For our Reflective Tutorial class we recently wrote a paper regarding weight stigma. I decided to focus my paper on the effects that arise from stigmatization. I was particularly interested in this paper because it truly fascinates me how society and the media portray what the “ideal” body type is. I read an article (that can be found here) that briefly spoke about the media and the effects it has on those who are overweight. It states that when someone who is overweight is depicted on television or in films, they are usually targets of ridicule, stereotyped as having maladaptive eating behaviors, and not featured as being a part of a romantic relationship. This article clearly states that “Weight bias in the media is not subtle”. I agree that the media, without remorse, instills these ideas of what the “perfect” body type is, making girls around the world (overweight or not) feel self-conscious about their own bodies. I constantly question “where did this all start?”, “who was the person who said that said “thin is in””? All around Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and many other social media applications, there are pictures of women who are sculpted with beautiful figures, glowing skin, and gorgeous healthy hair. Although I feel like we all know that these photos are not reality and they are edited with one and a million filters, it still has its affect on those who are overweight and even those who are not. When will society infiltrate individuals with positive messages and pictures of real everyday women. Women who do not wear pounds of makeup everyday or have a flat tummy with abs. The research process of this paper was one that I did learn a lot from. This paper really got me thinking about things that I never thought of before such as weight stigma, body image and the effects the media has on them. Topics like these really ignite a fire inside me because I just can not wait for the day that society stops choosing certain body and facial features and declaring them “beautiful”. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder not the eye of the media.

While watching “Women’s Ideal Body Types Throughout History” it really amazed me how such varying body types were accepted at certain times in society. The “ideal” woman’s body type has taken on a number of forms over the past 3,000 years. This is partially due to the media who constantly either bashes or praises certain body types. They put high stress on girls in their teenage years through adulthood which makes them alter their body figures to fit society’s standards. However, beauty standards are constantly changing, especially for women. Every body type has at some point been “ideal; while this may sound like bad news, it’s actually immensely freeing to realize it’s pointless to make your body fit in with a trend. Your body is your body which means it’s not meant to be altered to fit a fashion statement. Many people who watched this video completely looked past the true meaning behind it and rather just observed the models. This shows that many people in society today are able to see beyond just the physical attributes of a woman while others are only focused on the woman’s image. As humans, everyday we seek to find and change the wrong and bad qualities of our physical image in order to be accepted and liked by society. But who are we fooling? We spend so much time preoccupied with the constant changing trends that we lose sight on our growing obsession with physical perfection. We should always remember that yesterday’s ideal standard will evolve into something completely different tomorrow. Since the ideal body has been changed so much throughout the years there is no doubt that it will continue to change in the years to come. There will never be a constant standard that every women in the world is trying to reach simultaneously. In addition, instead of trying to achieve this so called “perfect” body type, women should try and obtain a regular healthy lifestyle and body type that fits their own individual “ideal” standard.

In the video “Women’s Ideal Body Types Throughout History,” it shows the ideal body type of women throughout history. It shows that different countries valued different body types. For example, in ancient Italy the women had full heavier set bodies and light skin. While in China petite, tiny waist women were seen as beautiful.

Today, women are obsessed with trying to get the ideal body no matter what the risks are. I think women try their hardest to look like models and famous people. I personally think society harshly judges the way people physically look. Women try their hardest to achieve a goal that might not be good for their body type. I think women should be proud in their skin and not worry about what clothing size they are. As long as you are healthy and eat nutritious food you should not worry about how much you weigh compared to others.

Many women are concerned about the number on the scale rather than if they are at a healthy weight. I think people should worry about their health before the size of their clothing. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have studied the connection of weight and life expectance. The studies have shown that there is no connection. In fact the research has shown that “over weight and mildly obese people live longer” (Rutter 2015). This shows that people shouldn’t look down upon people who are high in weight because even if someone looks thicker than the societal norm they might be perfectly healthy.Being skinny and over weight does not mean your healthy, but the food you intake and exercise you do defiantly helps . No matter if you are skinny or over weight , I think the most important thing is your health. This is why people should stop judging people for their physical appearance and start worrying about whats important, your health.

Watching the video  “Women’s Ideal Body Types Throughout History” on my own because I could not attend class led me to be greatly intrigued. Throughout the years, women’s ideal body type has changed in many ways. From plump, full-bodied, light skin Ancient Greek women to flat stomach, “healthy” skinny, large breast post-modern beauty. After watching the video, I was struck with a question of “Who determines in each of these eras what body type is beautiful?”. After reflecting on this question, I came to the conclusion that society bases beauty on physical features. For example women in 2015 want Kim Kardashians butt and Beyonce’s curves because that is what society considers beautiful. People began to go out of their way to buy waist trainers and get butt implants to look like these celebrities. I believe this is absolutely absurd. Beauty should not be based on what other people think of you. Beauty should be based on your inner beauty.