Posted on Friday, 26th December 2008 by Maritzia
I’ve written several times on this blog about Fat Acceptance. Really, though, what I should be talking about is body acceptance. We talk about FA simply because the privileged position here is that of thinness. But that is only because society’s current definition of beauty is linked so strongly to being thin.
When we talk about the whole issue of beauty, what we are really talking about is sexual attractiveness. Why is one person considered to be sexually attractive while another person is not. I know there are those of you out there who will argue that sexual attraction is innate and genetic. It’s driven by the need to produce stronger offspring with a greater chance of survival. I’m afraid I would have to disagree with this stance.
While this may be the case in animals, humans have evolved long past a simply biological view of sexual attractiveness. The reason I say this is because our definition of beauty changes over time. In the early 20th century, women were preferred to be rather plump (200 pounds was nothing then), preferred faces were generally longer with a longer jawline. Over time, however, we saw a preference for thinness develop. Jaw lines shrank as a preference for shorter jaw lines occurred (hence the need for so many of us to have our wisdom teeth removed). Preference for hair colors change as fashions change. Let’s face it, what we humans consider sexually attractive has a great deal to do with what our society currently tells us should be attractive.
And if that’s the case, why can’t we change what society has to say? Why can’t we, as a society, tell our children that sexual attraction doesn’t have to be wrapped up in the physical body? Why can’t we see all bodies as having equal ability to be sexually attractive. I mean, I know some people out there are sexually attracted to fat people. Some people are sexually attracted to power, some to humor. And that’s great. We’re all different people and have different ideas of what is attractive. Why can’t we celebrate that ideal? That everyone can be seen as sexually attractive instead of trying to force people into an almost unattainable mold (which truly is unattainable for the vast majority of people). Why don’t we see a variety of body sizes and shapes in fashion magazines, a variety of faces and shapes and colors. Why don’t we as consumers demand that from the magazines that we buy?
That is the challenge that I give to all of you reading this (yes, all 5 of you). Think about the magazines that you read. Do they feature a diverse population in their models, both in race, features, and body type? Do they feature diet recommendations in every issue (and usually emblazoned in headlines on the front page? If they don’t meet your definition of beauty, what are you going to do about it? Do all of us a favor, especially your children. Contact those magazines that you read, and ask them to make a difference in our world. Ask them to use variety in their models. Ask them to not constantly run stories about dieting. Ask them to stop fueling eating disorders. Ask them to care.
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