Society’s View of the Body
Our society is teaching us that our bodies are objects that can be used, abused, perfected, enhanced, and so on. Pick up any popular, secular newspaper or magazine. Watch television commercials or listen to radio commercials during prime viewing and listening time. It won’t take long for you to notice our obsession with the appearance of our physical bodies, as opposed to an appreciation for our bodies as sources of spiritual meaning. You’ll even notice a disturbing presentation of unrealistically “flawless” bodies during prime children’s programming. Many of the favorite kid shows, including cartoons, feature highly sexualized characters that are portrayed as role models for young children. Our children are taught at a very young age that the look of their bodies, not the goodness of their bodies, is of great importance for success. It’s also interesting to note that these shows are generally flooded with advertisements that teach kids that they need to have the latest stuff in order to be cool. Body materialism and stuff materialism are two sides to the same coin. But it’s not all bad news. The hunger for spiritual integrity, expressed in care for the body, is not entirely absent in our culture. There is good news, and there are signs that some are listening to and promoting good news. Even some marketing experts are seeing that the supermodel image for women is an empty pursuit. Dove soap, Bath and Body Works, and American Girl have teamed up to promote a new image of beauty. They call it their “real beauty” campaign. They are advertising their product lines using models that look more like the average woman, and they are presenting these fuller-bodied, and often older women as beautiful for who they are. When you see the ads, you immediately sense a difference from traditional beauty ads. These women are beautiful inside and out, but it’s their inner beauty that grabs your attention. You don’t get the sense that they are trying to seduce you if you’re a man or challenge you if you’re a woman. You find yourself enticed by their strength and their natural goodness. They are who they are, and their beauty rests in that alone.
Your View of the Body
Explore your own perspectives about your body by using the following questions.
How do you honor and care for your body?
How do you dishonor or abuse your body?
What do you see when you look in the mirror? Do you focus on what is beautiful, or do you obsess over perceived flaws? How has media advertising influenced your view of your body? How does it effect what you wear, what you eat, which products you use to care for your body or make you look good, and so on? The best thing about my body is __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________because ______________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________.
If you are married, how do you care for your spouse’s body?
If you have children, how do you care for their bodies?
How do you reach out to the suffering bodies in your community, in our nation, and in the world?