Moving Towards Body Positivity
Growing up in the early 2000s, the pressure for females to be skinny was intense. Models, actresses, singers, socialites, and most of the women seen in the media were super skinny and very tall. Looking back on my childhood, I recall Paris Hilton being the prime example of a women that exhibited the “ideal” body type. Hilton’s protruding hip bones, scrawny arms, thin legs, and thigh gap, paint the picture of what women, and men alike, found to be the most appealing. However, not everyone is a size 00 like Hilton; in fact, most of us are not. But because of the high pressure to look like the super skinny celebrities we see in the press, women became obsessed with being thin. Due to society’s expectations, those …show more content…
Corsets have been worn for centuries, with the goal to make a woman’s waist appear smaller and give her an hourglass frame. When the ideal body type switched back to curvy, corsets reemerged, and waist training became a popular method to cinch waists. Waist training is done to slowly but effectively reduce the size of one’s waist, such that without the waist trainer the effects are still seen. The process became especially popular because of Kim and Khloe Kardashian and their sister, Kylie Jenner. To the right is a photo of Khloe in her waist trainer. Her waist looks drastically smaller than her hips, the perfect hourglass. Unfortunately, there are drawbacks to this method. If worn too tightly, the trainers could actually displace one’s organs and lead to lung and intestinal problems. Done right, however, waist training isn’t necessarily bad. I actually have a waist trainer myself, but I only use it when I work out because it causes me to sweat more in my waist area, which makes my stomach appear smaller and flatter. While it doesn’t necessarily burn fat in your stomach, it’s a good way to motivate yourself because it shows what you could look like if you continue with a healthy workout routine and …show more content…
Lately, some companies have been using the Body Positive Movement as a marketing strategy. Dove, for example, ran a campaign advocating for “real beauty,” as shown below. The women featured in the ad all have different body types. Some are skinnier, some are heavier, some have larger breasts than others, while some have wider hips and bigger thighs. The point is that these women display neither the super skinny body type, nor the unrealistically curvy body. They represent the average, everyday women who are confident enough with their bodies to be photographed in their underwear. The response to this campaign has been highly successful both for the company and for body positivity. If advertisement like this continues as it seems to be doing so, the future looks bright for accepting female bodies no matter the shape or
Growing up in the early 2000s, the pressure for females to be skinny was intense. Models, actresses, singers, socialites, and most of the women seen in the media were super skinny and very tall. Looking back on my childhood, I recall Paris Hilton being the prime example of a women that exhibited the “ideal” body type. Hilton’s protruding hip bones, scrawny arms, thin legs, and thigh gap, paint the picture of what women, and men alike, found to be the most appealing. However, not everyone is a size 00 like Hilton; in fact, most of us are not. But because of the high pressure to look like the super skinny celebrities we see in the press, women became obsessed with being thin. Due to society’s expectations, those …show more content…
Corsets have been worn for centuries, with the goal to make a woman’s waist appear smaller and give her an hourglass frame. When the ideal body type switched back to curvy, corsets reemerged, and waist training became a popular method to cinch waists. Waist training is done to slowly but effectively reduce the size of one’s waist, such that without the waist trainer the effects are still seen. The process became especially popular because of Kim and Khloe Kardashian and their sister, Kylie Jenner. To the right is a photo of Khloe in her waist trainer. Her waist looks drastically smaller than her hips, the perfect hourglass. Unfortunately, there are drawbacks to this method. If worn too tightly, the trainers could actually displace one’s organs and lead to lung and intestinal problems. Done right, however, waist training isn’t necessarily bad. I actually have a waist trainer myself, but I only use it when I work out because it causes me to sweat more in my waist area, which makes my stomach appear smaller and flatter. While it doesn’t necessarily burn fat in your stomach, it’s a good way to motivate yourself because it shows what you could look like if you continue with a healthy workout routine and …show more content…
Lately, some companies have been using the Body Positive Movement as a marketing strategy. Dove, for example, ran a campaign advocating for “real beauty,” as shown below. The women featured in the ad all have different body types. Some are skinnier, some are heavier, some have larger breasts than others, while some have wider hips and bigger thighs. The point is that these women display neither the super skinny body type, nor the unrealistically curvy body. They represent the average, everyday women who are confident enough with their bodies to be photographed in their underwear. The response to this campaign has been highly successful both for the company and for body positivity. If advertisement like this continues as it seems to be doing so, the future looks bright for accepting female bodies no matter the shape or