Body Image – Cont’d
The point is, image is not as simple as it appears (no pun intended). The esthetics of body is different from the functionality ( smaller breasts = less back pain – feet without bunions = less pain) and we were not given the opportunity to express this. The lack of enthusiasm or response from the class is likely to be a result of the class size, but also the repetition of the subject at hand. I was exposed to media literacy as a student in the 12th grade over a decade ago, and subsequently through feminist college and university classes. I’m not apathetic – I’ve been fighting my own equality battles – but nobody seems interested in assuming that or wants to know how. They’d be satisfied with a simple label to affix to my psychological lapel, ‘ feminist’.
So how does one preach to the choir? And what are the choir members supposed to do when being preached to? I can’t help but think ‘I’ve heard this sermon already – keep it moving – what next?’ Only to realize that the ‘preacher’, (much like the media), is speaking to the majority – not the minority. Who is the minority? The minority are those who fight the equality battle on a daily basis (I suppose these would be liberal feminists), at work, and in their homes. The battered women who are refused housing because they don’t have a child ( what kind of a woman doesn’t have children and dares to ask for help?). The woman who is too busy making a life for herself to notice or worry about the skinny, half dressed girl on a billboard downtown, the man who may think that the 5’8, blonde haired, blue eyed woman is beautiful – maybe even ideal – but is happily in love and devoted to his short, dark haired woman for years – hardly giving the fantasy blonde a second thought.
What can we learn from them? How are the afflicted to move forward if not provided with examples of those who are NOT? If the psychological impact of the media on something as conceptual and elusive as body image is synonymous with harm – education is key – but what else? What does education do beyond inform? Here’s an idea. If corporations are putting these images out there to make money – then maybe they aren’t just making the trends – maybe they are responding to our own self absorbed, twisted desires (however uncouth or morally questionable) .
It’s a two way street and our young people, educated or otherwise seem to be integrally involved. I’m not sure what it is that makes me or my peers so different in our perspectives. Is it that the advertisements don’t affect us? Is it a blessing in disguise that they just don’t target us? I mean we know we’ll never be White, tall, or wealthy – so technically we are absolved of 80% of the target demographic. We have simply opted out. We laugh when we see a Black female celebrity advertising L’Oreal shampoo, donning a dirty blonde wig. It is simply hilarious.
Perhaps this is the Womanist perspective. Studies have shown that the intersection of race and gender has astonishing results on perspectives. Being a women is one thing. Being a Black woman is another thing completely. While being a woman is a hindrance in general, White women have the privilege of their race. What privilege does this give them? Access. Access to spouses, jobs, higher wages, status, which in turn gives access to better health care, living environments and other opportunities. Although the studies weren’t done during the days of the early feminist movement, researchers have discovered the great divide in numbers where Black women are much less likely to get married, but have higher divorce rates (than even Black men), have more unmarried births, higher ‘single’ status rate, are rated more masculine by their peers (not acceptable for a woman as you can imagine) – and overall less attractive than White women, men and Black men. They are restricted to interracial marriages (even with other minorities) amongst other disproportionate variables.
There are American figures – and I don’t know how concerned Psychology is about those summaries, but I can understand why Black American women would have some criticisms of ‘Classical’ Feminism.
I don’t know why we don’t care if we are ‘ideal’ or not. Our un-ideal looks have not restricted us from achieving our desires, or maybe its because we associate ourselves with like minded individuals…unfortunately it looks like our counterparts are doing the same, and little change will come of that.
