Body Image Analysis

Many people who immerse themselves in modern society are interested in or affected by the issue of body image. Media affects not only how we as individuals view ourselves and others, but how we as a society treat, tuck, and trim our bodies to fit the imagined requirements of how the human form should look. Body image is a salient topic that has become more frequently, analytically, psychologically, and scientifically debated and represented within the past decade. That being so, a large portion of the University of Texas at Arlington student body are already highly intrigued by the topic of body image.
After critical analysis of the article, per your request, I have concluded that, although Susan Bordo mentions some major issues pertaining

to body image within her article, this article’s cultural context is too outdated and plenty of the celebrity references will be confusing to the audience of The Shorthorn. The blatant misuse of a counterargument, brief and lacking evidence, and poor organization of the article will turn many readers off before they even get half-way through. I believe, because of the topic’s prominence in today’s culture, The Shorthorn should address body image with a persuasive, informative, and relatable argumentative piece, however, the addition of Susan Bordo’s “Never Just Pictures” will not be an effective, thought-provoking read for the University of Texas at Arlington community. Also, “Never Just Pictures” lacks a certain amount of elaboration of ideas and claims that those within the academic community are required to do in their own writings, and therefore, have come to expect in professional writings. The students and staff at UTA should be aware of the issue and be provided the means with which to explore it in depth and create their own opinions, however, this article will not accurately, appropriately, and efficiently inform the readers, and thus, should not be published.
Bordo’s central claim is that “Our idolatry of the trim, tight body shows no sign of relinquishing its grip on our conceptions of beauty”(par. 1); this claim is seemingly vague and inexpressive, however, it is the only part of the paper where Bordo succinctly describes a larger idea. Coupled with more elaborate reasons, this claim could work for the paper and could be expanded upon, however, the reasons are weak and surface level to perfectly match the depth of her claim and evidence. A majority of the reasons provided to “prove” the claim are very basic and, to today’s general audience, seem like common knowledge that has been spread throughout various forms of media. Today, countless corporations, movies, and individuals openly express their opinions on body image and a general consensus, at least within advertisements and the changing model industry, that every body is beautiful has been reached. However, when published, anorexia was highly stigmatized and not openly discussed, therefore, the claims and reasons in this article would possibly be enough to impact and inform the audience in 1997.
Bordo’s claim fails not only because of a lack of evidence, but also because of the expectations and issues that are presented with the addition of the short bio about her preceding the actual article. Although she’s a professor at the University of Kentucky, has been nominated for a Pulitzer Prize, and has written extensively on the topic of body image, Bordo’s age could be a barrier to the audience. A reader may not consciously think about it, but when they read the beginning of the article and read the short bio about Susan Bordo, they may find an issue with her age. Her bio begins with stating that she was born in 1947 which means today she would be nearly 70 years old. Within the article, Bordo seems to be addressing the group composed of young adults in American – a group which she is not a part of. It is often much easier for an audience member to talk or read about any topic from the perspective of someone around the same age or of the same racial/religious affiliation, especially if the author seems to be talking from the point of view of that age, religious, or racial group. The age difference may not affect every reader, but a significant amount of people will be affected and they will not take the information to heart, due to a lack of trust in her true understanding of how young American’s truly feel. The self-synopsis also adds a high expectation within an audience member’s mind of the professional, informative nature of the piece. Bordo, or whoever wrote the bio, sets high standards for the quality of the piece, and although it is chocked full of information and grand statements, the article falls very short of any expectations the audience may have. Most of the readers of The Shorthorn are within the academic realm and therefor will be very shocked by the unprofessional organization of the piece and the lack of true evidence to support the reasons and thus the claim.
The article is composed of 1990s celebrity culture in relation to body image ranging from actresses, to models, and gymnasts and branching out into a broad discussion of the ideas while still employing considerable conversation about models, the fashion industry, and the commercialization of the human form.

The celebrity culture references will have little to no effect on the UTA audience, because many of our students were too young or uninformed of pop culture when women such as Kate Moss, Alicia Silverstone, and Joan Lunden were in their prime. A lack of connection to the references made in the article gives the audience a lack of connection to the topic. Also, the lacking references in relation to men is indicative of the time-sensitivity of this article. Bordo mentions body image issues for men, but does not provide any male celebrity examples, does not go into any depth besides mentioning the issue, and leaves something to be desired for a male audience member who may be facing body dysmorphia. The only time Bordo directly addresses the topic of male body image is when she states that “Even the gender gap is narrowing as more and more men are developing eating disorders and exercise compulsions” (par. 4). which is definitely not enough to fully represent that part of the issue. Therefore, the article is mostly targeted towards a female audience, which is much too specific for the audience of The

Shorthorn.
Attempts to elicit emotions from the audience are present, however, they lack a certain amount of detail, substance, and information in order to truly be effective. Most of the attempts fall very short, however, one attempt to draw the audience in and elicit a shred of empathy is notably effective when she states that “These ads are not telling us that beauty is trivial in relation to depression, they are telling us that depression is beautiful, that being wasted is cool” (par. 9 ). The phrasing of that sentence and the whole paragraph shaped around it helps the audience understand the mindset of someone going through an eating disorder and what is really causing the issue. However, Bordo fails, yet again, by not completing this idea and not leading the audience through an emotional experience. What are we supposed to do about it? How could we help? A multitude of possible questions that seem essential to the argumentative purpose are left unanswered.
Bordo’s counterargument, if the reader is not paying attention, is nonexistent. By using a counterargument that applies to a completely separate book of hers, she doesn’t truly employ one at all. The purpose of a counterargument is to expand your reasons and elevate your argument to a higher state of agreeableness. However, Bordo uses it as a mechanism with which to add race as a cause/concern within eating disorders and she rides that for a paragraph, jumps off, and jumps to the next seven or so ideas. The misuse of a counterargument blatantly shows that this article is poorly written and instead of being heavily descriptive of a few solid ideas, which would be preferred, it briefly describes a multitude of ideas and takes the audience for a whirl. A reader goes from thinking – ‘Wow, this could really be insightful and interesting!’ to ‘That was a waste of my life!’.
The article as a whole is severely unorganized and is seemingly a last minute entry to the book it was published in.

Unprofessional organization combined with poorly developed reasons to support the already vague claim accumulate into a poor article. The reasons provided are statements for which no evidence or explanation is provided. With her provided expertise on the subject, the audiences’ expectations are high and her supporting ideas for her claim fall very, very short of those expectations. In one paragraph, Bordo makes bold statements hoping that they will support her just by how matter-of-factly she writes them, however, just because she says “If this is a disorder, it is one that has become a norm of cultural perception. Our ideas about what constitutes a body in need of a diet have become more and more pathologically trained on the slightest hint of excess.”, doesn’t mean every audience will automatically believe it. The paragraph including that ‘reason’ definitely could have used some statistics or some kind of proof that anorexia truly is a norm of cultural perception and not just something the author has imagined in her studies and research. Adding statistics or a description of some related research results would make this article much more

effective.
Overall, Bordo’s article is decent and I’m sure was consider very effective in its time by the readers of her book. However, as a UTA student, I believe we are held to a higher academic standard therefore we look for those standards in other things we see, read, or experience. The lack of statistics and elaboration of ideas within academia is often proof of a poor writer, thus this article would not be useful for the UTA community. This is why I decided The Shorthorn should not publish Bordo’s article, because it will cause more confusion than enlightenment. The audience will not only be left unsatisfied and confused, but they will also then spend a decently long time wondering why they even read all three pages in the first place.