Females in particular have always been body conscious, ultimately because they want to be seen as desirable and because of the competition between females for popularity and attention.
While thin waists have been desirable for hundreds of years, the pressure to be stick thin was first noticed to be a trend in the 1960s with the arrival of the model twiggy.
the 60s was a time of development in women's rights and women having control over their bodies was a way to show their independence. However, as the media and accessibility of information as been increasing, this ideal is shoved in our faces as we walk past every service station and every time we turn on the tv or open the internet.
The funny thing is that all this has been going on while there has also been a rapid increase in obesity. This gap between what the media shows us vs what the average woman actually weighs has created perceptions of perfection that are portrayed to be attainable but the vast amount and variety of food available today could possibly be making this ideal seem unreachable unless food intake is controlled rigidly.
However, what at first often starts as a desire to be healthy can soon turn into something much more deadly. This thin ideal is often associated with happiness and success, but people are often disappointed when they lose a lot of weight but they do not feel very happy because they are still imperfect and still have flaws. This can then have dangerous repercussions if the person is under the control of an eating disorder, and their perception of themselves, food and the world is completely skewed.
Positive thought for the day- I am allowed to play oztag (an Australian rugby league based game with tags instead of tackles) with my school friends now once a week :)
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