Fear Of Strangers In Public Spaces

You know what’s so beautiful about imperfection? It creates a space for everyone to share their uniqueness to our world. In the article, Hello, I Am Fat by author Lindy West discusses the issues of being treated poorly and wrongfully shamed for one’s body appearance. Spreading negatively, shame, or hatred towards individuals who are “fat” can truly affect a person’s life including yours. West felt obligated to explain the importance behind fat acceptance in today’s society to her current boss, Dan. Who believes he’s constructing a better work environment and helping individuals by sharing his rather “tame” statements to the public. Society is often times our worst critic by making us believe that body image and personal health will evaluate a person’s success.

One reason mass media is so effective at portraying unrealistic body types as normal is because the mass media helps to set what is perceived as normal. In an article about the mass media’s role in body image disturbance and eating disorders, J. Kevin Thompson and Leslie Heinberg state, “A sociocultural model emphasizes that the current societal standard for thinness, as well as other difficult-to-achieve standards of beauty

For many years the media has been blasted as the cause of numerous negative events that continue to happen in our society. Anti-media supporters have placed the blame for increased violence in the nation on media’s exposure to violent entertainment shows and movies. Media’s promotion of the thin ideal in female models and actors as well as media’s use of very muscular male models and actors may perpetuate the idea that the average person should either be skinny or muscular. An average person who is not skinny or muscular may feel as though they are not living up to society standards which greatly effects their emotional self-esteem. However not every person encountered indicates they are negatively affected by media’s emphasis on skinny or muscular people.

Often, people of all ages, race, and gender catch themselves gazing into mirrors for hours, blaming themselves for the way they look, not realizing that the media is actually the one to blame for many people’s body image. Body image is the way people see themselves, or how they assume other people see them. It is not likely to see a plus sized model in a magazine or a model on the runway with blemishes on her face. A person’s negative perception of their own body is not because they think it is wrong to look and be healthy; it is because the media is telling them that being a size 2 with flawless skin is healthy and beautiful.

“I don’t hate you because you’re fat. You’re fat because I hate you,” an iconic “Mean Girls” quote briefly illustrates how fat is often portrayed in society. Movies and television series have a tendency to exclude overweight actors/actresses or use them as a center of ridicule. In doing so, it sends a misguided message to children, teens and adults who now feel the pressure of inadequacy. People have begun to examine the effects of body shaming in America. In the article “Fear of Fatness,” Peggy Orenstein, an award-winning writer, claims that the image of the ideal woman is rather impossible to achieve, and even those who may obtain it, still find flaws within themselves. Orenstein presents the idea that body fat is viewed as a negative

It’s estimated that nearly 1/3 of people suffer from obesity in North America. Rather than being a part of the solution, the media has a portrayal of what one should and should not look like, what is beautiful and what is not, typically possessing unrealistic standards and showing those that are overweight, as weak-willed individuals, who generally are blue collared individuals. This paper shall discuss obese individuals and how they are portrayed on television or on online streaming programming. Secondly, this paper shall discuss why this group has such a negative portrayal. Third, this paper will discuss what social pressures and production forces shape these portrayals. Finally, this paper will incorporate a media theory and explain what effects it has on the audiences and how obese individuals are typically treated in society.

It’s estimated that nearly 1/3 of people suffer from obesity in North America. Rather than being a part of the solution, the media has a portrayal of what one should and should not look like, what is beautiful and what is not, typically possessing unrealistic standards and showing those that are overweight, as weak-willed individuals, who generally are blue collared individuals. This paper shall discuss obese individuals and how they are portrayed on television or on online streaming programming. Secondly, this paper shall discuss why this group has such a negative portrayal. Third, this paper will discuss what social pressures and production forces shape these portrayals. Finally, this paper will incorporate a media theory and explain what effects it has on the audiences and how obese individuals are typically treated in society.

They grace the cover of magazines everywhere we look. Their beautiful tanned skin engulfs a slender “perfect” body. The men and women of Hollywood truly are striking, but also all look very much the same. There is an obvious trend in these magazines and on television that thin is in, and only skinny people are worthy of adorning magazine covers. Does this mean that only the thin are beautiful in today’s society? Whether they mean to or not, the media definitely indicates that this is the case, leaving a very unrealistic image of what is attractive in the minds of young people. Therefore, it really shouldn’t come as any surprise that eating disorders are becoming more and

I agree with the author of "Let’s Talk about Thin Privilege" and her distinctions of grievance vs. oppression. Of course it is unfair when someone makes fun of another person no matter their size and they have all the reasons in the world to complain, but it is not the same for thin people than for fat people. Fat people are subject to constant social pressure and are often thought as less of a person. Society limits overweight people and rewards being thin, often setting unrealistic standards for women and men. We see it all the time on TV and in magazines; the pressure of losing the “baby pounds”, the main character of the movie is going to be thin (hence beautiful) and if it is fat then that person becomes the “funny” one, etc.

Although, as I have mentioned above, there are aspects relating to body image that I appreciated I do not feel “changed” in my bias or perspective. This documentary targeted body image as a whole, which was impactful as it included burn victims, eating disorders, transgender, disabled, and women from all over the world. However, based on where I believe that my bias is coming from I do not feel as though my perception has changed. Moreover, upon writing this paper, reading the articles, and watching the documentary, it has become clearer to me that my bias is related to laziness and the lack od a desire to live a healthier lifestyle rather than body image issues. I found myself wondering as I reflected upon why I have this bias during the film that maybe I surround myself by thinner people because it motivates me to maintain my body size and be more active. I believe that my bias stems from a history of conditioning healthy life habits, including types of food and amounts consumed, as well as a societal impact to be

Immigrants have always been the backbone of America and are responsible for the unprecedented success of the country. As time has continued to move forward, society has also made it known as to what is appropriate or inappropriate in regards to weight and style. The subject of weight can be a very sensitive subject to discuss, especially when women, and some men, are at the center of attention. Many individuals feel self conscious of themselves when the discussion of weight is surfaced. Society, in particular the American society, has placed emphasis on being a certain weight, and at the same time viewing a person who is over a specific size as overweight and undesirable, as well as having a low socioeconomic status (SES). In comparison to the American society, in the African society, an individual’s weight is viewed as being part of a medium-to-high socioeconomic status in which they are able to purchase food, unlike some who may be able to only receive the necessities to live. However, as society continues to change, the idea of beauty is also changing. In the fashion industry, a thin woman has always been seen walking the runway, or posing in magazines or store ads; however, it has been called to many individuals’ attention that most of these women are going to extreme measures to remain thin, such as developing an eating disorder. Many individuals perceive overweight and obese individuals as someone is lazy, or lack will

The media has distorted people’s views on the way they look at their own body image. The media has shown what their ideal body type is, while leaving people to feel as if the average weight is not good enough. (Cardosi, 2006) We live in a world where people feel as if having zero body fat is the idea body type to have. Pictures of models for clothing stores, bathing suits, lingerie etc. all exhibit to this to be true. Body image is perceived to be negatively influenced by the media and the way that the media displays their models. Parents, teachers, adolescence and even children all find themselves to be comparing themselves based on what the media exposes. (Levine & Murnen, 2009)

Body-Shaming is known as criticizing or humiliating someone by making impolite comments on an individual's body shape or size. Body-shaming is a subject that has been recently brought to light with the use of social media; many celebrities have talked about body-shaming along with quite a few other individuals who have even went out to do social experiments. Generations and generations have passed and as the years go by, the problems only seems to get worse. Comments like “you should put more meat on your bones” and “you should go on a diet” are both equally demeaning and overused. It shouldn’t matter what someone’s body size or shape is to anyone as long as that person is happy and content with himself or herself. Almost everyone has

Thicker women face discrimination and pressures from society and their peers to lose weight because their bodies types are perceived as unhealthy this is the relative idea Beth MacInnis shared in “Fat Oppression”  in Consuming Passions. MacInnis discusses the health risk associated with weight loss and the misconception thicker women are unhealthy because of their body sizes. She points out that having a bigger body other than being thin the ideal beauty standard is seen as being unhealthy but for those women to lose weights by means that are risky and are shown to be unhealthy in her research. In simpler terms MacInnis is pointing out the hypocrisy in the idea that not being thin is unhealthy but for women that aren’t skinny face actual unhealthy and unethical means to lose weight.

In today’s society we let the media decide everything in our lives from what clothes we should wear, music we should listen to, and how we should look. One of the biggest problems that both men and women face is body shaming, because the media sets standards for young kids and young adults., they often times try and fit the description of “perfect” which leads these people to either be depressed because they do not look like people want them to look or harm themselves in order to achieve the desired look. The most common ways the media shames both men and women are by celebrities and how they are the “perfect” body, publishing magazines of what is the ideal man and woman, and by the people who believe being “too” fat is bad and being “too” skinny is bad.