Women’s Obsession With Body Image

Dixya Poudel

Most women, including celebrities are known to have body image issues. Many have spoken about their struggles with weight and how they perceive their bodies. Billie Eilish, who is a famous singer and songwriter, has confessed to having dysmorphia that is a psychological condition in which individuals spend an excessive amount of time worrying about the flaws in their appearances. Such flaws tend to be unnoticeable to others but individuals with Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) are too self-conscious and preoccupied by even the most negligible of flaws in their appearances. 

For someone like Billie who is constantly in the public eye, the scrutiny has led to anxiety. Her music expresses her struggles with fame and the resultant stress to conform to a norm. While BDD can affect both men and women, it is mostly common among girls and women who tend to be more self-conscious of their appearances. The reflection on the mirror or the number on the weighing scale or even the choices of wardrobes shouldn’t be the determining factors on self-esteem. 

Yet, most of the time they affect an individual’s confidence. Girls realise from their childhood that appearances matter. They are praised for their beauty, perhaps a little more than their other qualities. Amongst their peers, they find themselves competing for attention. Once they are in their teens, they find themselves clamouring for attention in their social circles and beauty is the most cherished attribute to attract attention. It doesn’t help that beauty contests are considered to be a hallmark of excellence where girls and women are glorified for their appearances.  

One might argue that these are changing times where gender is a rather fluid subject. Yet, it remains that girls and women are more prone to scrutiny when it comes to their outer appearances. With celebrities today sounding the alarm over body shaming in pop culture, there has been a rising outcry over photoshopped images on magazines, TV and movies. When unfiltered photos of Beyoncé surfaced on the media, it showed the contrast between the real images and the photoshopped images. Why would Beyoncé, a popular singer and dancer who is known for her music and beauty, feel insecure of her appearance? 

One has to look no further than the contemporary pop culture where the young, the beautiful and the fittest are idolised and put on a pedestal by the world. Today the pop world includes most aspect of the media rewards, the beautiful faces and the perfect bodies with praises and accolades. 

Their talents are somewhat undermined by their looks. Plastic surgery has become a booming industry. Most celebrities have undergone facial or body surgery to look younger and fitter. And it is women who are more prone to consider plastic surgery in comparison to men. 

Media is thus rife with plastic faces and plastic bodies. It isn’t therefore surprising that the youths are filled with insecurities with their appearances. There is always someone fitter, more beautiful and more eye-catching. Young girls should be taught to respect themselves and improve their perception of themselves. They should be encouraged to love themselves for who they are not their shape and size. Body image is a delicate subject that should be tackled with much sensibility as ultimately individuals are much more than their bodies.