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Perception And Weight

Though it may be nearly impossible to fancy, there was an era when spare body fat wasn't looked down upon in any way; in fact, spare body paunch was once thought of as an indicator of prominence. The belief went that someone with body fat possessed the intangibles to eat freely and to eat freely on a typical basis. It should be kept in mind that this perception was in place during an era and in regions where food deficits and food lack could and did take place.

Matters have definitely changed.

Excess body weight, especially in Western culture, is not only no longer considered favorable, there's now a strong negative stigma attached to it. This stigma is reflected in the reality that, in most of the West, food is plentiful and easily accessible (though not always easily had, depending upon a person's circumstances). But food plenty isn't the only reason for a change in perceptions about excess weight. Two other reasons also provide explanation: it's now common knowledge that excess body weight is unhealthy; and the media regularly displays imagery of thin people.

The media's presentation of lean is a forceful image-maker. The image of lithe bodies, often exhibited in highly pleasing ways, leaves a substantial imprint. And the media presents these visuals time and time again, so perceptions are retained.

This isn't an attempt to infer that the media presents image as a method for somehow poisoning society's ideals. We must all come to accept culpability for what it is that we embrace, and how we interact with our morals. Still, it's delusion to accept the notion that the media's broad reach doesn't affect a wide slice of opinion.

Generally speaking, the media's portrayal of the thin, sculpted body type is used for commercial purposes. The media wants to present a desirable image and attach a product to it. They want to sell, and they're using body type to do it.

But difficulties can happen when people effort to equal the "perfect" body image they observe through the media. Eating difficulties are a possible end product. The broad reality of eating disorders in Western nations is certainly a product of consistent media imagery of slender, and the implication that a lean, trim body is particularly alluring.

There is also the emotional pain and suffering suffered by those whose body type is in contrast to slender. Overweight people can take a psychological pounding because of their appearance. They're at the opposite end of the ideal. They're inferior -- or so the thinking and the treatment sometimes goes.

A healthy body is a good thing. A fit body is a good thing. But, though it may be difficult to do in the face of so much feedback, each of us must develop our own value system as to what's a desirable body type, and what is not. If we let the media create this value system for us, we put ourselves in a vulnerable, and potentially damaging position.

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