By Sailom Wongwatanasin
Body image issues are extremely complex and its effects are not restricted to any gender. However, due to the patriarchy’s influence, women’s struggles with body image are often more heightened and common.
The patriarchy has normalized the objectification of women. Everyday in the media, we witness female celebrities being reduced to their physical appearance, which often takes away from their success and accomplishments. Jennifer Lawrence is a prime example of this. Despite being an incredible actress, she is still subject to constant objectification and body shaming; she’s openly discussed how the entertainment industry prioritizes her physical appearance over her acting abilities. This spotlights the patriarchy’s obsession to limit women to their appearance despite the talent they possess, promoting the harmful notion that women have to conform to a specific ‘look’.
Source: Feminism in India
The fixation that women are taught to have about their appearance is only exacerbated by the economic exploitation of women’s bodies. The beauty, fashion, and entertainment industry profit heavily off of women’s insecurities; these industries will often portray unrealistic beauty standards that can only be achieved through genetics or cosmetic procedures. Yet, they create a perception that their products can lead individuals to attain these standards. This not only fuels the unrealistic expectations that women are expected to meet, but also reinforces the idea that their worth is based on the way they look.
Unfortunately, the patriarchy has made it so that it is more common for women to struggle with their bodies rather than not. This normalization can be extremely dangerous as it leads women to justifying their unhealthy eating habits and self-critical thoughts. The entrenched nature of this normalization makes addressing the issue a challenging and prolonged process.
Nevertheless, we can each contribute by taking small steps, like refraining from making comments about people's bodies or their eating choices etc. It is also important that we are kind to ourselves and remember that what we see being portrayed by the media is often far from reality; we all possess qualities that go far beyond our physical appearance, and therefore, should not allow it to define our worth.
References:
Singh, Prerna. “Loving Our Bodies Won’t Solve Body Image Issues. Here’S Why.” Feminism in India, 11 May 2021, feminisminindia.com/2020/07/21/loving-bodies-wont-solve-body-image-issues.
Pti. “Actresses Don’t Need to Be Skinny to Look Attractive: Jennifer Lawrence.” The Economic Times, 30 Dec. 2015, economictimes.indiatimes.com/magazines/panache/actresses-dont-need-to-be-skinny-to-look-attractive-jennifer-lawrence/articleshow/50379986.cms#.
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