT-TV. In October of this year an audience member wrote a pretty scathing letter to Mrs. Livingston having to do with her weight. In this letter the audience member told her that she should stop doing her job because of her unhealthy body weight. He believed that she was setting a bad example for the community. Mrs. Livingston backfired during her morning show where she went into full details about how children are bullied in school due to their weight. She also describes how they should deal with these prejudices against those of a larger size.

This is exactly what we are talking about when we are discussing biological determinism. A person’s biology or genetic makeup is considered what determines someone’s destiny. That is such malarky. We need to realize as a society that we are not just about what fat is in our body. There are other factors like culture and society. There is this “beauty” ideal that our society holds. In this ideal we are expected to live up to what our society believes is attractive in the west. In this case Western tells us that busty, skinny, and blond is the way to be. People like this man who is writing this letter needs to realize that his harmful words (in a weaker person than Mrs. Livingston) could lead to eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa.

In Analysis there are so many systems of oppression from the system that it is not even funny. We are taught when we are growing up through magazines, newspapers, and our family that not being skinny is wrong. How many times has your mother said that she is fat and needs to lose weight? Those things get passed on to your kids when you say those things. In addition, every magazine out there has skinny girls in designer clothes. We need to teach kids that their health is more important than their body weight. In addition, all these institutions are selling diet pills. Some gyms in Hollywood are told not to let their clients know if they are underweight so that the gym can make more money. The sell is that it is no matter how unhealthy you are in your diet; as long as you are skinny you are considered healthy. This is so wrong.

My synthesis is that it is not being overweight that is a disease. It is society that has put this disease in our heads. We are good people if we are good people. It does not matter whether we are skinny or have a little fat on our bones. Nonetheless we get treated as completely different human beings. It is time that we realized that the inherit goodness in people is all that matters. We need to stop these stigmas about weight. EVERYONE is trying to lose weight no matter how thin. It is sad. All that time could be spent doing something amazing and being amazing. It is time we teach our kids this lesson.

Mrs. Livingston was absolutely right. People like the one who wrote the letter needs to know that the hurt and hate he is forcing on other people is a result of his feelings about himself. This man should be an adult and a good example for children. Instead he is focusing more on the outside than the inside. His judgments are becoming part of someone else’s life and that is unfair. Be kind and caring. Don’t be critical and hurt people. It’s as simple as that.

-Rachael Belcher