Body Dissatisfaction

In this academic article by Natalie King, Stephen Touyz, and Margaret Charles, they examine how women's perception on female celebrities affect how they feel about their body. Taking in consideration that I am not going in depth with their process of analysis and how they concluded to their reasoning, they state that the media's portrayal on the ideal body figure for a women is connected to the increase in commonness of "body image disturbance". Their research has shown that the media's ideal body figure has only affected certain women and that the ones who are not satisfied with their body feel that way because they are provoked and affected mostly by the images the media presents, however what is unknown is the reasoning behind why it affects them. It has also shown that because women view these "thin" models and celebrities, they overestimate their own weight which leads to their exaggeration.
This all leads back to the influence celebrities and women in the media in general have on how one might feel about their body and just about themselves. The media should not continue to present thin women as a usual thing because women begin to think that if an everyday women looks like that then so should they. There are different body types and women are never content with how they look and one of the huge contributors to that is women in the every day media. King, Touyz, and Charles's argument is persuasive because they provided research information, which can be found in this link: Research Information. They admit to the fact that the media is not entirely to blame for because it affects women differently, however this is a result of a similar amount of media exposure. Will the media ever come down to the understanding that different body types need to be equally presented?

Back to 2012

             In this issue of “Feminist Currents” Eileen Boris and Elizabeth Currans examine the issues women faced during the 2012 elections. Women became women firsts, senator from their state or representative from their ethnic group. Republicans fought a “war on women” with Indiana candidate Richard Mourdock’s claim that "God intended" pregnancies from rape, and Paul Ryan’s pro-life position regardless of the form of contraception. A record number of women were elected to congress. One of the pressing concerns of the 2012 election cycle is the state of our national and local economies, a downturn that might impact women’s, gender, and sexuality studies well into the future.
            This article brings up some very important events. Although it is unfortunate how women’s rights were brought up during the elections, it proved that there is a problem with how women are treated and brought women’s rights up for discussion. However, women did reach a record number in congress, which shows that progress is being made even though there are outspoken people trying to stop it. Boris and Currans mention that due to the struggling economy, proposals were made to charge fees by majors in order to encourage supposedly practical preparation for the workforce. These proposals could severely effect the number of students to major in women’s, gender, and sexuality studies, which would be a major setback for women. Overall, women’s rights seem to be struggling to improve, but since the 2012 elections progress has been made.


The original article: http://library.calstate.edu/northridge/articles/record?id=FETCH-LOGICAL-p1224-3195d461ffb0c6aa59d5ea518bde497212522cbd7e3ded886fd2045fbddceda01

"Then and Now" - Linda Martin Alcoff: New Wave of Feminism

http://web.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=99e6bbb2-b74d-41ba-8712-eca23df17d74%40sessionmgr4001&vid=1&hid=4201


         Alcoff discusses the idea of horizontalism and its relationship and overall reflection with feminism. She argues that feminism has "profoundly influenced the processes and organization styles used in movements against cooperation." Alcoff brings up and emphasizes the need for equilibrium in the social hierarchy in the world between todays men and women. The idea of "deconstruction" is brought up. The removal of any "difference" between men and women. This was an idea that was shut down completely. Others argue that attempting to neutralize the difference's rather than acknowledging them, takes away from the possibility of finding "positive epidemic possibilities" in the future. Alcoff mentions the significant difference in treatment and "expectations" that are put on women. She, the author, brings the reader back to times of sexual and emotional violence. Times where women were the "play things" of men and "lived" to do their bidding. Alcoff pushes and urges her readers to start right now. She urges her readers to begin a "new" style of feminism.

        Personally, I think that Alcoff takes an interesting approach and look at the whole " feminism needs to change". I look at feminism as a way of being, morals and beliefs if you may. I don't believe that feminism is necessarily an unwritten code, but more or less feminism is a choice of respect and equality. I do not see why there are "differences" between men and women, at least why there is such a great difference that nowadays there is a social hierarchy of how "men and women should act". I believe that this is the time for a new wave of feminism and a new way of looking at the gender hierarchy and it starts with the generation today.