Body Image - Essay Example

Body image does not affect my self-esteem greatly. I am skinny. The only thing about my appearance that makes me stand out is being from the Middle East. Sometimes I am a little bit conscious about being different, but I am who I am. It also helps that I am of average height and looks. I think if I was fat, extremely short, or extremely tall I would have more body image issues. Even being from the Middle East and having darker skin does not affect me greatly, since I can always return home. Back home I am average. I fit in. If I would have an abnormality, then I might feel differently. Men do not seem to have as many body images as women do. Men and women do think about their bodies differently. Men seem to be more confident that women. I believe this is a society stereotype. Men are never portrayed as too old. An example would be Hugh Hefner. Despite looking like an old man, Hefner is always surrounded by young women. Not just one young devotee, but Hefner is dating three or four women at a time. I believe in this instance it is Hefner’s confidence, not his looks that make him appealing to women. His money does not hurt either. On the other hand, when an older woman dates or marries a younger man, like Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher, the woman is a cougar. Even Demi has tried to keep up a youthful image with cosmetic surgeries. Women are more pressured to look young. Another way that men and women differ about their body image is weight. An overweight man can still attract women. In restaurants or in public I have observed fat men show up with a date more than fat women. This is reflected in the media as well. For example Kevin James, James Gandolfini, and other actors are shown with skinny partners on and off the screen. They also get more press than heavy female stars. I also feel that race has to do with body image. African American women are more comfortable with their bodies than white women. No matter the size, African American women wear makeup, dress up, and portray a sense of pride. Heavier white women tend to wear baggy clothes, no makeup, and try to hide themselves from society. Black men seem to accept heavier women and find that more attractive. White men want skinny women with big breasts. Another body image point that Americans perpetrate is the tanned blonde that stands about 5’10 and weighs about 100 lbs. Ethnic models are sometimes accepted if blue eyed, but dark black models are discouraged. Ethnic hair is also discouraged. African American women wear wigs and straighten their hair. I feel that Middle Eastern women have less body image issues due to the lack of importance image are put upon them. Women wear veils in public. A woman’s intellect is more important than her looks. Although a husband and wife interact together without the veil, men appreciate their women for personalities, not just their looks. A potential wife will be a good mother, partner, and confidant. Thus looks are the last thing a Middle Eastern man looks for. I also believe Middle Eastern men have less body issues than European or American men. The society we live in might be responsible, but I think it is overall Middle Easterners are more religious. In my culture there are more important things to learn, discuss, and worship than personal body image. The body is to be kept healthy, but not to be worshiped. American and European men are obsessed with muscles. Working out, having tight abs, and big arms are all the rage. The bigger the man, the more respect he seems to garner. Athletes are seen as the perfect males in America and Europe. Skinny guys like me do not have a chance. I do not feel bad, but have seen many other American men that do. It does not matter that men with the biggest muscles are using drugs to achieve the goal of a perfect man. Many have died trying to bulk up with steroids. Skinny guys are considered unmanly. The male body image in American and Europe can be as important to some men as it is women. The root of bad body images can be placed on the American media. TMZ, a popular TV show and websites always put down women for big backsides even when the women are skinny. The Kardashian sisters, Serena and Venus Williams, along with others are continuously put down for their big bottoms. These women are just healthy. They have skinny waists. The only thing these women have when compared to other American stars are curves. TMZ was also guilty for saying the overweight title actress from the movie Precious would have problems finding more roles, despite being nominated for an Academy Award. All of the women models in America and Europe are bone skinny. Hips and collarbones protrude from these women’s scantily clad bodies. If a model tries to gain weight, the press ridicules her. Tyra Banks was said to be too fat for a bikini, when her weight was appropriate for her height. Women are shown to be flawless in print and on screen. However, many millions of women that are normal or a little heavy are made to feel bad about their body image. The media affects everyone concerning body image. I believe that media gives impossible standards for men and women to obtain. Like the examples given above the media wants people to fit a certain image. Whether the fad of the week is Matthew McCoughnay or Paris Hilton, the media wants people to aspire to be something that they are not. The media always shows a perfect image of both men and women. Ageing in the media is also portrayed badly. Men never grow old in Hollywood, but women do. Joan Crawford was pushed out of movie deals for growing old. In return she punished those around her. Despite having four children and being beautiful, Joan was never happy. Her unhappiness was due to the uncontrollable issue of growing old. Instead of accepting the fact everyone ages, Joan fought it until the day she died. Many actress lose roles, because all the roles being cast are for young women. Despite the media’s portrayal of image, many of the actress or actors being portrayed fail to live up to the perfect body image. Lindsey Lohan, Paris Hilton, Nicole Richie, and other beautiful women have shown despite their beauty they have lives that are full of sadness. If all beautiful people that do not have body image problems have wonderful lives, why are so many getting DUIs. Why do the beautiful people have such a high rate of suicide, chances of anorexia, or miserable lives? Body image does affect individuals in positive or negative ways, but inner peace does not come from the inside. Confidence, pride, self content, and other positive emotions come from the inside, not the outside. People with overconfident self body images tend to become vain, or try anything to keep that body image. Instead of projecting an impossible body image, the media needs to project realistic body images. These images would include growing old, gaining weight after childbirth, and being the body type that an individual was born with. The media images in the United States are not realistic, but fanciful. The lives around me that are affected by the media are numerous. The first is my elderly neighbor. She is in her fifties, but looks like she is in her seventies. Every day she applies a ton of makeup to prevent ageing. In the end, this makeup makes her look like an old clown. She once confided that she would never leave the house without makeup due to the damage her face has sustained because of heavy makeup. I have never seen her without makeup, but nothing could be worse than the thick makeup she wears. She also dyes her hair blonde. No matter how much dye she uses, tinges of gray appear around the roots. They dye has made her hair broken and brittle. The affect of the media on my neighbor’s self image has been destructive. Another neighbor is a man that over exercises. Every single minute this man is running, doing set ups, pumping iron, and generally over exercising. The results are a thin man that is still balding with a bad tan. His skin looks like leather from tanning too much in a tanning bed. The affects of the media image profile once again makes an individual actually look older than younger. My favorite acquaintance is an African American woman that serves me at a local restaurant. This woman has the body like Mo’nique. She is big everywhere. Her black skin is always shining and looks soft. I have never seen her without makeup, dressed up, or with her hair in a mess. She also wears different wigs. She always laughs about her weight and seems genuinely happy with who she is. She wears a wedding ring, so I know she is married. More women need to be like this woman. She accepts her appearance, instead of fighting against it. I have only experience heavy African American women with this trait during my time here. Finally I have an older neighborhood woman that does not wear makeup. She wears her hear in a neat long braid. Instead of spending time primping, she is always helping out others. Whether watching neighborhood children, baking, gardening, or other helping projects, this woman seems content with whom she is. I believe it is because she does not worry like many about her body image. I have found those not concerned with body image are happier and age more slowly. Those wanting a certain body image never obtain it. If they do obtain their perfect body image, it always fades due to ageing. Happiness cannot be found in one’s body image. The body image is always changing, just like the body. If the body image changes positively no matter what a person looks like, than the individual is content. The contentment is accepting your own personal body image. Read More