The Effects of Body Image in Different Cultures

The Effects of Body Image in Different Cultures

In every society, people use their appearance as a way to express their social relationships. Applying makeup, adding or removing clothing, building muscles, or piercing various parts of the body are examples of how people try to change their appearance in order to fit in, or in some cases, to stick out. In suburban America, girls struggle to reach the goal of a Barbie-doll figure, whereas in Jamaica, it is more desirable, and socially accepted, to be fat. American women use makeup to express feelings and moods while Bedouin women use tattoos as a means to reveal their personalities. Contemporary Western culture sees the body as an object that is separate from the self, while many other societies see a person as an integration of the mind, body, and spirit. By studying the effects of body image in a few different cultures, a new understanding is given to the reasons why people describe, perceive, appreciate, and alter their bodies as they do.

In suburban America, teenage girls starve themselves while in Jamaica, a larger body size is what is valued. Socially dominant individuals who are enmeshed in sound relationships are usually large and bigness tends to ensure reproductive success and survival in times of scarcity. All in all, plumpness is generally considered attractive. Such is the case in many of the West African societies from which people were taken to Jamaica as slaves. In these societies, those who can afford to do so seclude their adolescent girls in special "fattening rooms" and, after a period of ritual education and heavy eating, the girls emerge fat and attractive. Weight loss signals social neglect in Jamaica, and instead of congratulations for a n...

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...s of some kind. Whether it is makeup, jewelry, or tattoos, it seems that there is a common meaning connecting the symbolism of each.

Body image and social relations exists in all human societies. Some societies view the person as a whole, including body, mind, and spirit as integrated aspects of the self, while other societies view the person as a self that is separated from the parts called the body. All in all, it seems to come down to expression. Whether or not the expression has a healthy meaning to back it up can be obvious in cases of vanity, yet controversial in non-destructive ways such as using makeup. We use the body to symbolize the self, society and social relationships, but in doing so we affirm either fragmentation or wholeness. Indeed, it seems that body image is present in all cultures, in many different forms, with many different meanings.