Most theories of negative body image identify that the root causes of this issue come from the media. According to the article Body Image of Women, “celebrities, fashion models and show hosts are often seen as role models, especially by teenagers.” In other words, people aspire to reach the high standards of beauty set by celebrities. They look up to these people because the media makes them larger than life. For instance, the media often glamorizes a very thin body for women. This matters because since almost every image shown on the media is of thin bodies, people start to believe that it is the only acceptable thing, Society might start to feel as if there is no variety of beauty because the media doesn’t promote diversity. Therefore, the issue of body image becomes a social problem.
If we look at the issue of body image through a historical lens, we see that pressure has being put on women by society for a very long time. As the times changed, what was considered to be in style also changed, but the pressure always remained. The pressure to fit in and always look good also increased. When we look back at our history we can see how beauty expectations changed from pale skin to corsets for a smaller waist to plastic surgeries and makeup. Times and beauty expectations change, but the idea of being beautiful prevail.
Religion and culture are also root causes to the issue of body image. According to sociologist Andrea Henderson of the University of South Carolina, “being part of a community that lifts up the message "God made me, and he doesn't make anything bad" appears to help moderate the impact of the "body loathing" promoted by popular culture.” This means that sometimes religion can help clear a person’s negative mindset about their body. By encouraging that God makes no mistakes, it helps people realize that it’s all in the eyes of the beholder. However, culture sometimes is stronger than religion. Ideal standards of body sizes are culturally specific. This means that different cultures have different ideas of the perfect body size to be considered beautiful. For example, women who identify with being Black perceive bigger, thicker, and more voluptuous figures to be more attractive. Asians tend to endorse extreme thinness in their body ideals, even more so than White Americans. This is prove that religion and culture both alter a person’s perception of their body. Whether it is a negative or positive impact, the impact shapes the way someone thinks about body image.
If we look at the issue of body image through a historical lens, we see that pressure has being put on women by society for a very long time. As the times changed, what was considered to be in style also changed, but the pressure always remained. The pressure to fit in and always look good also increased. When we look back at our history we can see how beauty expectations changed from pale skin to corsets for a smaller waist to plastic surgeries and makeup. Times and beauty expectations change, but the idea of being beautiful prevail.
Religion and culture are also root causes to the issue of body image. According to sociologist Andrea Henderson of the University of South Carolina, “being part of a community that lifts up the message "God made me, and he doesn't make anything bad" appears to help moderate the impact of the "body loathing" promoted by popular culture.” This means that sometimes religion can help clear a person’s negative mindset about their body. By encouraging that God makes no mistakes, it helps people realize that it’s all in the eyes of the beholder. However, culture sometimes is stronger than religion. Ideal standards of body sizes are culturally specific. This means that different cultures have different ideas of the perfect body size to be considered beautiful. For example, women who identify with being Black perceive bigger, thicker, and more voluptuous figures to be more attractive. Asians tend to endorse extreme thinness in their body ideals, even more so than White Americans. This is prove that religion and culture both alter a person’s perception of their body. Whether it is a negative or positive impact, the impact shapes the way someone thinks about body image.