what is body image

Body image is what a person pictures in their head when they think about their self. It is not just a snapshot of their body or face, it is all the ideas and connotations that go along with that picture they see. A person could be a perfectly healthy weight but if anyone has called them overweight(or even hinted at it) in their life, that person might picture their self as an overweight person. They do not only picture what they think about their own body, they picture what other people have told them about their body. I think that is how some people construct their body image, by putting together what other people and the media have told them about their body ( even if what they are told is not true). It is not only what they are told, but also how they are looked at and how other people are looked at. We talked about the male gaze in class and it really fits in here. If a woman notices a man drooling over another woman, then the man pays no attention to her, this woman might think she needs to look like the other woman to gain a man's attention. Body image should be studied because it is a very important part of life. whether or not a person has a positive body image can determine so many aspects of their life. If someone has a poor body image they might be introverted and not associate with other people, they might be depressed which causes other problems, and they could have eating disorders. If this is studied and we know how to boost a person's body image, then they might have a more fulfilling life. The first wave of feminism was basically about suffrage, and women getting the same rights that men have like voting.The second wave was about equal wages for women and men, and about being seen as more than just a pretty face. It fought against domestic violence and abuse also. The third wave is about the individual and expanding the fight for equality. Women don't want to be compared to one generic standard of beauty, we want to be seen as beautiful for who we are, instead compared to who we are not. The first two waves were very organized and there were riots and things like that, but the second wave is all about individuals standing up for themselves. This has somewhat been accomplished because women are more widely accepted for who they are, this is how standards have changed. We are not only seen for how clean the house is or if we are wearing the right dress, or if we are married or not. We can now be seen for our thoughts, ideas, our brains, as a Strong woman. We do not have to be defined by a man anymore. Ophira Edut says a body outlaw is "a rebel with a cause, willing to step outside my comfort zone to expose people to a body type that had practically disappeared from the cultural imagination." In pop culture I think a body outlaw would missy elliot( because she doesn't think she has to be stick thin) and anne hathoway(because of her fair skin).