Body ideals have always been a part of the fashionable world where especially women try their hardest to achieve what has been termed as ‘the perfect body’. Such a perception has much to do with body promotion and editing in the media telling women that ‘the perfect body’ results in complete happiness. But what does it actually mean to have a ‘perfect body’ and who decides what is acknowledged as ‘perfect’? This article takes a closer look at the definition of ‘perfect’ and ‘body’ considering the medias role with a historical perspective to provide a critical insight regarding body image.
Definition of ‘the perfect body’
It might be difficult to explain what ‘the perfect body’ contains in its meaning, so let us break it down and look at the two words separately. According to the Cambridge Dictionary (n.d.) the word ‘perfect’ means complete and correct in every way, of the best possible type without fault or exactly right for someone or something. ‘Body’ on the other hand means the whole physical structure that forms a person. So, this can be interpreted in various ways raising questions of whether I decide for myself what is a ‘perfect body’ for me or whether it is society which states if I am right or wrong. Taking the second understanding into consideration society exemplified by the media seems to say that ‘the perfect body’ is key and the way to go if you want the good life with others’ respect and appreciation (Brown University, n.d.).
Who decides what ‘the perfect body' is?
Today we live in a world where people are exposed to between 2,000 and 5,000 visuals of bodies every week which are both explaining beauty democracy and unobtainable standards where the message is that everyone should give it their best shot to achieve looking ‘perfect’ (Hoskins, 2014, p. 111). So, when I talk about media as a source with a great influence on body image it involves both magazines, television and social media which are all messengers of society’s attitude towards body ideals. However also the beauty, fashion, health and fitness industries do in general shape these messages that define bodies making them a target for control. Paradoxically many media photos of women with ‘perfect bodies’ are retouched by modern technology meaning that these ‘perfect bodies’ do not even exist or at best only for a small percentage of the population. In other words one could rename the media as the body police enforcing society’s perception of body standards (Brown University, n.d.).
Historical perspective of ‘the perfect body’
Historically society has also had its opinions on how to look ‘perfect’ with one body image taking over the other. In the 1960s came for instance the introduction of a very thin body which was replaced by a more athletic aesthetic of the 1980s which was then substituted by the 1990s ‘heroin chic’ and later the 2000s size zero (Hoskins, 2014, p. 113). Today the most central ideals include multiple conflicting messages about how women should look to be accepted as ‘perfect’. As an example women are by the media told to be both thin, curvaceous, muscular and delicate at once which would be impossible to achieve (Brown University, n.d.). Thankfully the arising of social media platforms has opened up for a bigger discussion on body images with a concept of loving your body the way it is. Nevertheless there might still be a clash between skinny influencers telling women to love their curves and body fat. The main point of this section is then that the ‘perfect body’ is not static but has changed through time according to various things happening in our surroundings, cultural perceptions and the medias choice of what should be the new ‘perfect’ making it hard for women to keep up.
Conclusion
As a conclusion this article has argued that ‘the perfect body’ should encourage diversity and can therefore not be defined as one definite look. The insisting of a specific beauty ideal follows the fashion and media industries’ pattern that accommodates profits and not needs. Beauty have to be accepted as an essentially individual characteristic more than a way for society to measure how well women are capable of corresponding to the usual old putative aesthetic (Hoskins, 2014, p. 127). This is why it is so important to keep a critical approach against the media’s perception of what ‘the perfect body’ should look like and ask questions when you are shown a picture promoted by the media enforcing society’s messages of what it right or wrong. You as a woman should be able to appreciate your body just the way it is.
Bibliography
Brown University. (n.d.). Body Size Diversity and Acceptance [Website]. Retrieved 14.11.2021 from https://www.brown.edu/campus-life/support/counseling-and-psychological-services/body-acceptance
Cambridge Dictionary. (n.d.). Retrieved 14.11.2021 from https://dictionary.cambridge.org
Hoskins, T. E. (2014). Stitched Up: The Anti-Capitalist Book of Fashion. Pluto Press.
Author: Emma Fabricius Braae Published: 17. Nov. 2021
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