Combatting Poor Body Image

One thing that has happened (in some places) over the past few years is a campaign for women in the U.S. to accept themselves as they are.

One article does this by giving quotes from men who are love women of different body times, from the plump to the pencil-legged and beyond.

Other articles, like those in some women's magazines, try to give fashion tips for women of differing body types. The problem with these is that the models are usually just that--models ascribed to the rungs of "normal modely type" and "plus-size modely type" and therefore not realistic at all. I guess they work as mere guidelines.


Marie Claire does, however, have a Virtual Model program on its Web site that allows you to find "the best fashion for your figure", and the models are fairly realistic looking--you can expand or decrease the size of the model to look more accurately like your figure. The clothing they've chosen to include are really frumpy, though. Your three choices are Land's End (eh), Sears (EW!), Levi Strauss Signature and Speedo.


I heard a really fantastic program on NPR last year about women around the world (and men and whole countries) trying to combat body image (and modern health) woes--something I strongly feel started in the U.S. with our bulemic, plasticized, whitened-teeth alternate reality.

While running small campaigns to make women feel better about themselves is a step in the right direction, I have a feeling it's not going to do much to make most women feel better about themselves. I mean, just stepping into any high-class mall makes you feel like purging your last meal (and skipping the next), and looking at our celebrity role models--especially those lauded for being curvy in all their size four glory--doesn't do any body good.

I think this is just one of those problems we're stuck with. Forever.

What do you think?