Body Image
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| Also listed in: Campus Progress Blog |
I'm not quite sure how I missed this, but the NYTimes had this on Tuesday:
A new study finds that women who describe themselves as feminists are more forgiving than other women when assessing the attractiveness of women who are either very underweight or very heavy.But:
Feminists and nonfeminists tended to agree on which woman was the most attractive. But that woman was described by the researchers as somewhat underweight, suggesting that even feminists cannot fully avoid societal pressures to be thin.Gee, you mean feminists are subject to the same social pressures that everyone else is? And sometimes they fall victim to the exact same stereotypes everyone else does? Wow, thanks for that hard-hitting science. Granted, it was published in the very focused Body Images journal. I think the real conclusion to take away from this is that it's really hard to overcome stereotypes about what the ideal body is. After all, we're bombarded with images of the stereotype of attractiveness all the time. But the one thing that seems to help is when women identify as feminists -- i.e. don't buy into some of the ideas about how women are "supposed" to look and act -- the perceptions get a little better.
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Though this is a bit hard to admit, no matter how many times I tell myself that what is on the inside is what should matter, I still cannot help but feel down when I have put on a pound or two. Though I agree that the pressure certainly comes from the media, I think that this ultimately translates most to inner pressure. I put the most pressure on myself to look a certain way, and I blame myself most for the trying to conform to these stereotypes. Unfortunately, I know that the way I look has a big impact on the way people view me, for better or for worse. I wish that I could make myself believe in my own beliefs, believe that it isn’t about the way I look, but as of yet I have not figured out a way to do this. I am happier when I look a certain way, as sad as this is say.
My name is Theresa Magelky and I am a doctoral student in the Department of Counseling Psychology and Community Services here at UND. I am contacting you to ask for your help in my independent research study on body image and eating habits of college women. I am in need of participants! Eligible participants include women currently enrolled in college classes. This study has been approved by UND’s Institutional Review Board (IRB-200710-092).
I am wondering if you would be interested in participating. If you choose to participate, you may enter a drawing to win one of two $50 Amazon.com gift certificates.
Please be assured that the survey is completely anonymous and it will not be possible to link any responses to you. Also, if you choose to enter the drawing, information from your drawing entry will be kept separately and will not be linked to your survey responses in any way.
Your consideration and time are greatly appreciated. Please click on the following link if you would like to participate:
Link
Please feel free to contact me directly with any questions at theresa.magelky@und.edu, or contact my advisor, Dr. David Whitcomb, at david_whitcomb@und.nodak.edu.
Thank you,
Theresa Magelky, BS
Doctoral Student (PhD)
Department of Counseling Psychology and Community Services
University of North Dakota
701-527-3676
theresa.magelky@und.edu
theresaem@hotmail.com