Aggressive Attractiveness

From: Breonna

For this photograph I chose the subtopic, romantic socialization: Attracting members of the other sex and physical appearance (216). In the photo Chelsea is wearing a corset while lifting weights. Lifting weights is normally seen as something that only males do because they stereotype women as being weak and unable to perform similar tasks as them. She is cringing her face to show determination and that women can be strong too. The corset she’s wearing symbolizes the unrealistic ideal body image that society presents to us and what women will go through to get as close to that image as possible. Corsets may help with holding in your stomach but have been known to be bad for your health. The corset squishes your lungs and ribs together and if they’re worn too long may cause you to pass out. But recently wearing a corset has been named as the new trend. They now call it “Waist Training” and to add onto it celebs such as the Kardashian’s and Amber Rose for example are just a small few who help promote it. This unrealistic image that your waist should be as small/tiny as possible has taken over. They don’t realize the long term effects this can have on their bodies.

        As stated “both sexes are pressured to embody the unrealistic, cultural ideas of their gender, which can create anxiety and disrupt well-being” (217). You will notice that there are two males behind her. One is kick-boxing while the other is boxing with his hands. This can be added onto the Tough Guise 2 discussion. Men are typically seen as aggressive and having temper issues. Here in the U.S. boxing is seen as an aggressive sport. Instead of lifting weights or doing cardio at the gym they decided on doing something that is violent. They guy to the right is standing with gloves on that look like a fist and are in front of him as defense. All of his focus is being given to the punching bag. The guy to the left is also giving the punching bag his undivided attention. Even though the bag is not an actual person, he has even taken off his shoes as if he is about to be in a real match. Men are shown to be aggressive through video games, professional sports and majority of media outlets. Women are shown what they should fit into/be like through the latest/hottest celebrities, films, advertisements and many more. The newest outlet to add to female and male stereotypes is through social media. Many people view pictures of others that they believe are the ideal image. The women are skinny with small waists and big breast. The men are strong with big arms and typically lift. By society broadcasting images like that, others start to aim for these same results. In reality the people in the images may not even look like that. Take Photoshop for example, you can make yourself look as skinny as you want and add/remove things you like and dislike. This distorts the image of what real everyday men and women look like.

To me this image displays what society has placed in our minds about body image, attractiveness and male aggression. Many people workout to make their selves more appealing to others.