Susan Bordo’s “Unbearable Weight”
As I sorted through
some extremely uncomfortable testimonies and pictures on the “mentor” site, I
couldn’t help but think to myself, “what pushes a person (female specifically)
to want to physically change how they look?” The answer, from a male’s perspective,
seems obvious; to look how culture portrays a woman’s body. As Bordo explains,
the body is like a canvas, and how you look, act, and dress are determined by
how you adapt with culture, ultimately displaying how present culture has
affected you.
Achieving a body of
this stature is not easy, as you see more and more women turning to surgery to
accomplish their wants/desires for their bodies. Looking at a Victoria’s Secret
magazine, all I see are skinny women with large breasts. What happened to the
days where being curvy was acceptable? Social construction shows just how much our opinion of what the ideal woman’s body has
changed over the years. I see it clearly, though not written, displayed every
day: the skinnier the better. Nearly every ad, from top dogs like Victoria’s
Secret to simple stores like Kohl’s, display skinny women, implying to young
girls growing up that this is what you want to be. Is this healthy? If women
are turning to bulimia, anorexia, or other eating disorders, absolutely no.
Although Bordo
focuses mainly on the female body, it’s plain to see the same things happening
to how men should look. Buff. What does this mean for me? Generally it results
in going to the gym every day to maintain a fit, muscular body that is
desirable to women. Having to put in an effort day after day to get off my ass
and get to the gym is a hassle, but it is what it is.
Overall, do what
makes you happy and stay true to yourself. Achieving a “perfect” body is
unrealistic, (and generally unhealthy) so do what you can to build a strong
base, a confident personality, and surround yourself with people who genuinely
care about you for you.
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