Article: Women and body image: a man's perspective
I ran across this and found it an interesting read. But that may be because I'm a guy (in other words "usually oblivious") and none of this will be new to those who aren't:
I found it interesting, but there's a few things it's missing. It vaguely touches on gender roles without discussing them and their social construction in depth, and perhaps a mention that we DO live in a patriachal society.
I was talking to a guy friend the other day about food, and said, "Ugh, girl self-esteem is tricky." and he said, "All self-esteem is tricky." and I was like, "Oh, no, girl self-esteem is a far more complex thing. Just look at the world we live in."
But it's nice to see someone mention that these overwhelming anxieties ARE validated, and it's not just that we're all entirely neurotic.
self-esteem has to do a lot with pressure the media puts on women to look good and the messages that's constantly shoved in our faces. We're constantly bombarded with size two, 5'11, blonde-haired images of "perfection". for example a celebrity will go to rehab for an addiction and it'll all be treated very nonchalantly but when she gains weight, it's a media frenzy about how she's let herself go or with claims of a pregnancy. Just the same as with age, an older woman in her late forties or fifties might be viewed as "past her prime" where as an older man of the same age is viewed as distinguish.
of course as we grow older we start to realize that those image's are often airbrushed and edited but the influence of it all stays in our unconscious
"I was talking to a guy friend the other day about food, and said, "Ugh, girl self-esteem is tricky." and he said, "All self-esteem is tricky." and I was like, "Oh, no, girl self-esteem is a far more complex thing. Just look at the world we live in.""
He was right, actually. Self-esteem is complex in general, regardless of gender.
The reasons for low female self-esteem and the reasons for low male self-esteem generally stem from the same basic principles: poor body/self image, feelings of inferiority, anger, pain, sadness, the whole 9. It may vary based on gender, but the reasons for poor self-esteem are generally usually the same.
I for one am sick of the whole 'men are hunters and women are gatherers' argument. I really don't think the actions of billions of people on this world can be drilled down to two evolutionary causes.
I must be a man, because I relate much more to the author's description of mens' internal dialogue than his description of womens'. I don't think I know many women who actually think like that. Or maybe they do, they just don't talk about it with me. Sure, we thought like that in middle school, but most of us outgrew it.
The same basic principles stem from years and years of social constructions and media influence, though, some running far deeper than others. Those are very general reasons, and what causes those feelings are more what the article is talking about.
Original Post by cherry_lips:
I for one am sick of the whole 'men are hunters and women are gatherers' argument. I really don't think the actions of billions of people on this world can be drilled down to two evolutionary causes.
Not every action, no. Why people wear plaid shorts... there's just no explanation for that possible.
But the Major Things, like mating and reproduction? Heck yes. That's the nuts and bolts of the evolution game.
