Focus Healthcare Blog

Some of you may be aware that National Eating Disorder Awareness Week is just around the corner. This is one of my favorite weeks since it revolves around prevention and education, and I always get a little giddy when I am asked to present to a group. One organization recently contacted me asking that I prepare a talk specifically related to our culture of “thin” and the affects it has on young women. In gearing up for this presentation, I have been reviewing one of the first texts I read many years ago related to this topic, The Beauty Myth- by Naomi Wolfe. This was the first book to introduce me to feminism and empowerment. Yes, yes, I used the “F” word, but hear me out. Feminism has really got a bad wrap over the years, but for me, reading this book woke me up. I was in the early stages of my recovery and found my own source of hope, understanding and empowerment after reading it. It was a pivotal moment in my desire to make a difference.

Since rereading this book over the last few days, I have become aware that it’s chopped full of dizzying facts and studies, some of the topics are a bit archaic, and it has a pretty angry undertone at times, but despite it being written over 20 years ago, many of Wolfe’s philosophies still greatly apply today.  The biggest being that as women have gained more power in social, political, and economic settings, the demands on their appearance have also risen.  To be acceptable by today standards of beauty, we are taught that we should be plucked, tanned, toned, waxed, whitened, dyed, and hungry.  Ultimately, the beauty demand leaves waning self-confidence and less money and time after visiting our hair stylist, clothing boutique, tanning salon, gym, Sephora, and vitamin retailer.

It is fascinating to look back at history and see the correlation between advancements made by women in our country and the increase in harder to achieve beauty standards.  For example, dieting and thinness first became a female preoccupation between the years of 1918 and 1925 when the flapper body type was introduced.   However, right in the middle of this marked dieting period, women received the right to vote. This thin obsession continued through World War II up until the late 1940’s and 1950’s when women were encouraged to leave the work force due to the post war baby boom. The regressive 1950’s popularized the “Leave it to Beaver” homemaking and suburban life, but also brought back the popularity of women’s natural fullness as seen in Marilyn Monroe, Sophia Loren, and Elizabeth Taylor. Wolfe shared that as long as women were preoccupied with domestic seclusion, then there was no need to preoccupy their minds with dieting.

However, yet again, women began to push for more rights. In the early 1960’s, second wave feminism (or the feminist movement) began in which legal inequalities, sexuality, rights in the workplace, and reproductive rights were tackled. In 1965, birth control hit the shelves ironically at the same time that super model icon, Twiggy, would hit the runway with her 31-23-32 figure. In many ways, she represented female weakness, asexuality, and hunger in a world in which women were becoming more assertive, open, and empowered. Wolfe explained, “her thinness, now commonplace, was shocking at the time; even Vogue introduced the model with anxiety: “Twiggy’ is called Twiggy because she looks as though a strong gale would snap her in two and dash her to the ground… Twiggy is of such a meager constitution that other models stare at her. Her legs look as though she has not had enough milk as a baby and her face has that expression one feels loners wore in the blitz.” Shortly there after, the recorded weight of Miss America’s and playboy bunnies plummeted and studies showed the number of high school girls who thought they were fat had risen.

In the 80’s and 90’s, the “can-do” attitude arose in which society was fed the message that we can be and do anything we want if we work hard enough. This attitude bolstered women’s attitude to change in the work place but also applied to their thoughts about changing themselves. As they were presented with diets and images of the “perfect woman” on magazines and television, they were telling themselves it was attainable if they wanted it enough. And, if they failed, it was a testament to their weakness and lacking willpower.

I could go on and on, but you get the picture. Now, women have made huge advancements as we are represented in the political sphere, hold high-powered jobs, have increasing rights to reproductive health, and are a force to be contended with- in my opinion. However, negative body image, eating disorders, cosmetic surgeries, and the dieting industry is bigger than ever. Interestingly enough, this phenomenon can also been seen in the LGBT population. Eating disorders are on a huge rise, particularly with gay males, and I would venture to say that this is also in coloration to their increasing empowerment and social and legal rights. 

You may be asking, what does one have to do with the other. Well let me explain. Reserachers J. Polivy and C.P. Herman found that “prolonged and periodic calorie restriction resulted in distinctive personality traits of “passivity, anxiety, and emotionality.”  Sound like any descriptors of women you know? Also, like I said at the beginning, being obsessed with beauty takes a lot of time and energy. How much of the American woman’s day is spent thinking about calories, comparing themselves to friends, coworkers, celebrities, or how to make themselves more attractive. Just think about how much brain power is being reduced due to being fatigued, hungry, and stressed, yet how much women still accomplish. Now just think if half of that energy devoted to improving appearance was put towards positive change in their families, work, or communities. There would be a heck of a lot of change going on, right?  However, change is frightening. In our society, men have always had the majority of the power and control. Please be aware that I am not saying that men are behind the “beauty myth.” But, I do think that as women begin to infringe on our cultures way of being, there is backlash.

Now please don’t get me wrong. In no way am I saying that you should go throw out all of your cosmetics and give up your gym memberships. I hold to a very liberal idea of feminism. I love wearing make-up and heels just as much as the next girlie-girl, but I also feel comfortable going out in gym clothes, ratty hair, and no make-up. I simply wanted to share my recent rediscovery of Wolfe’s Body Myth as I find it incredibly interesting and empowering. My biggest take away, is that it is great to look nice and feel good about yourself; however, be aware of why you are doing it. There are forces in our culture whose only goal is to make you feel bad about yourself so you will buy more clothing, memberships, and make-up. And, as history has shown, this does seem to have an impact on our progression. The beauty myth is real, and none of us have experienced it unscathed. However, there are ways to find balance and change.

“ The next phase of our movement forward as individual women, as women together, and as tenants of our bodies and this plant, depends now on what we decide to see when we look in the mirror.”

What will you see?   – Amber