Body image plays a vital role in the clothing that we purchase and wear. Someone with low self-esteem does not go out and purchase tight t-shirts and skinny jeans if they do not feel that their body image fits this mold. Our personal views on body image stem from the media. This idea of the “perfect body” is something that was even attempting to be achieved by both men and women during the Victorian Era. “New fashion mandates affected men and women up and down the social ladder, most of whom adjusted their bodies, lifestyles, and clothing to ‘fit in’.” (Blaszczyk 71) This idea holds true in our society today as well.We often times compare our bodies to those of celebrities such as Channing Tatum, Ryan Gosling, Jennifer Aniston, and Jessica Biel. For men, we feel that it’s necessary to achieve the fitness model body. This holds true during the Victorian Era as well. “To succeed in his job, the Victorian breadwinner had to stay in shape and be alert, unsentimental, and healthy.” (Blaszczyk 57) This body type was and still is considered to be the highest achievement. Strong dark suits were worn at this time to make a man look masculine (even though he may just be faking it). Celebrities of today daunt similar suits while on the Red Carpet, wearing suits tailored in order to show that they are in fact more muscular than us watching at home.
Women’s couture played a vital role at this time as well. The upper class had opportunities to travel to Paris to obtain the most luxurious of fabrics to create magnificent dresses. Underneath these dresses were corsets so tight, that they created the “hourglass shape” that was desired by women of all social classes. Today, the ideal body image is somewhat unattainable, unless you are a celebrity or supermodel. The look of most supermodels of today is what I would consider to be unhealthy. Tall and thin, so thin that in fact you can see most of their ribs. According to A. Poorani, “Through a century of advertising images, however, thinness gradually became the standard of feminine beauty. The typical fashion model today is not 10 percent lighter than her ‘‘normal’’ feminine counterpart but 23 percent lighter. So the average American woman between eighteen and thirty-four years of age has only a 7 percent chance of being as slim as a fashion or runway model. A typical fashion photographer’s model is slimmer than 93 percent of women her age.” (7)
To summarize, men and women have always had an ideal body image that they have always worked so hard to obtain. This image, although seemingly unattainable, is imminent with the media holding celebrities to such a high standard. Body image will forever be an issue with people of all ages because of this idea of the “perfect body”.
Works Cited
Blaszczyk, Regina Lee. American Consumer Society, 1865-2005: From Hearth to HDTV. Wheeling, IL: Harlan Davidson, 2009. Print.Poorani, A. "Who Determines The Ideal Body? A Summary Of Research Findings On Body Image." New Media & Mass Communication 2.(2012): 1-12. Communication & Mass Media Complete. Web. 7 Feb. 2013.
--Todd Gottschall
I completely agree with all of your aforementioned points in this particular post. Body image plays an enormous role in the arena of consumption for both men and women. You can't walk through a shopping mall or flip through the pages of a magazine without being bombarded with images of men and women of incredible and almost unobtainable physique. One really strong point that you made in you post was the idea that one cannot obtain this physique without being a celebrity or supermodel so maybe the next best thing is consuming the same products that these "glamorous" individuals consume in advertisements/marketing campaigns. Marketers will always take advantage of the self consciousness of the average American consumer.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the point that we look to celebrities in search of the “perfect body.” It really is unfair to do this, however. After all, there is a reason they are celebrities. I also think it is interesting how you talked about how the ideal body has changed over the centuries. Centuries ago it was desired to be pale and overweight to show that you were wealthy. Now days the opposite is true. It will be interesting to see if any new developments take place in our perception of the “perfect body.”
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