Perception And Weight

Though it may be hard to imagine, there was a time when excess body fat was not a stigma at all; in fact, excess body fat was once considered an indicator of status. The thinking went that a person with body fat had the means to eat well and to do so regularly. It should be noted that this perception existed during a time and in places where food shortages and famine could and did occur.

Matters have definitely changed.

Excess body mass, especially in Western societies, is not viewed as favorable any longer; to the contrary, there's now a considerable negative perception attached to excess weight. This negative perception has been established, at least in part, by the reality of food ampleness in Western countries. When everyone can eat, eating plentifully doesn't carry much significance. But food ampleness isn't the only basis for new perceptions about over weight. Two other scenarios also provide insight: it's now widely understood that excess body mass is detrimental; and the media often shows imagery of slim people.

The media's show of thin is a powerful image-maker. The visual of slender bodies, often presented in highly desirable ways, leaves a strong impression. And the media shows these visuals over and over again, so the impression is maintained.

This isn't meant to imply the media is using imagery to somehow poison society's consciousness. We must all take responsibility for what we believe in, and how we act upon our belief systems. Still, it's fallacy to believe the media's vast reach fails to affect opinion.

For all intents and purposes, the media's display of the thin, chiseled body type is meant for commercialism. The media hopes to present a desirious image and ascribe some product or other to it. Their basic motivation is to turn a sale, and they're presenting body imagery as a way see it happen.

But trouble can occur when the public endeavors to imitate the "perfect" body visual they get from the media. Eating dysfunctions are a possible result. The extensiveness of food disorders in Western society is surely related to frequent media imagery of slim, and the innuendo that a lean body is exceptionally pleasing.

There is also the emotional pain and suffering suffered by those whose body type is in contrast to slender. Overweight people can take a psychological pounding because of their appearance. They're at the opposite end of the ideal. They're inferior -- or so the thinking and the treatment sometimes goes.

A healthy body is a good thing. A fit body is a good thing. But, though it may be difficult to do in the face of so much feedback, each of us must develop our own value system as to what's a desirable body type, and what is not. If we let the media create this value system for us, we put ourselves in a vulnerable, and potentially damaging position.

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