Body Image


The idea of the perfect body is often established during our years of puberty. 'Skinny is perfect' 'guys have to be toned to be attractive' 'men need muscles' 'curves are desirable’; these are just a few of the statements I heard growing up in a body conscious era. My friends, and even myself at periods would attempt to change the way we ate. Even nearing mid 20s, people I grew up with have been calorie counting for 10 years. Food played a critical part within school. It appeared to me that girls specifically, would be called obese if they had a packet of crisps; even if they were skinny. Others who didn’t eat would be called anorexic  or bulimic because they wouldn’t eat in public. Majority would then binge eat after school while reading beauty magazines showing ideal bodies, airbrushed to the extreme. Food would then have a comforting effect on them. It became a source of stability.




 Playing to stereotypes in films, for a girl after a breakup she would over indulge in junk food, such as ice cream, chocolate, fizzy drinks (wine, depending on the age), very much like an emotional hug. I've been there for friends in this situation as they watch the cliché chick flicks such as Angus Thongs and Perfect Snogging, Titanic or Bridget Jones. Each film would offer a glimmer of hope.
Bridget Jones could be seen as the epitome of the steps one would desire to take. The perfect way to get over a man, go through the comfort eating stage and come out the other side successful, attractive with men fighting over them. Bridget Jones presents the issues that occur with comfort and body image. In the first film we are given Bridget, a naïve woman who appears to be placed in situations out of her comfort zone. Her appearance is a constant subject of discussion within her work. When she hits a moment of sadness, dwelling on self pity about men, she turns to her first comfort, wine; which in turn causes a chain reaction. Her misery leads to wine, when she gets drunk she over indulges in food, satisfying at first, though thoughts of her body soon catch up, wearing her ‘big’ yet unattractive pants to pull everything in. This therefore leads females into a false sense of security, that by over-indulging in food will ultimately help them feel better.





When it comes to food for men however, it appears there is a slightly more relaxed approach, or this is how it use to be. It appears over the years men have become increasing more conscious of their own body images. The media having idealized the males body as being toned and muscular, fearing if their body doesn’t meet these standards then they will be ridiculed by their close group of peers. The gym culture has certainly impacted the consumption of food, individuals replacing some of their food with a protein shake, getting protein into their body at a faster rate.




My blog will be focusing on three main areas:  
How body image and food has been installed in us at a young age 
Different messages are presented as we grow up 
How body image and food affects all genders



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

No Pain No (weight) Gain

Image
I feel as though some men have become more focused on their body image, and this is perhaps a modern development, media playing a role and accentuated the gym culture. Some men are now more then ever striving to be fit, assuming this is the road to desirability and attractiveness. It has prompted, in some ways a healthy outlook on life, but in others, an obsession that takes over. The gym culture has lead way to the thinking that, you have to have muscles and build to be a ‘mans man’, being slim and having a bit of meat on you, presents a child like aspect. Muscles means being a man, being an adult. This in turn can lead to other factors, like strict dieting. Traditional body image wasn't a main priority, it was often seen as the bigger you are, the better, more wealthy. As mentioned in the segment ‘absence of food’, being skinny was a give away of your status and class, no wealthy man was skinny, having meat on you was a sign of wealth and some believed fer...
Read more

Greed and gluttony

Image
    It seems when growing up the message of body and eating is first demonstrated in children's texts, whether that be in rhyme, songs, literature or films. Each piece would hold its own message and attempt to represent it in a child friendly way. Emotions would typically be the most effective way for a child to understand. However, these messages seem much more evident in retrospect.    Charlie And The Chocolate Factory    "Augustus Gloop! Augustus Gloop!   The great big greedy nincompoop!   How long could we allow this beast   To gorge and guzzle, feed and feast   On everything he wanted to?   Great Scott! It simply wouldn't do!"(17.64)     Augustus Gloop is the iconic symbol of greed and gluttony within children's literature. He is demonstrated in both the book and the films as, an overweight, unkempt, messy child, who's only solace is food. His interaction with th...
Read more