Friday, March 23, 2012
Susan Bordo
In class and discussion today, we discussed Bordo and eating disorders. Bordo discusses how culture influences eating patterns of women and girls. The body is maintained by many from a cultural influence meaning that many women try to diet and have a thin figure due to the demands of culture and society around them. Advertisers and celebrities also play an essential role in this; we are constantly producing eating behavior through culture in this country. Today, women seek to live up to an ideology that is almost impossible: the idea of becoming very slim. Many women make it their life objective to be thinner and make dieting and losing weight an integral part of their life. Ofcourse, this can have dangerous implications. However, the strong value that is portrayed of a thin female through advertising in today's cultures makes many girls believe that the risk is worth it. Bordo mentioned the height of this problem, which results in numerous eating disorders such as Anorexia and Bulimia. The clips we watched in discussion from the film "Thin" showed girls seeking treatment for this disorder and their psychological processes and reasoning's behind their dieting and eating styles. One girl mentioned being called fat by others who did not accept the notion pleasingly (thus representing the demands of society that compel certain individuals to act in this way and trigger the habit of eating restraint or purging).This, once again, demonstrates the strong influence of culture and individuals on eating behaviors in today's society, which then leads to constant efforts of maintaining a thin image at a huge price.
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I appreciate your candidness, as you discussed the feelings that females endure when it comes to body image and societal "outbursts!" I call them outbursts, because I realize that people don't realize the pressure placed on girls at such a young age. In the quest to be accepted in society many "norms" do not fit individualism, and I argue that young children may not understand their identities.
ReplyDeleteAs we watched "thin" I painfully noticed how the mother had her own issues with food. I went away hurt, because there is a need for females to find comfort in who they are.
Nosheen - I agree with the comments you wrote above in relation to Bordo's book. This "thin ideal" that women of all shapes, sizes, nationalities and backgrounds are trying to obtain is simply unrealistic and unhealthy. Like you said, advertisers play a huge role in outlining what is viewed as attractive through the eyes of society and the media. As I discuss in my post, capitalism is the driving force behind the advertisements that tell women that they must look a particular way in order to be accepted and desirable within our society.
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ReplyDeleteI agree with you that being “thin” is a lot of women’s goal in their lives because of the cultural influence. And many of them don’t even care about its outcomes. And I also agree that advertisers and celebrities have an important role in this. Advertisers try to make money, so they will do whatever is needed to make you by their product. And celebrities are like role models for a lot of women, so they try so hard to become like them.
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