Eye of the Beholder

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Recommended: The negative impacts of idealistic beauty standards

Eye of the Beholder Today’s society is a very tough one to live in because there is constant pressure and criticism everywhere. Sometimes this stress can be constructive, but most of the time it is negative. Women fall victim to one of the worst pressures, the desire to have the “perfect” body. Society as a whole idealizes the “coke bottle” body, putting pressure on women to achieve it. According to a survey by Elias, 70% of surveyed teen girls said that fashion magazines make them feel overweight and in need of a diet. Societies idealization of beauty can be very daunting to women. The pressure to achieve physical perfection is unhealthy both mentally and physically. It can even lead to the extremes of suicide, like in the poem “Barbie Doll” by Marge Piercy. Exercising daily and constantly being active isn’t a bad thing by any means. It is actually quite healthy and recommended by health experts. Exercise has been correlated to preventing coronary artery disease, diabetes, osteoporosis, certain cancers and fatigue. But, working out to extreme measures to lose weight can lead to very unhealthy outcomes. Excessive exercising can lead to menstrual irregularities, weakening of bones, and estrogen deprivation. Other unpleasant complications of too much exercise can cause dizziness, sharp pain, pressure in the chest, shortness of breath and shin splints. Not only do women try to lose weight by exercising, but also by changing what they eat. Many women will combine their workout plan with a diet. Many times this diet isn’t sufficient to fill their body with enough strength and energy to keep up with the strenuous workouts. A lot of the diets out there are based on the premise of just consuming less food. ... ... middle of paper ... ... "Exercise." Credo Reference Home. The New Harvard Guide To Women's Health. Web. 12 July 2011. . Hellmich, Nanci. "USATODAY.com - Do Thin Models Warp Girls' Body Image?" News, Travel, Weather, Entertainment, Sports, Technology, U.S. & World - USATODAY.com. 26 Sept. 2006. Web. 12 July 2011. . Lain. "Societal Pressures Drive Young Women to Eating Disorders, Page 3 of 4." Associated Content from Yahoo! - Associatedcontent.com. 14 Dec. 2007. Web. 12 July 2011. . Piercy, Marge. “Barbie Doll.”McMahan, Elizabeth, Susan Day, and Robert Funk. Literature and the Writing Process. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall, 2007. 643. Print.

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