For a few
months, I had wanted to discuss body image, not only from a sociological point
of view (which I do at university), but also from a Christian perspective. I have
a strong desire to encourage both Christian and non-christian women who are
struggling with low self-esteem and body image dissatisfaction, so I really
hope that after reading this article you will learn to see yourself in another
light, closer to how the One who created you sees you and closer to your real
worth.
“CONFIDENCE IS BEING SECURE AND ASSURED IN THE WOMAN OR MAN THAT GOD HAS MADE YOU TO BE. CONCEIT IS THINKING THAT YOU’RE BETTER THAN SOMEBODY ELSE BECAUSE OF IT.”
Did you
notice how much us girls engage in fat talk when we get together? We talk about
diets,share frustrations, concerns, weight management tips we even make jokes
or scold each other when we eat something 'bad'. Not only do we give moral
significance to food and judge ourselves in relation to what we eat and how we
look but by engaging in this type of talk we learned to monitor and control
each other, transmitting this social ideal of thinness. Not once did I find
myself scolding someone for eating something sweet just because I was on a diet
and I knew I wasn't allowed- though the other party was not at all concerned
with the calories.
According to
social comparison theory people prefer downward comparisons, in order to
achieve self-enhancement . Yet, when evaluating their bodies women mostly
engage in upward and lateral comparisons. Truth is, I never felt skinnier when
I saw an over-weight woman but I always feel incredibly fat when I hear my
skinny friends complaining about their weight.
Western society
represents a ‘cultural paradox’ whereby there is demand for both dieting and
junk food consumption. People are bombarded with ‘artificially glamorized
images of highly processed foods’, but in this world us women are expected to
be more and more thin. And what happens next? Well the food, diet and
fitness industries grow. More and more products promising miraculous results
such as cellulite creams, spot firming creams and diet pills have appeared on
the market and women have committed themselves to buy and try them (Hesse-Biber
1996) in hope that they would find an easy way to overcome the issue of weight.
From 2000 to 2001 there was a 48% increase in the number of cosmetic surgeries;
88% of them were performed on women with liposuction and breast augmentation
both being in the top percentages and keeping these positions to the year 2010.
Paradoxically, women are expected to be thin but have large breasts which
doesn’t come easy for all women because when one loses weight, the breast fat
goes away as well. Another surprising fact is that the fitness industry
benefits more from women, at least in the US where, in 2001, 51.1% of fitness
equipment was purchased by women (Miller and Associates, 2006) and gyms can now
be seen everywhere.
In their
efforts to achieve the ideal body, individuals often experience the yo-yo
effect when failure to continue with a diet results in gaining more weight
(Hesse-Biber et al. 2006). As a consequence, the constant struggle with weight
loss is also linked with depression, low self-esteem, insecurity, feelings of
ineffectiveness and distrust in relationships (Ackard et al. 2002). Body obsession fostered by the circulation of
the cultural ideal of thinness can give way, in women with specific existing
psychological patterns, to eating disorders such as anorexia or bulimia (Mental
Health Foundation 2015). As a fact, anorexia has a higher mortality rate than
any other mental illness (Hesse-Biber et al. 2006). Yet, even when there are no
such traits, women seem to engage in ‘culturally induced eating’ – ‘a pattern
of behaviors that directly stems from the socio-economic and cultural context
within which women's lives are embedded’ (Hesse-Biber et al. 2006:211) which is
similar to some of the eating disorder’s symptoms such as obsession with food,
starvation, dieting, bingeing and purging, laxatives and diuretics abuse
(Hesse-Biber et al. 2006).
I find it ridiculous how, WE have such an
active role in bringing upon ourselves such misery. It shouldn't be like this.
We have to open our eyes wide to what is happening around us- we have to see
how the capitalist market is making profit using our weaknesses and refuse to
play this game. I am not saying we should not take care of our bodies, or have
a healthy diet. In fact, I believe it is our duty to take care of the bodies we
were given. But when I say HEALTHY I
don't mean the fad diets we usually take up out of desperation. Take care of
yourself, be healthy, live an active life, love, laugh and enjoy yourself the
way you are. I know we forgot to love ourselves and therefore we try to gain
acceptance by achieving societal perfection. Yet, this is not the perfection we
should seek for beauty comes from the inside. Learn to love yourselves, because
there is someone who loves you endlessly, thinks you are wonderful and is proud
of you- when He created you He said that you are very good, so trust Him.
