Carolina Reader p. 260, Ques. 4: Body Image

Body image is something that almost everyone is self-conscious and aware of. Most people will tell you that one of their greatest concerns is how they look, especially in the eyes of an ever-judging society like ours. It is also something that is perpetually changing generation to generation.
Body image is something in which we, as a society, determine what is or is not acceptable. In the last few decades alone the average body image has changed considerably. As more and more Americans suffer from obesity and being overweight, the mean body image has become slighty larger, even though the ideal body is still the skinny fashion runway model. We determine what it is acceptable to look like through outlets like the media. By showing the "beautiful" people on things like television and movies, society is culturally setting the standard for body image and how you should look. This propaganda also denies us of our own personal opinion of what is considered acceptable or good looking with regards to body image. Instead of looking in the mirror, or even looking at others, and thinking whether or not that person looks good the way they are, we use what society and our culture has trained us as a way to judge.
Body image is also one of the great paradoxes in society today as well. While there is an added emphasis on being skinnier, stronger, and tan, the obesity rate continues to rise. It appears as though the ideal body becomes more and more impressive as our culture falls to becoming out of shape. These are some of the ways that body image is culturally constructed.