“Gender norms are a set of “rules” or ideas us the way women and men “should” look. Too of- about how each gender should behave.” The ideal body image for a woman is to be skinny, and look like the models you see in magazines. Having a tiny waist and large breasts and larger bottom is society’s ideal woman.
At a young age girls are exposed to many different types of media that set these ideal standards for women. Things such as magazines, billboards, commercials, and beauty products being sold in today’s society. Even famous, well known disney movies that have been around for years, have set a standard for young girls and boys which most people do not even realize. Many young girls look up to the women being praised in the media and those women become these young girls role models. These women have the “perfect body” and they flaunt it because they can. This causes many cases of low self esteem among young girls and adolescents because they feel that those women are what they need to look like, and when they cannot achieve that, through no fault of their own, these young insecure girls turn to eating disorders and body dissatisfaction, sometimes even depression. The picture that I took and chose to photograph is showing a girl who is fairly skinny holding a measuring tape around her thigh and then around her stomach. Girls and women have so many beauty standards and expectations and they go through insane measures to meet them, even if that includes harming their own health. Most men would say that their “ideal girl” would be a girl with bigger breasts, a small waist, and a bigger butt too. That creates problems for women because they feel pressure from men as well as the media and these “perfect women” on the news, television and social media. Some men will even voice their opinion to their significant other, raising the pressure and sometimes making women depressed because they feel that they are not pleasing their partner. Women are expected to be petite and nimble, yet many women cannot help the fact that they are bigger, simply because of genetics and bone structure. These gender norms should be extinguished because it is creating a harmful environment to grow up in, and the stress is unfair to these young women. I chose to portray my picture in black and white because it show’s the darkness that many people live in because they are unhappy with themselves and their body.
www.nsvrc.org/sites/default/files/SAAM_2012_Gender-norms.pdf
3 comments:
From: Cameron
First off, I would like to say I really like this picture and there is something about it that resonates very deeply with me. I think all women have faced these societally imposed ideas of what a woman’s body should look like, but I think this obsession with thinness, not health, has dire consequences for women, young and old. I myself have grappled with an eating disorder for around 12 years, and I know many other young women who have faced these same struggles. The reality is that these people, disproportionately female, have been almost infected by this unrealistic standard and take it very much to the extreme.
One of the things I find most interesting about this picture is the measuring tape. It is cutting deeply into the girl’s thighs and waist, and seems almost as if it meant to contain her, to limit her. I see it as evidence of a war she is waging against her own body, and that measuring tape is her most destructive weapon. She is limiting herself not just physically by dictating how much space she should and does take up, but also mentally. When the brain is deprived of nutrients, it’s functions are significantly diminished. Furthermore, the ideas that society pushes of body ideals are ingrained in childhood, from the unrealistically proportioned Barbie to the ultra-thin Disney princesses, stay with women for the rest of their lives.
Another thing I liked is the overlay of the picture of the girl’s thighs and of her waist. I think it shows a deep preoccupation with her weight and figure, and it seems like an omnipresent thought. What I mean by this is that the physical feeling of taking up space and the preoccupation with how her body looks but also how it is positioned is always there. The blur that is imposed because of the overlay makes this feel very uncomfortable, physically and mentally.
From: Thara
In this “Gender norms/beauty standards” it focused on the idea standards of what women should look like. This photo was taken very well, and expressed the point clearly. Some creative elements of the photo I found interesting was the way of multiple images. It emphasizes movement within the piece and shows the different positions. It highlighted the main issues such as, having a thin waist and perfect legs. I also liked the idea of putting the photo in black and white to showing the emptiness women have because they are unhappy and can’t meet these ridiculous beauty standards. The whole background, explaining how women are brought up in these environments to where they need to look “perfect” to please men was clearly explained. I also thought it was interesting the way you used a measuring tape rather than a scale was smart because you were able to weave the tape between the legs causing movement through the piece.
From Jaclyn:
I absolutely love this photo! The fade between the photos truly make the viewer look at the photo for a few moments to see what the photo is trying to show or express. If you had just shown a waist or thighs the photo would not have had such a powerful impact showing that the two seem to coincide with one another, a skinny waist, and a beautiful body. This is what women are forced to set as a goal to be. This goal is so black and white it as if this goal blinds and blurs them into oblivion. Weight and measurements are all they can see. Women who do not have this “goal body” are looked down upon as if they are the ones with a problem. Not the ones who are forced to believe that the only way to be beautiful is the outside, not the inside. Many people talk about men setting this precedence and that’s all men want, but that is not entirely true. Some men may want that do not get me wrong, but some women truly force it upon others. Many other women are bullied into being skinny going to drastic measures to not lose their beautiful body, even when they are at the same time harming it. Media is also not helping this problem. Every day you see young women being bullied for their size in awful photos and videos. An overall well done photograph that expresses the point beautifully.
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