Argumentative Essay On Body Image

What I Knew It was a warm afternoon in the summer of 2013. I was laying on my bed, scrolling through Instagram, when I saw the first progress picture of my mother. Her body had shockingly transformed since I had last seen her a few months prior. She went from being skinny and petite to strong and feminine. I found it amazing that her body could be so sculpted and still look so beautifully feminine and elegant. That is when I realized that everyone has the ability to have the body they want, no matter what obstacles stand in the way. My mom used to be very discontent with the way her body looked. She decided to change it. Now, most people strive to make their bodies smaller. My mom, on the other hand, was striving to build on to

Beauty pageants lead to the longing of being absolutely “perfect.” In a 2006 study by Martina M. Cartwright, women who have participated in a beauty pageant in the past are more unhappy with their bodies than women who had not participated in them. Cartwright explains that in beauty pageants, appearance is key and women are taught to flaunt themselves in order to succeed in a competition, which is what leads to the body image issues in these women (Cartwright). Mishandi Sarhan agrees with Cartwright in her article titled Beauty Pageants Lower Self-worth, Self Esteem, saying “girls should not be subject to judgment based on looks”

Restricting calorie intake to this extent is considered an eating disorder. The human body is not made to survive off of so few calories, and this can affect multiple other areas of an individual’s health. Over 40% of females who participate in beauty pageants admit to eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia (Sarhan).
Psychological Factors 40% of children that participated in beauty pageant events have problems psychologically, and the other 60% of children are unhappy during the pageant itself (Cartwright). Why are these children so unhappy? Some believe it is because many of these girls are forced by their parents to participate in these events, and many believe that it is simply because these girls’ instinct tells them that what they are doing and what they are being judged on is unnatural (Sarhan). They are not all unhappy, however. Many women find pride in themselves after a pageant, and many report a feeling of accelerated confidence and natural poise (Harden).

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