At what age did
you go on your first diet? The prevalence of dieting, body dissatisfaction, and
eating disorders in our society is alarming, especially since Americans
consider concern about one’s weight to be normal. Body dissatisfaction has
become so common and affects so many people- many of them teen- and
college-aged women- that it is necessary to examine how and why this
normalization occurred, and what can be done to create change. The way the media
portrays body types and weight largely affects how society views and judges the
way others and we look. Conflict theory, which argues that powerful groups and
individuals use inequality to maintain order, can help explain the
glorification of thinness by the power elite and media in America today, and
why a complete overhaul of Americas’ standards for beauty is necessary to
reduce the pervasiveness of eating disorders.
Body
dissatisfaction and eating disorders are becoming increasingly common, partially
due to the influence of the media on body image. According to Wade,
Keski-Rahkonen, & Hudson, over twenty million women and ten million men in
America will be diagnosed with an eating disorder at some point in their lives
(2011), and these numbers do not include those who privately suffer or are
never diagnosed. Even those without full-fledged eating disorders are
self-conscious about their bodies, leading to overall unhappiness and anxiety
(Haworth-Heoppner 2000).
Researchers have
observed that the increasing preoccupation with weight is linked to the
unrealistic ideals promoted on television and in magazines. Adolescents idolize
their favorite celebrities and want to act and look just like them, but many
are unaware that the media uses digital manipulation such as Photoshop to make
stars appear thinner (Bush Hitchon et al 2004). These ideals are often
unattainable and women blame themselves for not being able to reach the “norm,”
leading to body dissatisfaction (Choate 2007). Magazines associate thinness
with beauty and attractiveness, and readers who do not develop eating disorders
are also affected by these messages, and can experience anxiety over their
appearance (Bush Hitchon et al 2004).
Besides the
idolization of low weight celebrities, the media also blatantly disapproves of
anyone outside the thin ideal. Television and magazines promote thinness as
moral and being overweight as the opposite. In the past and in other cultures,
being overweight and even obese was valued in a woman, as it signified the
wealth of her father and later her husband. A “trophy wife” was one whose labor
was not needed in order to provide for the family, so it was not necessary for
her to be active or fit. Our ancestors associated thinness with illness or
starvation, while being overweight was an attribute of the upper class. In
twentieth century America, as consumerism became associated with immorality, so
did being overweight. The media portrays overweight Americans as gluttonous,
while society thinks of thinness as active, moral, and attractive. Those who
are obese are considered to lack discipline, and it is seen as their own fault
for not making healthy choices (Gruys and Saguy 2010). Along with the problem
of exaltation of thinness, the media’s portrayal and thus society’s perception
of obesity as innately wrong or bad must also change.
Conflict theory,
developed by theorists including Max Weber, Karl Marx, and C. Wright Mills, can
be used to explore body image portrayal and the media. Generally, conflict
theory refers to the idea that there is dissension and conflict everywhere in
society. Society is naturally stratified, with highly regarded individuals who
hold wealth, power, and prestige at the top of the hierarchy. Karl Marx
recognizes the bourgeoisie as the power-holders in society, and the proletariat
as the oppressed working class. According to Marx, the bourgeoisie use power
disparities to maintain the stratified social order. The ideas of the ruling
class become popular culture, as those with a lower status strive to imitate those
in power. Marx predicts a revolution in which the proletariat will overthrow
the bourgeoisie and create a classless society. C. Wright Mills coined the term
“sociological imagination,” which allows us to look at society through both history
and our personal biographies. Mills names the members of the upper echelon “the
power elite,” and agrees with Marx that these individuals hold positions in
society that allow them to wield influence over others. Members of the power
elite make decisions that have overarching effects on society and history. However,
these individuals do not take responsibility for the effects of their actions and
instead claim that events just “happen” (1956).
Conflict theory
explains how social stratification has been maintained, and why some members of
society are more likely to assume powerful roles. However, this theory falls short in that it
does not predict why or when people will work together, and does not explain
the role of norms, values, and morality in society. Because of these
limitations, functionalists such as Emile Durkham developed consensus theory,
which asserts that society is naturally orderly and is static or is moving
toward equilibrium, whereas conflict theory describes society as always
changing and the social classes as conflicting instead of working together. Another
shortcoming of Marx’s version of conflict theory is that the proletariat
revolution did not happen (or has not yet happened).
Magazines and
television are run by the powerful members of society, the power elite, and so
represent the interests of this group. Because thinness is associated with the
upper class in today’s society, it is also portrayed as being linked to power,
success, and happiness (Bush Hitchin et al 2004). People want to be thin so
they will more closely imitate the power elite. The media claims that anyone
can make the personal decision to make healthy choices and be thin, and those
who don’t are flawed and can be blamed for their lack of discipline. People
with eating disorders, skewed in their perceptions of their own weights, blame
themselves for lacking the discipline necessary to be thin, and therefore to be
beautiful and powerful; it is their own personal flaw. However, a conflict
theorist would look at the prevalence of eating disorders in society and ask
why so many people have the same personal flaw, and if it is a personal flaw at
all but instead a problem with society’s perception of thinness as the ideal. Even
if all the Americans suffering from an eating disorder were to recover today,
tomorrow there would be more people who begin to harbor a negative body image
or exhibit behaviors associated with an eating disorder. In order to prevent
eating disorders and body dissatisfaction from occurring at all, the societal
standard of thinness as the ideal must change (Barkan 2012). As Marx described,
a complete overhaul of society’s standards for beauty is necessary in order to
change the way people think about body image.
Conflict theory
does not perfectly analyze perception of body image in our society because eating
disorders are not necessarily stratified according to class, class being one of
the focuses of conflict theory (Crisp and McClelland 2001). Since eating
disorders are not necessarily linked to social class, it would not be necessary
to overthrow the elite as the rulers of society in order to change media
portrayal of thinness, as Marx wanted. Instead, the current ideals of the elite and the whole
society must change. Because the media has such an influence over society, it
can actually aid this shift by portraying individuals of all shapes and sizes
as healthy and normal, and not emphasizing dieting or losing weight as
necessary to be happy or successful. However, because the power elite controls
the media, this group must lead the shift. In the meantime, average Americans
can be critical and aware of the unrealistic beauty standard the media
portrays, and not let this cultural aspect affect the way their lifestyles and
personal body image (Choate 2007).
Application of
conflict theory to eating disorders, specifically body image and the media, can
help the public understand that not conforming to the ideal of thinness does
not indicate a lack of discipline, and is not a personal flaw. The media
associates thinness with the power, wealth, and prestige of the power elite, and
so Americans strive to imitate these individuals and be thin. In order to
reduce the prevalence of body dissatisfaction and eating disorders, it will be
necessary to completely change the way the power elite and media portray
beauty. In the meantime, it is possible to be critical and aware of the media’s
skewed beauty standards and begin to transition toward a healthier body image.
Works Cited
Barkan, Steven. 2012. A Primer on Social Problems. Creative
Commons.
Bush Hitchon, Jacqueline, Sung-Yeon Park,
Shiela Reaves, and Gi Woong Yun. 2004.
“’You Can Never
Be Too Thin’-or Can You? A
Pilot Study on The Effects of
Digital
Manipulation of Fashion Models’ Body Size, Leg Length, and Skin Color.”Race,
Gender and Class 11(2):140-155.
Choate, Laura Hensley. 2007. “Counseling
Adolescent Girls for Body Image Resilience:
Strategies for
School Counselors.” Professional School
Counseling 10(3): 317-
326.
Crisp, A. and L. McClelland. 2001.
“Anorexia nervosa and social class.” The
International Journal of Eating Disorders 29(2): 150-156.
Mills, C. Wright. 1956. The Power Elite. New York: Oxford
University Press.
Gruys, Kjerstin and Abigail C. Saguy. 2010.
“Morality and Health: News Media
Constructions of
Overweight and Eating Disorders.” Social
Problems 57(2): 231-250.
Haworth-Hoeppner, Susan. 2000. “The Critical Shapes of Body Image: The Role of
Culture
and Family in the Production of Eating Disorders.” Journal of Marriage and Family 62(1): 212-227.
Wade, T. D., Keski-Rahkonen A., &
Hudson J. 2011. “Epidemiology of eating
disorders.” Pp.
343-360 in Textbook in Psychiatric
Epidemiology, edited by M. Tsuang and M. Tohen. 3rd ed. New York: Wiley.
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