6 thoughts on “Why Body Image is Different for Women

  1. This slam poetry made me realize that it was not just about body image, but also about how men are taught one thing and women are taught another. How people are shown different was and pick up bad habits from those around us. My mother always told me “surround yourself with people you would like to become”. Being around those who have bad habits, you will unconsciously pick them up as well and start to see others around you do them. Listening to her passion about how many pieces and calories she should have, how she apologizes for being herself, and how she questions why the men in her family are able to do things she is not allowed to do herself. This poetry spoke to me personally and I enjoyed the thought provoking questions she brought up. It made me take a look into my own family. I realized that I have picked up some of the same qualities and habitats that she has. Is it become a generational obsession?

  2. This poetry piece really spoke to me. I think the most influential line she spoke was about how every time she comes home, her home seems to shrink but it’s really her mom getting smaller. I will never forget a moment I had with my mom that was very similar. She had gone from 120 pounds to 75 pounds in under a year due to various health issues. When she finally started gaining back weight (she was up to 83 pounds), she confided in me a very painful secret. She was so used to being so little (a size 10 in kids) that she was upset that she was gaining weight. While she looked like she could be snapped in half, she thought that was the definition of beautiful. I watched my mom go from a beautifully fit woman to a frail woman very quickly. I think Lily Myers did this poem beautifully. It is sad that women are taught from a very young age to look a certain way to stand up to what society wants. Men are rewarded with food and fat bellies for all of their accomplishments while women are usually starving themselves or depriving themselves of their favorite foods to avoid gaining weight. I hope this poem brings awareness to some people that just because you have a little belly doesn’t mean you’re overweight.

  3. Lily Myers is beyond accurate with her performance. It depicts perfectly the differences in how men and women are raised by their parents to view the world. There were several quotes from this video that struck me, one making references to women eating less because they are “making space for men in their lives.” Lily tells her brother “you have been taught to grow out, I have been taught to grow in” because being thin for a woman is a desired trait. My absolute favorite is when she states that at times a woman may feel like a “fugitive stealing calories” that they may not deserve. Why are women regulated so harshly? As a woman who truly loves to eat and try new foods, I can vouch for how hard it is to eat the way I want while simultaneously maintaining society’s ideal image of super skinny = beautiful. In my opinion, women need to maintain the healthy lifestyle that works best for them; at the end of the day if you really want to eat something, EAT IT. Why should men get to have all the fun anyway?

  4. I liked how Lily used the metaphor of women shrinking. Not only was Lily subconsciously taught by her mother to become physically thinner, but also to be less outspoken and draw less attention to herself. “I asked 5 questions in genetics class today and all of them started with the word ‘sorry.'” I’ve totally done this before in Stat class. It’s like I wanted to learn the material but didn’t want to be “that person.” I think a lot of this has to do with being female and feeling like I’m supposed to just “get things” the first time. Loved this piece! Slam poetry is so cool and different.

  5. Model Kate Moss once said “Nothing Tastes good as Skinny Feels”. When I heard this for the first time I thought to myself well I can name 1,000 other things that taste better than skinny. One thing that I know that tastes better than skinny, is being healthy. I agree with Lily Myer, today in society women have a lot of pressure to be skinny and to have a nice looking body. A part of the reason why I think girls, especially teen girls feel the need to be skinny is because of who the put on the cover of magazines these days. These are not real women they are putting on the cover of magazines, they are photoshopped women. Body image for women is not taken seriously, I think people do not realize how mean comments on a women’s body can affect her. The comments that are said to women these days about their body, can lead to eating disorder. Skinny models like, Kate Moss are not really good role models for young girls. Another thing to Kate Moss’s quote that girls should be thinking is that “Nothing Tastes better as food feels.”

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/10/lily-myers-shrinking-women-body-image_n_4078192.html?icid=maing-grid7%7Chtmlws-main-bb%7Cdl28%7Csec1_lnk2%26pLid%3D389974

    Chapter 2 and Chapter 6

  6. I absolutely loved the poetry slam done by Lily Myers. Unfortunately I completely agree with what she was saying. Why is it ok for men to eat whatever they please, yet women can’t even consume a sweet treat without risking judgment? In Lily’s words, “Men are taught to grow out,[while] women are taught to grow in.” Listening to the snaps and applauses coming from the crowd in the background shows how many people agree with the words she was speaking. The older I get the more I realize a man’s “beer gut” is seen as something to be proud of, but when a woman has the slightest pudginess to her stomach she is seen as obese. Watching this poetry slam has got me wondering… what is the cause of these double standards? This has inspired me to pay more attention to this double standard and I am eager to see how much more I learn about this once I really start watching and listening to what others are saying about their own or others weight

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