What Does It Mean To Say That Black Women Are Considered Lower Classes

In, “Real Women Have Curves” Ana’s family has a lower social class, a majority of her family members work hard labor for jobs. They do not have college degrees and they expected just that from Ana. Therefore, they did not have high expectations from Ana educationally because they

The media group that retouches images skews the “normal” body image of people through many of its outlets, including models in advertising and magazines, and actors in TV and movie productions. “The average model portrayed in the media is approximately 5’11” and 120 pounds. By contrast, the average American woman is 5’4” and 140 pounds” (Holmstrom, 2004). This statistic shows how the media manipulates consumers into believing that because they are not what the average model looks like, they are not living up to a certain standard which implies that they need to look like that to be beautiful. Another research fact that shows a similar concept is that, “In the United States, 94% of female characters in television programs are thinner than the average American woman, with whom the media frequently associate happiness, desirability, and success in life” (Yamamiya et al., 2005). This association of female thinness and happiness, desirability and success makes consumers believe they must achieve this unrealistic thinness to achieve more ultimate goals and fulfillment in life. “The media also explicitly instruct how to attain thin bodies by dieting, exercising, and body-contouring surgery, encouraging female consumers to believe that they can and should be thin” (Yamamiya et al., 2005). This idealization of thinness in the media is seen so much, and is extremely harmful to women’s self confidence and is often associated with body image dissatisfaction, which can be a precursor to social anxiety, depression, eating disturbances, and poor self-esteem (Yamamiya et al.,

The author of this article begins her analysis of the rise in eating disorders by acknowledging America’s obsession with being the ideal weight. From an extremely young age, American children are being taught that women in movies and on the covers of magazines possess the ideal figure. The author states “Children are being taught…being fat is the worst thing one can be” (Bordo 1). This is disturbing to say the least. There many attributes worse than being overweight: dishonest, cruel, and murderous to name a few. Bordo also uses an example in the first paragraph of her essay that is appalling. Alicia Silverstone, the lead role in Clueless, was completely bombarded with insults about her weight, though she had only gained a few pounds since her starring role. The advertisers did

Once upon a time, women were celebrated for their curves. Weight was a symbol of wealth and fertility in a woman. During this time, women were subjugated to being a housewife and nothing more. As time and society progressed, a woman’s prison became her body and no longer her home. Women had the freedom to vote, work, play, but could no longer be fat. This new beauty standard of thinness affects women in many ways. In “Add Cake, Subtract Self Esteem” written by Caroline Knapp, she describes her own personal experience on how this impossible standard affects women’s eating which leads to eating disorders and an unhealthy relationship with food. In “The Beauty Myth” written by Naomi Wolf, she describes the mental effects on women from a

Recently, a hot topic has been the effects of media on body image. There has been speculation that media can lower an individual's satisfaction with their body. Scott Westerfeld portrays this same idea in his book Uglies. All Tally Youngblood wants to do is be a Pretty like her best friend Peris (Westerfeld, 2005). In Tally's world this is normal; at sixteen everyone has a surgery to them into beautiful human beings (Westerfeld, 2005).

The author of “The Black Beauty Myth” Sirena Riley has encountered multiple experiences concerning body image throughout her life. At a young age, she started to feel the pressure to have a perfect body. The struggle of making herself perfect ultimately lead to eating disorders for instance, bulimia and compulsive exercising. In her journey from a young age to her college years she has learned better ways to deal with negative body image through therapy. In her article, she states “I was in three body image and eating disorder groups with other young women on my campus. I was always the only black woman.” (Riley 2002, 229) This quote supports her belief that black women have body image issues but are not open to seeking help or expressing

Society constantly redefines what beauty is in women, and yet women always feel compelled to conform to society’s definition of beauty. The insecurity of women today adhere to society’s definition of beauty. By conforming to society’s definition beauty they are rewarded with confidence. According to Bordo (1989), anorexia built bodies has become the norm for women today. Most clothing stores accommodate to these body figures by selling majority small and medium framed clothing. Tight and skinny bodies were defined as the next generation of beauty, where priorly in the social symbolism of a small frame was associated with being poor. It was known that those with a bulging stomach was a powerful

African Americans have different beauty ideals than European aesthetic; women with extra weight are viewed as sexy, thick, stacked, and curvy. The idea of being thin is considered for White women (C.S.James, 2012; Awad, 2014; Taylor, 2013). Research showed that Black men have a preference for heavier women compared to White men, and Black womens’ ideal body weight is heavier than White womens’ prefered weight. However, African American women do not assess beauty primarily by weight, but by overall appearance, such as: how one carries themselves, hairstyles, makeup, and clothes. These characteristics are given more concern than traditional body image issues (Chithambo, 2012; Awad, 2014). With this high tolerant attitude towards weight, it puts African Americans at higher risks for obesity (Baturka, 2000).

Propaganda affects the world in various ways. Everyday people’s judgments, selections, and fondness are changed and prejudiced by propaganda and media. Propaganda publicity does no permit individuals to think on their own, and in that sense, promulgation is unnatural and off. The Nazi were in no way nor shape and form the first to exploit promulgation to impact heir general public yet throughout and paving the way to the Second World War they have indicated tip top abilities in applying it. Through different procedures and media, for instance films, posters, and structural planning, the Nazi Party could control the individuals into changing their disposition and values as per its national objective. The Nazi were exceptionally effective in their exploitation of wide-ranging communications.

“To be happy and successful, you must be thin,” is a message women are given at a very young age (Society and Eating Disorders). In fact, eating disorders are still continuously growing because of the value society places on being thin. There are many influences in society that pressures females to strive for the “ideal” figure. According to Sheldon’s research on, “Pressure to be Perfect: Influences on College Students’ Body Esteem,” the ideal figure of an average female portrayed in the media is 5’11” and 120 pounds. In reality, the average American woman weighs 140 pounds at 5’4”. The societal pressures come from television shows, diet commercials, social media, peers, magazines and models. However, most females do not take into account of the beauty photo-shop and airbrushing. This ongoing issue is to always be a concern because of the increase in eating disorders.

It could be the fact, that the majority of magazine models and regular models are very thin white women. Even in movies and television there is rarely a depiction of the “average” or “above average” woman of color. This could be a large part of the problem. When some of these women were taken to the doctor as children they were considered to be too thin by their mothers and given medicine to curve their appetites instead of being properly diagnosed. Since, doctors are at the top of the medical ladder, what they is diagnosed is usually taken very seriously. When the doctor agreed with the child’s mother that the child was to too fat even though the child was not, this could leave lasting effects. When the child’s environment tells her that she is too fat, she has no choice but to conform.

Many studies show that about 50 billion dollars’ worth of alcohol crashes occur a year (“Drunk Driving”). Alcohol messes up communication pathways that affect coordination and response time to the body.

The subject of this article are young girls, mainly who are in their teenage years, but also the parents of teenage girls. However, anyone can be impacted and learn from this article. This article questions why society drills the idea of thinness into the minds of people, and every reader can take a different stance and have a different opinion on the issue. Some people may take a stance and say that individuals, themselves, are the only influence on their body image. However, others may take the stance and say that society, as a whole, has a huge influence on an individual and their body image. The author of this article, Erica Goode, includes many quotes from parents of teenage girls, who feel as if they need to go to extreme measures to fit in with society. In this case, the author is creating the stance that society plays a role when it comes to influencing an individual. Goode also provides many

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.

Corporal punishment is the stopping of unwanted child behavior by a parent by causing the child to feel physical discomfort. It includes spankings, slapping and beatings, fist, or object such as a belt, switch, hangers, and cord. In other words, a punishment by hitting. Others think the opposite it is effective. Therefore, if there’s no punishment towards the children their going to keep doing undesirable behavior and throw tantrums. However, in this case parents have control and show their children who’s in control and who commands. Hitting with belts, cords, and hangers is not the only solution there’s way to discipline. Imagine if there was not corporal punishment. How will the children turn out once they get older? Just think about it. Yes, corporal punishment towards children is effective because it prevents mistakes from repeating frequently, parents have control, and rational way to discipline.