Women’s Obsession With Their Bodies.
By Rummuser. Filed in Uncategorized |
As my readers know, I do not believe in serendipity. Things happen for a purpose and a series of incidents in the past few days makes it abundantly clear that this post needs to be published.
As my readers know, I am a regular walker in our local joggers’ Park. Since I have been walking there for many years I am a familiar figure to regulars there as many are to me too. I am on nodding acquaintance with most and quite friendly with some others. I have also been teasing some of the younger ladies who are regulars that if they walk or jog any more, they will simply float away one day. A few days ago, I was informed by a regular, that another young lady jogger, is in serious trouble and hospitalized for various problems including poor food intake and excess exercising. I do not know her enough to find our more details but hope that she will get alright and learn from the experience.
In one of my earlier posts, I had mentioned my visits to a local gym in my own pursuit of weight reduction and how it was made abundantly clear by the ladies there that I was an oddity! I gather that one gym regular, again a lady of casual acquaintance, has had a heart attack and is recovering after a stretch at a local hospital. Again the reason for the attack attributed to excess exercise and inadequate food intake. The BBC had an article about it SIX years ago. If anything the problem in India is getting to be more acute.
Some time ago, a frequent commentator on this blog, blogged at Nick’s post about the same problem and it is interesting to see the comments and his own response to the comments on his blog.
Just two days ago, The Independent had a shocking article on the subject which takes this subject into a new direction altogether.
Looney’s post which takes one to this, talks about human beings in general and women in particular evolving into different shapes than hitherto.
In all these confusing signals the Independent’s suggestion that the airbrushing for advertisements to show models with unattainable figures is driving women to try and attain figures not achievable. This is of course followed by disastrous effects.
Is it not time for human beings to take a strong look at what society wants its people to look like? I can understand someone exercising to be fit and in good shape to avoid other health complications, but to try and achieve impossible goals for cosmetic purposes seems to be somehow in poor taste. As a man, I find many of the models featured in our publications, both men and women with figures which do not appeal to my sense of the practical and aesthetics. I wonder if they appeal to anyone at all other than the designers and the advertising profession who seem to want to shove their idea of beauty down the throats of us lesser mortals.
Here is a photograph of one of our leading actors with a so called zero size figure about which a book has been written by her dietician.
I do not find this figure alluring. Perhaps I am old fashioned. We older folks were brought up with the idea of beauty being buxom women with some flesh on them. Take a look at this one from one of my favourites from a film of 1966.
Quite where our ideas of beauty will take humanity in the next couple of decades with the way information overload is proliferating, is anybody’s guess.
Thursday, November 5th 2009 at 10:53 |
You have done a great service by noting that biological evolution and media expectations are changing in opposite, incompatible directions. Any thoughts on where this might lead? It seems to me this could be a crisis of greater concern than global warming.
Rummuser Reply:
November 5th, 2009 at 19:06
Looney, to hazard a guess on where the conflict will lead, particularly when the players are women, is beyond me. I have serious doubts that the human being as we now know it will be the same in 2001!. That is, if the earth itself, as we know it now, exists.
Thursday, November 5th 2009 at 11:31 |
It was always a known fact that Indian actresses were heavier than their western counterparts, but this is rapidly changing, especially since Indian women have started winning at international beauty pageants. Women’s magazines like “Cosmopolitan”, “Marie Claire” et al may carry articles with a certain literary merit, but the magazine itself is full of glossy, expensive advertising for cosmetics, jewellery and designer clothes. Just as western women have fallen for this propaganda, Indian women are going the same way. The designer outfits do not appear to be designed for a human being. Women are punishing themselves to be able to live up to their own artificially created expectations. I saw a video of Ms Aishwarya Rai Bacchan celebrating her birthday. She blew out the candles and then, by way of eating the cake, picked a flake of chocolate off it! In order to be a beauty, you have to live an austere life. Oh, no! I’d say, ‘it’s your birthday! Eat the ##ing cake and have done with it!’
This topic was very well convered some twenty years back by Ms. Naomi Wolf. The book is called ‘The Beauty Myth’.
Rummuser Reply:
November 5th, 2009 at 19:04
Yes, I remember that book though I did not read it. It was said about it that the author suggested that obsession with a woman’s virginity had been replaced by obsession with the shape of her body. This is exactly what I think is happening.
Thursday, November 5th 2009 at 12:40 |
In my experience when we accept all of who we are we radiate presence – but there aren’t many people who model this (male or female).
Rummuser Reply:
November 5th, 2009 at 19:00
You have said it in a way that I would not have been able to Evan. Thank you.
Thursday, November 5th 2009 at 14:34 |
It’s fair enough for women to be body-conscious to the extent that they are attractive to look at. If only men would do the same and deal with their beer bellies, hairy orifices, combovers etc. But today’s sick obsession with an unattainable size zero perfect woman, with all the tragic fall-out of severe medical and psychological problems and even death, is appalling. Sadly, much of it originates with women themselves rather than their menfolk, who are usually quite happy with their women as they are. Do I want Jenny to look like a starving stick-insect? I think not. How we get back to a point where women are more relaxed about their actual body shape, I don’t know, the rot has gone so far.
Rummuser Reply:
November 5th, 2009 at 18:59
You imply that women try to look good for other women! I have always felt that the wanting to look good is for the same sex and not to impress the opposite sex!
Thursday, November 5th 2009 at 19:22 |
I think you must give a little justice here. Many men are just as concerned about their bodies, and even take steroids and lift weights to achieve the desired effect.
It’s sad that people are so concerned about appearance. How I look is not really who I am inside. I didn’t get to choose my genes, and I’m not a fan of plastic surgery, so throughout my life I’ve had to learn to love myself despite my physical flaws. I think that helps me be more at peace than these other people.
My other thought is that people who are extreme in their dieting and exercise are people with control issues. It might appear to be about appearance, but it’s more about control. The women I know who have very strict diets, are ones who have control issues in the rest of their doings.
Rummuser Reply:
November 5th, 2009 at 20:18
That is a different insight. I must look into this ‘control’ aspect of obsession with one’s physical appearance.
I too am no Adonis! As must be quite obvious to all my readers by now, that has not stopped me from enjoying me for who and what I am.
Thursday, November 5th 2009 at 21:01 |
Years ago, and I think even now, fashion designers and clothing manufacturers regularly made and make up sample sized garments to see how their designs worked – off paper. These sample garments were in a size UK8 or USA6, I think the reasoning was not to waste expensive fabrics unnecessarily. I know this for a fact as my late father was involved in the ‘Rag Trade’ – the clothing business many years ago. Many of his clients used his fabrics and on occasions I (conveniently size UK8) was asked to try on a garment and ‘walk up the floor’! With perhaps 10 – 20 garments in these small sizes the search was on for Models in the small sizes to display them on the Catwalks. Some samples sold well after the shows with orders to have them made up in a range of sizes, while others never saw the light of day again. Occasionally, very occasionally I was given an outfit that particularly suited my colouring. Mammy benefited also as she had a similar frame.
Despite being thin, or SKINNY as my brothers told me, I was ridiculed throughout my early life for my lack of flesh and shape. I seldom wanted fitted clothes preferring chunky jumpers and skirts. I fail to see how skeletal frames are considered beautiful. What man wants to hug a bag of bones?
My blog reading goes round in a great big circle and I forget who said what. Was it Nick who talked about burning Bras last week or was it you Ramana? If we go back to that era, as well as bras women abandoned their corsets and stays, not quite the restrictive efforts as in this link: http://www.fashion-era.com/early_corsetry.htm but nevertheless still quite uncomfortable. Women relaxed their muscles and therefore tummies began to swell. Add to that the ‘Pill’ and the fact that women were welcome in bars and lounges free to drink ‘pints’ to match the men. The body had to compensate by changing shape.
More than the stick insects, I am aware of young women who walk the streets, offices etc, dressed for the beach with clothes that fit where they touch leaving unsightly bulges reminiscent of the Michilin Man advert. Raw flesh fall into freezers in the Supermarket and Barmen fall into cleavages similar to ravines. They are as sexy as the stick insects. I am certainly not jealous. The extra layers may keep a person warm… but I can remove my jacket when the temperature is hot!
I think I should go lie-down and cool off now!
Thursday, November 5th 2009 at 22:40 |
For me, have a good body is important because to have a good body means you are physically fit and mostly healthy.
Friday, November 6th 2009 at 01:29 |
I agree with Giovanni. I focus on staying fit and healthy.
Friday, November 6th 2009 at 02:50 |
Ramana, Delirious is right. Serious obsession with body size and shape is very much an obsession with control rather than image, often because the woman concerned feels a lack of control in the rest of her life. The therapist Susie Orbach, who specialises in eating disorders, was one of the first to recognise this.
Friday, November 6th 2009 at 10:36 |
I for one do not think that your 1st pic. of the actress that you think is too thin—I don’t think so. I guess I’m caught up in the current idea of beauty. Here in the U.S. women are looking like fat cows. Not pretty.
Rummuser Reply:
November 7th, 2009 at 22:01
She is wearing loose clothes BHB! She is sticks when she wears jeans etc
Saturday, November 7th 2009 at 13:22 |
absolutely right ,i think Indian actress have got perfect body and they always keep on trying to get zero figure.
Wednesday, November 18th 2009 at 18:31 |
Don’t get me wrong, but what is wrong with the size zero obsession? It’s always been like that – ppl will thrive to achieve a certain ideal. Just remember the middle ages when women had bee-like hips. So called ideals change over time and before you know, another ideal will become popular.