I think I probably function opposite to the ways that most young women do today. When reading “Lean and Mean” by Douglas, I remembered my high school days when I was a size zero yet felt the pressures of becoming thicker. Growing up in a predominantly Latino community, I saw how curvier girls were preferred by guys. I remember going to parties with my friends feeling like the ugly duckling because I did not have those curves that made them look cute in their dresses and caught all the men’s attention. Now that I am a senior in College, my body has changed to a size 5 but I still find myself wanting to gain more weight to get more hips and a bigger butt. I would say that white girls obsess over having bigger boobs, while most women of color obsess over getting bigger butts and we both coincide in wanting the slim waist. It is interesting to notice some of these cultural dynamics and what is held up as beauty by different race/cultures.
Some of the most beautiful women that we see in the media today are not that size zero figure that most girls want for example: Kim Kardashian ranges from a size 6-8, Scarlett Johansson is a size 6, and Beyonce Knowles is a size 8 (by the way these are all dress sizes given by answers.yahoo.com). This goes to show that not even these women praised by the media fit the barbie supermodel sizes, so why should girls today feel pressured to? As my mom always tells me when I am complaining about my weight, “Give thanks to God for being healthy and having all your limbs. There are more important things to worry about other than the way you look.” This is true, but unfortunately the media makes women take interest and worry more about superficial aspects by making women more self conscious of their appearance. What we see on TV translates into society. I wonder what societies mentality would be like if we didn’t have all those shows about plastic surgery makeovers, next top model, and those superficial diva’s that are given publicity such as Paris Hilton.
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