Blog One. (sorry it's late)

My name is Annika Larson, and I'm a Professional Writing sophomore. I am minoring in Spanish and Women's and Gender Studies.

I chose to take this class because it will help further my WGS minor. I also chose it because it sounded like a very interesting and relevant option. The topic of this class can be applied to everyday life, thus it is important.

I think the most pressing issues of body image at this time are issues of weight/size. Although the average American woman wears a size 14, the media still presents us with images of very thin or very fit women with "perfect" bodies. Celebrities are the guide for many women about what we are SUPPOSED to look like, yet those same celebrities are often quoted in interviews saying that they have a personal trainer, and a strict fitness and diet regime. The same people who set examples for us do so by using a process that is unattainable for the average American.

Although there has been a surge of embracing larger women or women of a variety of sizes - like the Dove Real Beauty Campaign and Glamour magazine's recent all plus-size model issue - these only further segregate thin women from larger women. It also serves to fetishize those larger, or average-sized, women. They become "other." A better solution would be to use thin models alongside larger models as if it were commonplace, because it should be.

My expectations for this course are to gain a broader context in which to place myself as a feminist, as an American women, and as the other groups I am a part of. I also want to learn more about messages about body image in the media, because I think they are very cleverly hidden and I want to be able to see them more clearly, perhaps to resist them and to help others resist them as well. I also want to learn more about body image issues within groups that I am not a part of, like other races, age groups, and men.

five questions i have are...
1. How can I resist body image problems?
2. What can I do to combat negative messages about body image?
3. How far have we come, or what is the progress that has been made with body image issues?
4. What are the standards for "attractiveness" in other cultures (that differ from a typical Western viewpoint)?
5. What are the 'best" media to get positive body image messages from (TV shows, movies, magazines, etc)?