Jaimy-Lee's Presentation
Introduction
Where do I ‘fit’ in?
When was the last time you looked in the mirror and did not criticize or admire an aspect of your figure? Did you think your hips were to wide or too thin? Did your stomach have rolls or were they compact into a six pack? Did you skip leg day? Maybe you have been watching Tiktoks or scrolling through instagram watching content of people listing low calorie meals, work out routines or simply outfit checks?
All of these things have one thing in common, body-weight. In this presentation I will be analysing the effects of social policing ,conforming and subverting has on body-weight. I will be using images as visual aids, as well as make reference to articles on diet culture, body positivity and body shaming. I will also give my part on how conforming to these social rules has affected me.
Diet culture : one body , one mind. Social policing's finest.
‘diet culture’ is the beliefs and rules that encourages weight-loss at any cost to achieve the ideal appearance, which is to be skinny. It is the perception that having a small, lean body is healthier, and gives you a sense of superiority by social standards. So ‘diet culture’ can be seen as a way of social policing in the sense that it aims to control people by indoctrinating them into believing there is only one right or best body type.TikTok is one of the most used apps to promote diet culture.
In Jovanovski and Jaeger's (2022) paper, it is said that diet culture links to the ‘weight=health’ myth. This myth is said to “fuels dieting and body surveillance practices, and masquerades as health advice through popular cultural, medical, and health policy discourses,” (Jovanovski & Jaeger, 2022:4).
Fear of the ‘fat’ body: “Fat is demonized, and fatness or unattractive body types are attributed to personal choices, particularly choices about what and how much to eat, and whether one exercises”(Jovanovski & Jaeger, 2022:5)
Thinness and the thin ideal :“It’s the idea that we should always be aspiring towards thinness, that what we are right now isn’t where we should be, and that it’s got to be achieved through self-deprivation”(Jovanovski & Jaeger, 2022:5)
Body positivity : No FOMO for BoPo
BoPo seeks to challenge narrow and restrictive beauty ideals through positive portrayals of diverse body shapes and sizes, with the overarching aim of promoting body appreciation and acceptance (Stevens & Griffiths, 2020).
BoPo encourages individuals to broaden their focus beyond the aesthetic qualities of the body to the body’s functional capabilities and strengths (i.e., what a body can do rather than what a body looks like) (Stevens & Griffiths, 2020).
Lizzo’s music emphasizes self-love and body positivity, rooted in navigating her own Black fat body (Senyonga & Luna, 2021:3).
The song ‘juice’ by lizzo is about self love, self worth and self respect. She uses metaphors about food in the song such us ‘No, I'm not a snack at all / Look, baby, I'm the whole damn meal’ and this can be seen as one of the ways she subverts from the social norms of a thin body by using metaphors of food--something used to shame people with large body’s as a way to describe how beautiful and confident she is.
Billie Eilish, another popular figure has also subverted from such norms after the rumour about her weight surfaced. She then later released a short film ‘not my responsibility’ as a way to debase the body shaming.
To the left is an image which holds a snippet of the short film. She asks direct questions about her body ,such as 'Do my shoulders provoke you? ,'Does my chest?','Am I my stomach?' These are some of the things Billie has been judged for. Her final words are a callout to all these judgements which is , 'or is your opinion of me Not my Responsibility.'
Body shaming : harmful words are never just skin deep
Body shaming is when someone expresses negative judgement about another individual’s body shape or size that can result in severe emotional trauma.
“Generally, bodies come in various shapes and sizes. However, this doesn’t mean that people accidentally body shame others without realizing it […] people who are overweight will be criticised no matter what clothes they wear or what actions they have done. Therefore, body shaming becomes more serious and gives huge negative effects on the physical and mental health of a person,” (Arumugam et al., 2022:2).
The singer , Maddie Zahm who wrote ‘Fat funny friend’ is an example of the effects body shaming has on a persons mental health but also it shows how people perceive big bodied individuals, “It's funny when I think a guy likes me./And it's funny when I'm the one who says, "Let's go to eat"/It's funny when I'm asked to go out on Halloween/Dresses and thigh highs, while I hide my body” these lyrics show her experience with people who are thinner , how they thought her actions and words were funny or silly simply because she wasn’t skinny like them.
Mental illnesses can occur due to body shaming such as Body dysmorphic disorder or BDD. Kollei et al (2012) explains Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) as “characterized by an excessive preoccupation with a perceived defect or flaw in physical appearance that is either unobservable by others or appears to be only slight,” (Kollei et al, 2012:1).
BDD usually involve dissatisfaction with the skin, hair or nose, but any body part can be the focal point and often various body parts are involved. Those with BDD often worry about how they look constantly during the day and frequently will check the mirror, they wear clothes that hide their body or that does not draw attention to it or constantly make sure by others or with themselves that they ‘look fine’. However despite it being a serious issue that causes damage to social functioning, it remains an under-recognized disorder.
Above I have added a link to a Youtube video that shows how a famous individual , Lana condor deals with body dysmorphia.
The song by Jax known as ‘Victoria’s secret’ is a song about the popular franchise that promotes a certain look for women. Mainly those who are thin and petite. Jax’ song calls out this franchise but also society for selling the thin body type as the only or correct way for a woman to appear. She also speaks about her experiences growing up in those conditions and then continues to fight back by saying the popular ‘Victoria’ was ‘made up by a dude’.
Surviving Society
My own experiences of dealing with subverting, conformity and social policing of body-weight.
I have had my fair share of body-weight issues. Growing up I was bigger than my friends , and to a certain extent I still am. The songs I added were selected because I could personally relate to the contents of the songs.
Specifically I know that I still do conform to society’s idea of the ‘perfect body type’. diet culture is a prominent role in my life in the sense that I too am victim to the tiktoks of calorie controlling meals, fitness apps and also struggling to deal with my Body dysmorphic disorder that clouds my judgement of how I actually appear in the mirror.
Although I believe that working on my body is in a way self love as I do it to make me happy , yet I'm still beholden to the mirror and the reflection I see always makes me analyze every part of myself and I forever have doubt that I do not really look good in this 'fit'.
Recently I have slowly been challenging myself to subvert from these perceptions of the perfect body , by wearing styles of clothes I never dared to try before. it has given me a sense of confidence in my body. I also eased my workout routine , paying attention to the limits of it instead of to the little voice that says I need to do more. I have had my fair share of body-weight issues.