Body Image, Cultural Gaps & Body Beauty Ideals

[Krasevayadancer]

So I came across the following article this morning and it really got me thinking. Are we all just wasting our time fretting about the "perfect" body? Or do we think that this particular article is only indicative of the attitudes of people in the UK? This is sort of a mixed topic which includes celebrity trends, women's ideals and cultural differences.

Fabulous Mag ::: Celebs - Russell Brand


Personally I would have to say that while this article probably represents attitudes about weight and beauty across the world, I still find it hard to wrap my mind around the fact that this attitude can be applied to me. I obsess about my weight constantly and no matter what this article says I don't think I look good at a heavier weight (which is what my body naturally pushes for)

What do you all think?

 

[Tianik]

I think this is a really interesting topic. I think that as women we put a lot of pressure on ourselves to look a certain way. That doesn't mean we all want to be a size 6 - but in my opinion - we all have a mental image of what the perfect body is and drive ourselves nuts to get there.

It is somewhat cliche, but I do think that a woman's perception of what an ideal body is will vary based on culture, location, etc. In my mother's culture (puerto rico) a fuller hip with a small waist is "valued" whereas in my father's culture (eastern European) the typical thin, big-chest archetype is supreme.
Of course, my family and I live in NY, so we have all fallen victim to the pressure that this city puts on women AND men to maintain a certain image.

Either way, I wish I could be more satisfied with the state of my figure. Unfortunately, it is something that is always on my mind, whether it's watching what I eat or building in time to go the gym.

However, when the rubber hits the road and the clothes are coming off...I figure the person who is there with me must WANT to be there and likes what they see, so I think why let myself worry about that extra patch of jiggly-ness on my lower stomach, right?!

 

[Simply Elegant]

I've read that most men prefer 10 to 20 pounds more on a woman than what her ideal weight is not her actual weight, so I'm sure lots of women are their partner's ideal size since so many women want to lose the last 10 pounds. I think that there should be more focus on health and then what your body looks like as an after effect rather than focusing on what your body looks like and just being healthier because you're taking care of yourself. I'm satisfied with my body right now because I work hard for it but it's not my absolute ideal.

 

[florabundance]

I've only recently grown to appreciate my body. I am a size 8 (UK), but nothing like the one pictured in that article.

Having developed really early, I've always had a love-hate relationship with my figure. I found that I was sexualised from a very young age if that makes sense. I mean, the attention from men I would get at age 12 is the same attention I get now, aged 18. I hated it. People naturally would assume that I was sexually mature, when really, I wasn't. I wanted to be the super skinny white girls that I was surrounded by (and i KNOW that is such a stereotype, but these were my childhood feelings). I hated having the dark hair and so on, the typical mediterranean look.

When I reached 17 I began to truly work WITH my figure as opposed to against it. I'm now 5'5 and 128-130 pounds - my highest weight having been 140 - and i'm still unsatisfied

. My parents and family complain that i'm becoming too thin, while at college, i'm the typical "exotic, curvy" girl. So cultural differences, in my experience, are supreme.

 

[Krasevayadancer]

Tianik- You bring up a very good point. I also live in New York and I get so insecure walking down the street and watching these rail thin affluent women pass me by.

 

[Simply Elegant]

If you think about it this way, their rail thin bodies can't make you do anything you don't want to do and you're taking away the power that comes from you seeing their thinness by realizing that. I'm not sure if I'm making sense but they're not purposely trying to make you feel bad for not being their exact body type. It doesn't make them any better than anyone else that a size 2 falls off of them and not the average person.

 

[Krasevayadancer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Simply Elegant If you think about it this way, their rail thin bodies can't make you do anything you don't want to do and you're taking away the power that comes from you seeing their thinness by realizing that. I'm not sure if I'm making sense but they're not purposely trying to make you feel bad for not being their exact body type. It doesn't make them any better than anyone else that a size 2 falls off of them and not the average person.

I see what you are saying, but I can't help but think that a lot of those people are not naturally that way. Without knowing their stories I am very jealous.
Keep in mind though, I am a size 0/2 but chesty, so I feel like a whale compared to many of these other women.

 

[xxManBeaterxx]

Growing up, i was paper thin, infact i remember being teased and bullied by the chunkier girls in class everyday. I was 5'4" by the time i was 11 and 85 pounds, i basically looked anorexic but i wasnt, i grew 7 inches in that 1 year. And as the years pass i couldnt get past 105 pounds. I remember i used to envy the girls with the big boobs and butt so i did stuff my bra and wear those butt cushion panties lol. i hated being skinny..

I'm about 112 pounds now, so im all right, but the sad part is it took me 22 years to love my body, it took me 22 years to accept me and realize that it is a waste of time worrying about these things when the most important thing is that you excerize and eat healthy, even if you are 25 pounds overweight, as long as you exercise and eat right you will feel energized and good about yourself.

 

[Tianik]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Krasevayadancer Tianik- You bring up a very good point. I also live in New York and I get so insecure walking down the street and watching these rail thin affluent women pass me by.

I know exactly what you mean! This place is brutal when it comes to things like that. There is such pressure here.

I also find it funny that WOMEN also encourage this attitude. I was on the train the other day and saw an advertisement in the Times for a whole series of books called "Skinny Bitch" and the author was female. I'm not knocking the books by any means and I might be taking it out of context....but I think it fosters this notion that women have to be skinny, rich, tall, whatever and that we COMPETE against each other to achieve these fleeting things.

I have also had women in my own family that have said things like "you would be beautiful if you lost 10lbs". (cough cough, thanks grandma, cough cough) Although I smile and wave it off, it hurts so much and comments like that will stay with a woman. I know it might be an age gap thing but how could a fellow female say that to another??

It breaks my heart.

 

[rbella]

I am so body conscious it hurts. I cannot think of a time in the past 15 years when I haven't gone at least 1 day without thinking about it. It consumes me. I wear baggy clothes all the time because I've gained a lot of weight the past couple of years. All I think about is food, my body, how fat I am and why I don't look the way I used to. It is actually very crippling. There, I admitted it.

 

[Simply Elegant]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Krasevayadancer I see what you are saying, but I can't help but think that a lot of those people are not naturally that way. Without knowing their stories I am very jealous. Keep in mind though, I am a size 0/2 but chesty, so I feel like a whale compared to many of these other women.

A lot of models have genetics on their side and they probably do work out religiously. You really shouldn't feel like a whale, you're tiny. Who knows, amybe they don't enjoy being that thin but have to to keep up with their job and the industry. That would feel awful.

 

[frocher]

....

 

[purrtykitty]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Simply Elegant I've read that most men prefer 10 to 20 pounds more on a woman than what her ideal weight is not her actual weight, so I'm sure lots of women are their partner's ideal size since so many women want to lose the last 10 pounds. I think that there should be more focus on health and then what your body looks like as an after effect rather than focusing on what your body looks like and just being healthier because you're taking care of yourself. I'm satisfied with my body right now because I work hard for it but it's not my absolute ideal.

I understand there is a difference between what I women want their bodies to look like and what men look for and that's probably one of the most frustrating things because rarely will those two ideals intersect. I know for me, DH has started telling me that I've gotten skinny enough and that I don't need to lose anymore weight. But I'm still not at a place where I'm comfortable with my weight (who knows, I may never be). I am striving to be healthy, but honestly, it's not top goal in my mind.

 

[animecute]

I'm not concerned about my weight. It's strange cause I can eat a lot and SOMEHOW lose weight. It's strange.

I don't really like being "stick thin". I'm currently working to get some muscle. I think curves are the best. =)