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Inching towards the unobtainable

» The obsession with fitting in by fitting clothes

Mercedes Deutscher
Staff Writer

at does the word
“fat” really mean? Fat

is more than a politically
incorrect description of being
overweight. Fat is fear. Fat is
seen as one of the worst things
a person could be. Fat is to be
physically and mentally ugly.
At least, that is what fat is
considered to be in Western
culture.

In an atelophobic (the fear
of not being good enough)
society, the thinner a woman or
the more shapely and muscular
a man is, the better. While not
everybody is concerned about
meeting these increasingly
impossible beauty standards,
most people are.

In Canada alone, the
statistics are shocking. A survey
by the Canadian Women’s
Foundation shows that 90
per cent of “girls say they feel
pressure from the media to
be thin ... Over 50 per cent of
girls say they wish they were
someone else ... [and] 50 per
cent of girls in grade six are on
a diet.” Meanwhile, only “36 per
cent of girls say they are self-
confident”; the stats for girls in
grade 10 are even worse, as that
percentage drops to 14.

“T think I first started
consistently judging my
body around age 10, because
the way people talked about
being overweight or generally
undesirable made it seem like
that was the worst thing in the
world,” says high school student
Bonnie Duff.

Boys are also affected.

Some boys attempt to put on
muscle prior to even their uth
birthday. Between 2001 and 20n,
the occurrence of males being
hospitalized for eating disorders
has increased by two-thirds.

There is no doubt that
the media has affected

: society’s view of beauty and

: the obsession with physique.

: Back in the mid-zoth century,

: women like Marilyn Monroe

: were viewed as sex icons, and

: although her weight fluctuated,
: Monroe at one point weighed

: 140 pounds. Such body types

: are described as full-figured,

: and have been seen as beautiful :
: until the past few decades, still
: being the standard of beauty in
: several cultures.

In the last few decades,

: female role models have

: become thinner and thinner.
: Today, many of these women
: who are praised for their beauty :
: are depicted by photos that are
: adjusted and touched-up using
: photo editing programs. When
: women compare themselves

: to the photos of these slim

: women, they are striving fora

: beauty standard that cannot

: exist without digital alteration.

Though subtle, even media

: outlets that are meant to be

: covering news and current

: events take a position on

: physical appearances. Hillary

: Clinton, despite her many

: political accomplishments, is

: examined and critiqued for her
: appearance.

In films, television, and

advertisements, there is a

: formula to what a sexually

: desirable person is supposed to
: look like. Victoria’s Secret uses
: models to display its lingerie,

: which could be considered :
: necessary. However, the models :
: shown in these advertisements
: are never of varying sizes

: and shapes. AXE Body Spray

: appeals to its target audience

: with commercials that usually

: depict a young man using the

: spray to catch the attention of

: thin and sexualized women. Of
: course, some advertisements

; try to counter these sexualized

: campaigns by airing feel-

: good commercials, such as

: the Dove Campaign for Real

: Beauty. However, the fact that
: both AXE and Dove are both

: owned by Unilever is rather

: hypocritical.

Although the media

: has a large role to play in

: implementing difficult beauty

: standards, corporate businesses
: have further progressed

this obsession. The beauty

: industry makes $160 billion per
: year. Meanwhile, businesses

: such as restaurants often

: choose employees based on

: their physical traits. Entire

: restaurant chains, such as

: Hooters, only hire thin and

well-endowed women.
What is a person supposed

: to do when being pressured

: by such an appearance-crazed
: society? While some may

: not be able to achieve full

: confidence in themselves,

: they try. When asked what

: she would tell her younger

: self, Duff responded, “I would
: ask her if ‘fat’ was the worst

: thing I could be. If that was

: the definition of hitting rock

: bottom or somehow failing at
: life.’

It is important to

remember that although beauty
: standards have great influence

: within Western culture, they

: are only as important as

: one thinks of them. What is

: perceived as “beautiful” will

: change like it has changed

: throughout history. Beauty

: isan ambiguous term and

can cover a wide range of

characteristics, both external
: and internal.

Many people are self-

confident in their appearance,

: abilities, and accomplishments.
: Some of them fall into a range

: of common attractiveness and

: some do not. Soas long as

: they stay true and confident to

; themselves, they can take on

: the world. It is time for people

: to learn to love themselves and
; to stop trying to be anyone else.

 

 

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