MY OPINION ON BODY IMAGE

Body image was the first issue that our class covered from the book. It was very interesting to hear about how people view their body image in relation to the rest of the world. I believe that in America, body image is taken too seriously. I think that has something to do with white supremacy having a strong grip on the mindset of the people in this country. When you look at television, read magazines, and get exposure to random images of beauty in America, you see a skinny white woman with her bones almost poking out of her body. This is because many of the clothes, makeup, and modeling companies in the fashion industry are controlled by European people who like that image of a "super-skinny" white woman. This is why certain body image issues affect the Caucasian community. Then these people (mainly white girls) will go to extreme lengths to make sure that they are skinny, trying their best to exemplify what they perceive beauty to be. Starving oneself and making oneself vomit are the two main ways that many young white girls try to achieve this "superficial" image. But this leads to many health complications, including death. This whole quest for white women to be skinny also causes severe paranoia. I have seen too many instances of white women, most recently on the Tyra Banks Show, who think of themselves as being fat, overweight, and ugly. It makes me sick to my stomach to see these girls crying and complaining about how big and fat they think they are when they are skinnier than a toothpick! When I think about what I just said, it sounds as if young white females have strong, psychotic thoughts when they go through this. But I also see a huge double standard when it comes to body image and the entertainment industry. On one hand, there are those who tell young women that they must lose weight in order to be attractive, just to get a job in the entertainment industry. Celebrities love to go on special diets and exercise plans that will make them lose weight in two weeks. I do not think that little white girls realize that only celebrities have the time of their lives to live in a gym for two straight weeks just to look like a "goddess". Then you have tabloids that love to pick on people whether they are too fat or too skinny. This is where my problem is in this issue. It seems to me that young women do not have pride in themselves, and they let outside forces determine how they feel about themselves. I think that that is one of the many mistakes that have been made by America. This country has not taught women to feel good about their bodies, whether it be parents or modeling agencies, but to me that is no excuse for a person to STARVE AND/OR VOMIT THEM SELF TO DEATH! Ironically, the African American community does not seem to deal with this, but that does not exempt us from life problems. While white women occupy their time walking around as living skeletons, the black community suffers from obesity at a rate that seems to increase by the minute with the onset of High Blood Pressure and Type 2 Diabetes. Now that means that we must go to the gym and get a workout! Of course that does not mean that blacks must go on a fast and starve themselves, but it does not mean that we should let our health continue to suffer. When you think about it, health is actually the real issue at hand. regardless of whether you are big or small, without optimal health you cannot model, you cannot walk onto a photo shoot and give a bright smile, you cannot walk on a runway and be a fashion diva, and you cannot live a meaningful life. I fell that people should focus on how the inside of their body is instead of people looking at how they are on the outside.