Blog Two.

To me, body image is how one feels about themselves, disguised superficially as how one feels about their body. As Ophira Edut says, "Our bodies have become arenas for feelings we don't deal with." When I was a freshman or sophomore in high school, I would cut my hair as a way to cope with feelings of frustration, depression and anxiety. I used my body to express my emotions. We define our identities based on our bodies at times... a type of haircut can indicate one's worldview, weight indicates fitness/health level, skin color indicates personality traits. Rebecca Walker says that "the body is a sign, a text to be read and interpreted." Body image is the interpretation of the text.

This topic is important because it affects all of us daily. It's important because it is one of the things the patriarchy can use to exploit and oppress women.

The waves of feminism:
The first wave's goal was to attain equal voting rights for women.
In the second wave, feminists fought for equal status in the workplace and schools. They "fought to be taken seriously" but also wanted to show that they still had humor and sexuality.
The third wave is not quite as focused on a few specific issues like the first two waves. It's more individualistic and, ideally, accepting of all types of women.

The third wave centers on female empowerment of all forms. This means that no one is a "bad feminist." The example that Amy Richards gives is that in third wave feminism, you could meet a pro-pornography feminist who has her own reasons, as well as a staunchly anti-porn woman. The third wave still calls for unity, but not unity of mind on every issue. Richards also argues that body image is a central issue in the third wave. She says that the main oppressors are the entertainment industry and the media. I like what Richards says at the end - that a dialogue, a conversation, is most important at this point.

Edut's definition of a body outlaw is someone willing to go outside her comfort zone to expose people to different body types. To show that there is no "normal." It's about being happy and comfortable in your own skin, no matter how much you weigh or how dark your skin is or how big your boobs are...

I think a good example of a body outlaw is Gabourey Sidibe, from the movie "Precious."


Sidibe is a big woman, much bigger than the average actress walking the red carpet. But she doesn't let that stop her from fitting in with those other actresses anyway...she wears beautiful dresses that flatter her figure, and her big happy smile speaks loudly about how she feels in her skin! Yeah body outlaws!!