Security Sweaters
"Girls are being taught very young that thin and sexy is the way they want to be when they grow up, so they'd better start working on that now”-Sharon Lamb from the article “Do thin models warp girls' body image?”
Do thin models warp girls' body image? YES! I can’t ever think of a time I was secure in my body. I remember becoming really self-conscious in the 4th grade. I was chubby and an early developer, some girls never have to wear a bra but I started wearing a bra in the 5th grade. I could relate to Emily Kaplan’s story “Ode to my Breasts”. Like her there were times I found myself “wishing I was not so breast-o-rific(Red 19)”. As you get older big breasts are culturally beautiful, but not in the 5th grade, in the 5th grade it is weird. Our society is so set on this beauty ideal and that whoever does not fit into the requirements is not deemed beautiful. Children are mean and younger and younger they are taught what the definition of beautiful is. I have always been insecure about my body.
My older sister was always thin and could wear cute clothes and I wanted that as well, but when I could not fit into them I began to realize that not only did I not it into the clothes, but I did not fit the beautiful category. So I began to cover up my body. For the entire 3 years of middle school (which is a horrible, insecure stage of life to begin with) I would constantly wear a jacket. In my little middle school mind I thought my chubbiness, ugliness, and insecurities were hidden under these jackets and sweaters. They became a security blanket for me, making me feel invisible and invulnerable. I really connected with Amy Hunt’s story “sleeves”, like her I always thinking “if I were skinny this, if I were skinny that (Red 5)”. All I wanted was to be skinny, because skinny is beautiful, after all that is what society tells me.
I remember being in middle school and getting my period. I was scared and emotional. I did not know what to do; I was embarrassed to tell anyone. I remember going into my mom’s room and asking if I was suppose to wear a pad to bed. Again, in my middle school little mind I thought maybe you stop bleeding at night. When I asked that question the conversation opened up and I remember crying, whether it was out of embarrassment or fear of the unknown I am not sure. I like how Emily Kaplan states “I didn’t want to begin that awkward transition into womanhood (Red 17)” that is how I felt when I had to start wearing a bra and starting my period. Even though I was entering awkwardly into womanhood I felt like a baby wearing a diaper. This life course of “Introduction to Womanhood” (maybe we really do need to course for girls) lead to the start of wearing makeup, shaving my legs, and doing all the other things women do.
In the article Kelly Cutrone states “If people decide thin is out, the fashion industry won't have thin models anymore.” So, I beg the question is this true? If so, how do we break this vicious cycle of thin being in? Not only are we as women going to have to stand up, but we have to change society as a whole. We have to change men’s way of thinking as well.
Here is an interesting video made by girls for girls trying to break society’s view of beautiful.
Do thin models warp girls' body image? YES! I can’t ever think of a time I was secure in my body. I remember becoming really self-conscious in the 4th grade. I was chubby and an early developer, some girls never have to wear a bra but I started wearing a bra in the 5th grade. I could relate to Emily Kaplan’s story “Ode to my Breasts”. Like her there were times I found myself “wishing I was not so breast-o-rific(Red 19)”. As you get older big breasts are culturally beautiful, but not in the 5th grade, in the 5th grade it is weird. Our society is so set on this beauty ideal and that whoever does not fit into the requirements is not deemed beautiful. Children are mean and younger and younger they are taught what the definition of beautiful is. I have always been insecure about my body.
My older sister was always thin and could wear cute clothes and I wanted that as well, but when I could not fit into them I began to realize that not only did I not it into the clothes, but I did not fit the beautiful category. So I began to cover up my body. For the entire 3 years of middle school (which is a horrible, insecure stage of life to begin with) I would constantly wear a jacket. In my little middle school mind I thought my chubbiness, ugliness, and insecurities were hidden under these jackets and sweaters. They became a security blanket for me, making me feel invisible and invulnerable. I really connected with Amy Hunt’s story “sleeves”, like her I always thinking “if I were skinny this, if I were skinny that (Red 5)”. All I wanted was to be skinny, because skinny is beautiful, after all that is what society tells me.
I remember being in middle school and getting my period. I was scared and emotional. I did not know what to do; I was embarrassed to tell anyone. I remember going into my mom’s room and asking if I was suppose to wear a pad to bed. Again, in my middle school little mind I thought maybe you stop bleeding at night. When I asked that question the conversation opened up and I remember crying, whether it was out of embarrassment or fear of the unknown I am not sure. I like how Emily Kaplan states “I didn’t want to begin that awkward transition into womanhood (Red 17)” that is how I felt when I had to start wearing a bra and starting my period. Even though I was entering awkwardly into womanhood I felt like a baby wearing a diaper. This life course of “Introduction to Womanhood” (maybe we really do need to course for girls) lead to the start of wearing makeup, shaving my legs, and doing all the other things women do.
In the article Kelly Cutrone states “If people decide thin is out, the fashion industry won't have thin models anymore.” So, I beg the question is this true? If so, how do we break this vicious cycle of thin being in? Not only are we as women going to have to stand up, but we have to change society as a whole. We have to change men’s way of thinking as well.
Here is an interesting video made by girls for girls trying to break society’s view of beautiful.
Comments
I loved the video, too.