Not Just About The Body
Body image is not just linked to women as one would probably believe when looking around our society. Men are also prone to being self-conscious of their body image in a variety of ways. Some men believe they are too fat, too thin, not muscular enough, and the like. "Additionally, muscle belittlement, or the belief that one is less muscular than he is, has been strongly correlated with depression" (Butler et al. 196). This statement makes our audience understand why the webpage is called "Gender, Body, and Mind" because it is obvious that all of these factors addressed within the pages of the website are not just correlated with the body and the person's sex/gender but, also that of the mind. Remembering Inclusiveness Moreover, women are susceptible to body image issues and eating disorders. Unfortunately, there are many negative stereotypes surrounding WHO the women are that encounter this issues. Society shows us through media, culture, billboards, and the like that the women most affected by eating disorders and body image are Caucasian middle-class women. This is simply not the case; researchers themselves "found that even when women of color self-acknowledged eating concerns, they were less likely than White participants to have been asked by a doctor about such symptoms" (Castonguay et al. 161). So not only are women of color expected to not be affected by eating disorders and body image issues but, this spreads into the clinical world merely because of the assumptions made in our society. |
Where Do We Go From Here?
How do we combat these negative stereotypes about body image in men and women? This topic and its following pages hopes to open the minds of WGS students and faculty on body image in a variety of ways and on a very broad spectrum. |
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