Women's Health Issues - Essay Example

Mirror, Mirror On The Wall… I have found several articles in my research that were very much related to the readings in the textbook by Dr. Northrup(2006). Hesse-Biber’s (1996) article communicates to the reader how society puts much premium on beauty. Media further emphasizes it by flashing images of beautiful women, subliminally communicating that such is the standard revered by all. Impressionable girls cannot help but be awed by such idyllic beauty that they have unconsciously put such standards on a pedestal as their roadmap to success. This desire to be beautiful somehow affects the development of their self-image and eventually, their self-esteem. Young girls, in trying to find their identities may suffer from negative body image and low self-esteem, being exposed to flawless beauty. Being aware that she has physical imperfections may make a girl feel that she is not up to par and may create self-consciousness and insecurity. Thus, it is likely to lead to unhealthy diets that may bring them to be afflicted with either Anorexia Nervosa or Bulimia or worse, both. Hesse-Biber (1996) mentions a case of a girl who has everything but the depth of character. Her shallowness is dominated by her obsession with her looks. At such an early age, she was already programmed to think that looking good is her key to success, and by success it meant landing a wealthy husband who can take care of all her needs. This young woman did not look into her potentials and talents as a worthy individual who is capable of reaping wealth and success by using her talents and intelligence. Fredrickson & Roberts (1997) came up with Objectification theory which explains how a female internalizes an observer’s view to be the primary view of her physical self. Such a view leads her to habitually monitor her body and how she looks which, in turn, increases her shame and anxiety, failure to reach motivational peak states and diminish her awareness of her internal bodily states. Vulnerable to judgment of society, women vigilantly monitor themselves with the knowledge that being positively viewed by others means more opportunities. Studies have shown that how a woman’s body appears to others can determine her life experiences. Physical attractiveness seem to matter more to females than to males. Women deemed unattractive by their co-workers are described more negatively and given less regard than comparatively unattractive men (Bar-Tar & Saxe, 1976; Cash, Gillen & Burns, 1977). Physical attractiveness is more highly correlated with popularity, dating experience and marriage opportunities for women than for men (Margolin & White, 1987) The usual onset of self-objectification is adolescence. This critical stage of development brings insecurities to individuals as he or she obsesses about his or her looks. This is because adolescents usually consider looks as one’s ticket for acceptance to desired social circles. Adolescence is also the time when character and values are formed, so appropriate adult guidance is necessary to help them focus deeper into themselves and unleash their talents and potentials, as these are the ones that would definitely advance their status in life instead of mere looks. Feminists argue that popular media contributes to coerciveness and sexual assault toward women as seen by the dominant presence of violence against women in all forms of media (Linz & Malamuth, 1993). Analysis of Music Television (MTV) has shown that men appeared nearly twice as often as women and engaged in significantly more aggressive, dominant behavior and women were shown as engaging in more implicitly sexual and subservient behavior. They were depicted to be frequent objects of explicit, implicit and aggressive advances by men (Sommers-Flanagan, Sommers-Flanagan, & Davis, 1993). It is usual for women in these videos to be used as decorative objects, and only a few videos show men and women are treated equally (Vincent, Davis & Boruszkowski, 1987). Likewise, in video games, a more sexist orientation and graphic violence against women is getting prevalent. Overall, content in various media such as television, video games, music videos communicates that women are to be objectified, sexualized, dominated, assaulted and even killed (Bretthauer, Zimmerman & Banning, 2006). Themselves objectified, the female artists in the study communicated messages like sexual appearance can be used to attract attention; staying in relationships despite hurtful treatment is acceptable; and continuing to be with a man despite feeling used, unappreciated and ignored is tolerable. These messages may be interpreted that the female artists communicate to their audience that they are not inherently valuable and not worthy of respect (Bretthauer, Zimmerman & Banning, 2006). Personally, I think young women are usually expected to grow up to be beautiful inside and out. It might be a tall order for some average looking girls. It does not help that media glorifies thinness as the ideal of beauty, while it also bombards the public with an abundance of high caloric junk foods which reportedly tastes so delicious that one cannot seem to have enough of it. It is a dilemma for every adolescent to resist the cravings of such foods in view of being thin. On top of that, peer pressure may go in different directions. One direction pulls one to join the “cult of thinness” while another group may pull one to just “chill and hang out” in the “in” places which serve the best fattening food. As a naturopathic physician, I would agree with girls and young women that looking beautiful is something everyone wants. However, being praised more for the ability to do something well far outweighed the fulfillment for being flattered for one’s beauty. It is truly empowering to know that as young women they can do many things which were previously credited only to a man’s capabilities. Pushing themselves to develop their potentials to the fullest needs to be a strong drive that they nurture all throughout their lives. Like Dr. Northrup’s strategy in her book, I would also give my own insight to inspire these young girls who may be suffering from negative body image. I would confess that although I still want to look my best and find pleasure in being admired by people, it has not become an obsession that I forget about the better things in life like pursuing dreams, enjoying time with my loved ones, and yes, even indulging in delicious food! I take care of myself, eat the right foods, keep myself fit not only in body, but also in mind and spirit. More than being beautiful, being an accomplished woman is what young girls should strive for. Being both would be the ideal. One does not need to be perfect, possessing all the positive traits a woman could have, however, for me, everything begins with a healthy self-esteem that is not only anchored on looks but more importantly, on character and skill. I do believe that developing and enhancing a girl’s self-esteem is essential to her development into a healthy, confident and productive woman in the future. References Bar-Tal, d. & Saxe, L. (1976) Physical attractiveness and its relationship to sex role stereotyping. Sex Roles, 2, 123-133 Bretthauer, B., Zimmerman, T.S., Banning, J.H. (2006) A Feminist Analysis of Popular Music: Power Over, Objectification of, and Violence Against Women Journal of Feminist Family Therapy, Vol. 18(4) 2006 Cash, T.F., Gillen, B. & Burns, D.S. (1977) Sexism and “beautyism” in personnel consultant decision making. Journal of Applied Psychology, 62, 301-310. Frederickson, B.L. & Roberts, T.(1997), Objectification theory: Toward understanding women’s lived experiences and mental health risks. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 21, 173-206 Hesse-Biber, S. (1996) Am I Thin Enough Yet? The Cult of Thinness and the Commercialization of Identity. Oxford University Press, Inc. Linz, D. & Malamuth, M. (1993). Pornography. Newbury Park, CA: Sage Northrup, C. (2006) Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom Price B (2009) Body Image in Adolescents: Insights and Implications. Paediatric Nursing 21, 5, 38-43 Sommers-Flanagan, R., Sommers-Flanagan, J.,& Davis, B. (1993). What’s Happening on music television? A gender role content analysis. Sex Roles, 28, 745-753. Vincent, R. C., Davis, D. K.,&Boruszkowski, L. A. (1987). Sexism on MTV: The Portrayal of women in VCR videos. Journalism Quarterly, 64, 750-755 Read More