The History of Body-Shaming: The 1700s – 21st Century
It’s the 21st century, an adolescent girl spends her spare time reading the newest edition of the Cosmopolitan magazine. A stunning model lays on the front cover, her tiny frame barely covered by a skimpy outfit. As the young girl gazes through the various models on the pages, she notices something odd. Out of all of the models advertised by the magazine, none of them seem to portray her outward appearance. Every model displays a tall, thin frame with a beautiful face and flawless skin. The young girl speculates why she is so different; why can’t she look like these ‘perfect’ models in the media? Over time and various occasions of being exposed to these unrealistic images, the girl becomes…show more content… Women are influenced throughout various forms of media to alter themselves in order to better fit this ‘ideal’ look. The media overall plays a huge role in the way that women view themselves and others. This can ultimately lead to body-shaming. Body-shaming can generally be described as criticizing one’s appearance or others’ appearances. Body-shaming can lead to various damaging consequences, such as a poor self-body image. Body image is the way that someone views their physical appearance, influenced by observations of themselves or of…show more content… Although the shaming back in the 18th century is far different from what women experience today, we do see a relationship between the two. Today’s body shaming is seen as far worse than that in history. Body-shaming in the 21st century can be linked to higher levels of depression, anxiety, low self-esteem and also higher rates of beauty altercation procedures (e.g. plastic surgery/liposuction). On the other hand, body-shaming back in earlier decades may not have been as serious or detrimental and is not necessarily linked directly to psychological or permanent physical consequences. Much like today’s body shaming, women back in this time era were considered ‘ideal’ or beautiful when they looked a certain way that fit the time
