Material Girl Case Study

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Recommended: Body image and its effects

Week 4: Material Girl: Consequences of Femininity Whilst various studies illustrate that genetic vulnerabilities can be the origin of developing eating disorders, Bordo claims that the act of pursuing femininity is a cultural problem. Culture is seen as the “trigger” and “smoking gun” towards body image problems women suffer from nowadays. Some examples of cultural images that contribute to body image issues include the Barbie doll, which presents an unrealistic beauty standard for the body. For example, the waist-hip ratio of the Barbie doll is 0.56 (waist circumference is 56% of hip measurement), however the average woman’s value is 0.80. Additionally, the legs of Barbie are 50% longer than the measurement of her arms, where the measurement for an average woman would be 20%, with a 16-inch girth (Golgowski, 2013). Further, other cultural images are presented from the fashion industry, where models that are displayed weigh 107 pounds and are 5 foot 10 inches tall, whereas the average American woman weighs 143 pounds and are 5 foot 4 inches tall (Bordo, 2013). This disparity in measurements underline the unrealistic and unattainable body image the culture represents, however serves as a source …show more content…

To overcome the problem of eating disorders, research states that family therapy acts as successful treatment for those who suffer from Anorexia Nervosa and their families (Minuchin et al., 1975). Family therapy can be used as a tool to solve the food refusal issue, where family members learn how to interact in a way that others would not feel oppressed (Nichols & Schwartz, 1998). Moreover, in order to change the perception of “thin is in” being the only beauty standard, the fashion industry and media need to produce more advertising campaigns alike the Dove’s Real Beauty Campaign, to show girls and women that their body shape is equally as beautiful and

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