TO KNOW YOUR BODY IS TO LOVE YOUR BODY Early on, women are taught that how we look to others is important. A confident 10-year-old learns by age 13 her outer appearance matters more for popularity than her personality. Stephanie Shields, a Penn State psychology professor, explains how girls also learn that “one is not ‘supposed’ to be satisfied with their body or their beauty.” There is always something needing to be fixed, whether it be our hair, thighs or hips that someone has told us isn’t right.
social media, wondering why our body doesn’t look like theirs. The truth is that few of us have all the physical features our society considers “ideal,” especially when it is always changing. Many scientific studies have shown that it is easy and harmful for young women to make a negative comparison of themselves after viewing “attractive or ideal bodies.” While the current movement to include all different sizes of models is helpful, these images can still be altered, explains Shields.
Sometimes, you even have to criticize yourself in order to fit in. Think of the well-known Mean Girls scene where they are standing in front of a mirror, each saying something they don’t like about their looks.
Heather Shoenberger, assistant professor of advertising and public relations, did a research study that found that ads with models who are not airbrushed increase the probability that a customer will buy the product.
Shields explains, ”If a friend complains about her weight, her friends are expected to deprecate themselves in turn … ” with phrases like, “Yeah, but you don’t have my problem hair” or “You’re not ‘fat,’ I am!” Talking about yourself like this can do more harm than you may think.
“I think this finding suggests that people are beginning to prefer real, truthful images of models in advertising, which will increase inclusivity and diversity,” says Shoenberger.
SOCIAL MEAN-IA
We are taught that our body’s “flaws” aren’t normal. But why do we even view certain features as “flaws” in the first place? We compare ourselves to models and other “attractive” people on
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Learning to understand and appreciate the natural, physical qualities that society tries to hide can help us love and accept our bodies. WHAT IS BLOATING?
Otherwise known as a “food baby,” bloating makes your stomach
