Rhetorical Analysis Of Too Close To The Bone

In her article, "Too 'Close to the Bone'", Seid's attempt to persuade her audience, in her article to “restore a humanistic vision in which self-improvement means cultivating the mind and enlarging the soul” (Seid 179) was effective. Although her organization was not logical, her historical evidence, rhetorical strategies, and tone clearly support her position that idolizing women's bodies and obsessing over maintaining a certain weight are destructive to society.
Seid begins with effective rhetorical questions such as; “Why have Americans, particularly American women, become fatphobic?” (Seid 167). These questions are used to make the audience ponder the issue and open their minds to "fatphobia". She then uses the media as an effective example of how the media can influence eating disorders and self-image. Seid says, “By the 1980’s even fashion magazines showed naked or leotarded bodies more than they showed clothing” (Seid 175). She fails to provided statistics to support her claim, but is still

effective because of her relatable use of magazines, which are prevalent in American women's lives, so most women have seen what magazines publish.
Her dramatic metaphor of beauty and self-image being a religion creates an urgent tone about the issue of body-image.

She uses religion as an effective example that most women can relate to and understand. Seid relates to her audience, by saying, "We must abandon our new religion because it trivializes human life itself" (Seid 179).
Seid’s use of historical evidence effectively proves that women aspire to be like the models and actresses. She gives descriptions and facts that make the models and actresses stand apart from most American women.
Using historical evidence, Seid illustrates how social norms have changed from fat women being of “disciplined habits”, “good health”, and “clean conscience” to fat women being “shameful” and “dirty” (Seid 170-171). This evidence is effective because it forces the audience to look at the issue of women’s bodies from decades ago to today. She proves that the expectations of women’s bodies have changed over the past few

decades.
Seid utilizes art as an effective reference for what American’s idolize. She says, “By looking at the visual evidence provided by paintings… we can see that never before have men or women desired a body so ‘close to the bone’” (Seid 169). Old paintings have been transformed into today's media and photoshop; what Americans idolize is expressed through these works.

Overall, Seid’s article was effective in persuading her audience to see the problems of idolizing body images in the same way she sees these problems. She used quotes, historical evidence through paintings, media, rhetorical questions, and showing how expectations of women’s bodies have changed over the centuries.