Although physicians focus on
obesity, in our image conscious society, being overweight is also a
problem. The media tell that being
overweight is undesirable and that they should conform to certain ideal body
images (such as being tall, thin, and “cut” with muscular definition). For example, the average actress and model is
thinner than 95% of the female population and weighs 23% less than the average
woman. The average American woman is
5’4”, 143 pounds, and wears a size 10-12.
The average model is 5’10” and 110 pounds. Today’s lean but muscular version of
perfection is a very demanding standard for both women and men to meet.
People may become dissatisfied
and concerned about their inability to achieve these ideals. The scope of this dissatisfaction is evident
in a study of over 800 women, which revealed that nearly half were unhappy with
their weight, muscle tone, hips, thighs, buttocks, and legs. When this type of dissatisfaction exists,
people begin to question their attractiveness, and their self-esteem tends to
decline.
In
comparison with being overweight, little media attention has been paid to being
underweight. However, the body image
problems experienced by some extremely thin people can be equally distressing.
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