The picture we see when we think of the “ideal body,” the one that is hourglass shaped, yet still very thin, is what we are trained to see beginning in early childhood. Everything from Barbie dolls to children’s cartoons show little girls what society believes they should look like, and with children having increased access to the internet and media, this problem is only getting worse.
If you flip through any beauty or fashion magazine you will most likely see multiple tall, incredibly skinny models with body proportions that are impossible for the majority of women to attain. These “ideal bodies” and unrealistic expectations are thrown at us from every direction and can have detrimental effects on the lives of women by influencing their body image, self-esteem, and even causing eating disorders.
Eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of any mental illness. Not only are those suffering at high risk of suicide, but the chronic malnutrition they endure takes a serious toll on the body as well. An eating disorder can lead to heart and other organ failure, low blood pressure, low heart rate, severe fluid and electrolyte imbalance, seizures, and many other problems, and this epidemic is only growing.
Thin ideal internalization is also a growing problem in our society. It is defined as “the degree to which people ascribe to standards of thinness for women.” In a study done in 2003, it was found that thin ideal internalization created an association in young girls between body dissatisfaction and the demand from society to be thin. Thin ideal internalization caused by the media positively correlates with negative body image, low self-esteem, and the development of eating disorders. This is yet another sign that the beauty standards impressed upon us by society and the beauty industry cause incredible damage to the mental health of women everywhere.
I am a big believer of the idea that true beauty comes from within, but that doesn’t mean that loving what is on the outside isn’t important. What our society needs to recognize is the fact that all body types are beautiful. Tall, short, thin, curvy. Everything. If you have a body, you are beautiful, because beauty is not defined by thigh gaps or what the measurement of your waist. Beauty is defined by who you are as a person; the pretty on the outside just adds a little extra gorgeous to your already radiant personality. So, even though it’s hard sometimes, love yourself, girl! You’re a queen no matter what you look like.
Editor’s Note: All articles for Her Campus at the University of Utah are the opinions and beliefs of the writers and do not reflect Her Campus at the University of Utah, the University of Utah or Her Campus as an international magazine.