What Does Your Body Say?

Women get judged on their appearances every day. Television shows such as America’s Next Top Model emphasis the need to be Barbie perfect and eliminate anyone who falls a little short. A myriad of stereotypes exist for women, and most can be based on looks. For my women’s studies project I wanted to show some of the famous women who appear to be the epitome of these stereotypes. I also found it interesting that most of them have prominent quotes either affirming or denying these. My question for fellow women is two-fold, what does your body say to society and what do you want it to say? Thanks.

Anorexic~ Athlete~ Baby Machine~ Bachelorette~ Ball Breaker~ Beauty Queen~ Bimbo~ Bitch~ Cunt~ Daddy’s Girl~ Diva~ Dominatrix~ Drama Queen~ Dumb Blonde~ Feminist~ Femme Fatale~ Gold Digger~ Heroine~ Housewife~ Intellect~ Lesbian~ Man Hater ~ Mistress~ Obese~ Princess~ Prude~ Saint~ Slut~ Soccer Mom~ Spinster~ Spoiled Brat~ Tomboy~ Trophy Wife~ Virgin~ Witch




As a model, you’re so used to taking your clothes off that you just don’t care.
-Tyra Banks

Step Away from the Mean Girls… …and say bye-bye to feeling bad about your looks. Are you ready to stop colluding with a culture that makes so many of us feel physically inadequate? Say goodbye to your inner critic, and take this pledge to be kinder to yourself and others. This is a call to arms. A call to be gentle, to be forgiving, to be generous with yourself. The next time you look into the mirror, try to let go of the story line that says you're too fat or too sallow, too ashy or too old, your eyes are too small or your nose too big; just look into the mirror and see your face. When the criticism drops away, what you will see then is just you, without judgment, and that is the first step toward transforming your experience of the world." -Oprah Winfrey

I think that whatever size or shape body you have, it's important to embrace it and get down! The female body is something that's so beautiful. I wish women would be proud of their bodies and not dis other women for being proud of theirs!
-Christina Aguilera

The thing I like about my body is that it's strong. I can move furniture around my apartment. I can ride my horse... I can play basketball. It's a well functioning machine. -Cindy Crawford

Art is not the application of a canon of beauty but what the instinct and the brain can conceive beyond any canon. When we love a woman we don’t start measuring her limbs. -Pablo Picasso

For me, it might sound cliche, but beauty for me really does start on the inside. It's like a state of mind, a state of love if you will. Then, whatever you can do on the outside is all like a bonus. -Queen Latifah

Beauty is grace and confidence. I’ve learned to accept what nature gave me.
–Lindsay Lohan

Just because I look sexy on the cover of Rolling Stone doesn't mean I'm naughty. -Britney Spears

I don't see myself as beautiful, because I can see a lot of flaws. People have really odd opinions. They tell me I'm skinny, as if that's supposed to make me happy. -Angelina Jolie

Belly II

1. What is the physical feature of your body that you hate the most?
My belly.

2. Please explain why:
It looks like a road map through the hills.

3. Describe one time when you were particularly angry with this part of your body, or when you felt the most aware of it.
After I gave birth to my second son (Brody).

4. If you could name this body part, what would you call it?
A Road Map to sadness...

The Body's Breath

Legs

1. What is the physical feature of your body that you hate the most?
My legs

2. Please explain why:
Please let me introduce you to my legs. They’re short, chubby, red, curved in all the wrong directions, lanced with stretch marks and old scars: and of course, lots of black hair. If I let them out of confinement and into the sun, they glow like moonlight—sickly, pallid yellow moonlight. Only I get to see them. Even in the sun, only I get to see them. I am the only one who knows after I learned to bike, I had bright purple and black bruises on my legs. I didn’t want to brag about my biking accomplishments—that would involve showing off all that I’ve never accomplished: like Barbie-thin shapely legs.

3. Describe one time when you were particularly angry with this part of your body, or when you felt the most aware of it.
It wasn’t always like this. In fact, for most of my childhood I wore shorts and was glad to run around. I actually terribly miss the feeling of the breeze and green grass on my calves and thighs. Around 12 or 13 I was sitting beside my dad. He patted my bare ankle and asked, “When you gonna start shaving these hairy monsters?” I excused myself. He didn’t know he hurt my feelings. He doesn’t know to this day how my self consciousness has grown from a vague feeling of unease to days when I don’t want to get out of bed. I recall standing in the bathroom with my shorts off looking at my legs. I tried to shave then, with a straight razor, and badly scarred my legs. My skin takes scars very easy as is. Now I wear a series of hatch marks from the times I tried to fit in. This line is from shaving for graduation, and this purple dot from a first date. Eventually I gave up, and stopped shaving. But now I must always be in hiding, or face being labeled a “dirty European women” or “lesbian” or “hippie.” All because I naturally have hair on my legs. I never knew my short-freedom would end as soon as I reached puberty.

4. If you could name this body part, what would you call it?
My dad would call it those hairy monsters. It’s hard to get past this name. I want to call them my legs, but I find I call them My Uglies, to refer to the Good, Bad and Ugly... for I am the most bowlegged woman who never rode a horse.

Inner Thighs

1. What is the physical feature of your body that you hate the most?
My INNER thighs

2. Please explain why:
Well, most women complain about saddle bags.. I just have the whole damn saddle, thank you very much. No matter how much I work out this particular part of myself I cant seem to get anything accomplished with it. It just maintains its...gross-ness

3. Describe one time when you were particularly angry with this part of your body, or when you felt the most aware of it.
I hate this part of my body when I'm intimate with the love of my life. I'm self concious about it and I know it frustrates him that I don't think every part of myself is beautiful--including that particular area. Also, any time during swimsuit season... its so embarassing and I feel like I catch people staring at that particular part of me--maybe I'm just paranoid

4. If you could name this body part, what would you call it?
The Saddle (of course)

Skin

1. What is the physical feature of your body that you hate the most?
My skin.

2. Please explain why:
My skin is dry and pale and pockmarked and stretched and hanging and creased in places that should be smooth.

3. Describe one time when you were particularly angry with this part of your body, or when you felt the most aware of it.
After years of gaining/losing weight, my skin began to change in texture and appearance. It started with stretch marks from giving birth. I became angry with this part at age 20. We’ve been fighting ever since.

4. If you could name this body part, what would you call it?
Poor packaging.

Stomach VII

1. What is the physical feature of your body that you hate the most?
My after-a-big-baby-belly

2. Please explain why:
Unless I am wearing a smoother, my flabby, leftover skin from having my son is very obvious. Going from a size 8 to a size 12 really limits my choices already, and having to dress around my stomach has made it that much harder.

3. Describe one time when you were particularly angry with this part of your body, or when you felt the most aware of it.
When I first started to buy post-pregnancy dress clothes, I had to turn away hundreds (literally!!) of shirts that I fell in love with while they were on the hanger because they just didn't hang right on me.

4. If you could name this body part, what would you call it?
Wrinkly McFats

Chest II

1. What is the physical feature of your body that you hate the most?
my chest

2. Please explain why:
it does not compare to the size of others with my same body structure

3. Describe one time when you were particularly angry with this part of your body, or when you felt the most aware of it.
anytime in the summer with a swim suit on.

4. If you could name this body part, what would you call it?
??

Upper Arms

1. What is the physical feature of your body that you hate the most?
My upper arms

2. Please explain why:
I think they are flabby, they swing when I move them and can look really unflattering in a sleevless top.

3. Describe one time when you were particularly angry with this part of your body, or when you felt the most aware of it.
When I was maid of honor for my sisters wedding, and I looked at all of the pictures afterwards and thought my arms just made me look horribly fat...now I can't enjoy any photos of me from my sisters wedding.

4. If you could name this body part, what would you call it?
Bertha

Stomach VI

1. What is the physical feature of your body that you hate the most?
My stomach.

2. Please explain why:
After my second child, my stomach started getting larger. My third child just pushed my stomach over the edge. No matter how many crunches, exercises, and conversations with my doctor, my stomach hasn't gotten any better. I have muscle damage in it, and the only thing that would help is a tummy tuck, which is something I don't really want to do.

3. Describe one time when you were particularly angry with this part of your body, or when you felt the most aware of it.
I was walking out of K-Mart once, and this old man looked at me and called out "When's the baby due?" Travis was six years old, so I said, "About six years ago..." It was very embarrassing.

4. If you could name this body part, what would you call it?
My Something from Joey (it hangs like a kangaroo pouch...and kangaroo babies are joeys).

Eyes

1. What is the physical feature of your body that you hate the most?
My dark under-eye circles.

2. Please explain why:
I think they make me look so much more stressed and tired than I really am, as well as making me look older than I am (every woman's nightmare!).

3. Describe one time when you were particularly angry with this part of your body, or when you felt the most aware of it.
Every day when I put my make-up on. I can never find anything that will cover them. I've tried so many different things and they still are so prominent, and that gets so frustrating and discouraging.

4. If you could name this body part, what would you call it?
ICKY.

Chest I

1. What is the physical feature of your body that you hate the most?
My chest.

2. Please explain why:
Too small, especially in proportion to the rest of me.

3. Describe one time when you were particularly angry with this part of your body, or when you felt the most aware of it.
When I went to Victoria's Secret to find bras and after I couldn't find anything in my size I finally asked a salesperson who told me the store does not make anything small enough for me. I cried.

4. If you could name this body part, what would you call it?
Pathetic.

Abs and Thighs

1. What is the physical feature of your body that you hate the most?
I have two physical features that I hate the most; my lower abdominals and the backs of my thighs.

2. Please explain why:
I hate them because, with my lower abs - that's where I always seem to gain weight and with the backs of my thighs - because I have had the dreaded cellulite there since, well, forever - even when I was super thin in high school.

3. Describe one time when you were particularly angry with this part of your body, or when you felt the most aware of it.
When I realize that I cannot wear bikinis very well, or short skirts in the summer time - without leggings.

4. If you could name this body part, what would you call it?
I would name them Pooch and Cottage Cheese.

Back Fat

1. What is the physical feature of your body that you hate the most?
Back fat....ugh.

2. Please explain why:
If my jeans are too tight it pushes all the extra skin above my pants and makes me look 10 pounds heavier than I am.

3. Describe one time when you were particularly angry with this part of your body, or when you felt the most aware of it.
I can't think of a specific example but I get very mad at my back fat when my shirt is too tight and my skin shows--do you see a theme here of my clothes being too tight at times? haha.

4. If you could name this body part, what would you call it?
My "not-so-loving handles"

Stomach V

1. What is the physical feature of your body that you hate the most?
stomach

2. Please explain why:
I have gained weight and lost weight so my stomach is not toned and has stretch marks

3. Describe one time when you were particularly angry with this part of your body, or when you felt the most aware of it.
When i go swimming, It bothers me to the point where i got a new swimsuit that covers my stomach

4. If you could name this body part, what would you call it?

puke.

Belly IV

1. What is the physical feature of your body that you hate the most?
belly

2. Please explain why:
I have stretch marks from when I was pregnant and scars from numerous surgeries... and it's far from flat.

3. Describe one time when you were particularly angry with this part of your body, or when you felt the most aware of it.
any time I try on clothes

4. If you could name this body part, what would you call it?
"abs-horrent"... abhorrent(ugly)

Thighs I

1. What is the physical feature of your body that you hate the most?
My thighs lol.

2. Please explain why:
It's a hard area to lose weight and people are so picky about each cellulite part that it's like you have to wear pants all the time.

3. Describe one time when you were particularly angry with this part of your body, or when you felt the most aware of it.
I'd have to say in HS when our softball or basketball team had to change I was totally paranoid about what people thought.

4. If you could name this body part, what would you call it?
Ham w/ gissle.

Nose II

1. What is the physical feature of your body that you hate the most?
My nose.

2. Please explain why:
It is way too big for my face. Somehow this doesn't matter as much when it comes to eyes, or even lips, but everyone notices a large schnozz. I've been teased about it for most of my life. I also think it's interesting that I get asked if I'm Jewish all the time. I'm not, and it's a bad stereotype, but it doesn't stop complete strangers from questioning my religious practices based on a physical feature...or my brother telling me I'm adopted.

3. Describe one time when you were particularly angry with this part of your body, or when you felt the most aware of it.
I hate seeing pictures of myself from the side. I can't even describe it. I have a special "head tilt" I always use when someone is taking my picture, thanks to analyzing my face at different angles in photos.

4. If you could name this body part, what would you call it?
Jew.

Smile, Mouth

1. What is the physical feature of your body that you hate the most?
my smile/mouth.

2. Please explain why:
I feel like its obnoxious.. and whenever I smile you can see all 800 of my teeth. in the mirror all i see is horse teeth.

3. Describe one time when you were particularly angry with this part of your body, or when you felt the most aware of it.
whenever people say you have a "big smile" hmmm what is that supposed to mean? what if i said you have a big hand or big feet, or eyes.. it just isnt a compliment.

4. If you could name this body part, what would you call it?
the dentist jackpot/ bigteethasorous.

Stomach III

1. What is the physical feature of your body that you hate the most?
my stomach

2. Please explain why:
i was built short and i don't have a flat stomach like some girls

3. Describe one time when you were particularly angry with this part of your body, or when you felt the most aware of it.
when i want to wear certain things and i don't look in them like i want to

4. If you could name this body part, what would you call it?
pooch

Stomach II

1. What is the physical feature of your body that you hate the most?
I hate my stomach

2. Please explain why:
Because the rest of my body is toned, but no matter what I do, my stomach will never ever ever be flat.

3. Describe one time when you were particularly angry with this part of your body, or when you felt the most aware of it.
I do get frustrated sometimes because I diet and exercise daily. I get especially angry when I try things on, and I have to avoid so many styles because the stupid baby tops exaggerate the fat. Who needs that?

4. If you could name this body part, what would you call it?
My not-a-baby bump

Arms, Thighs, and Belly

1. What is the physical feature of your body that you hate the most?
I wouldn't say I hate any part of my body but there are a couple things I would say that I really dislike such as my arms, thighs, and belly.

2. Please explain why:
I wish my arms were thinner maybe not even as muscular as long as they were thinner, my belly could definity be flatter, and even though I've come to terms with having hips, I wish my thighs were smaller.

3. Describe one time when you were particularly angry with this part of your body, or when you felt the most aware of it.
I would say that I am most aware of my arms when I look at a picture of myself where my arms are exposed and they look really big.

4. If you could name this body part, what would you call it?
thighs: "The Load" or as my boyfriend calls them "the child-bearing load."
arms: whats a push up?
belly: eat much?

Nose I

1. What is the physical feature of your body that you hate the most?
I hate my nose.


2. Please explain why:
It's long, has this weird sort of crook in it, and is also wide. To put it simply, it's big.


3. Describe one time when you were particularly angry with this part of your body, or when you felt the most aware of it.
When I want to take a good picture of myself, I find myself taking about 50 of them before I actually feel confident enough to keep one. Also, it sometimes gets in the way when I want to kiss my boyfriend.


4. If you could name this body part, what would you call it?
Unsightly...that can be a name for a body part, right?

Stomach I

1. What is the physical feature of your body that you hate the most?
MY STOMACH


2. Please explain why:
BECAUSE I HAD 2 C-SECTIONS AND IT LOOKS HORRIBLE.


3. Describe one time when you were particularly angry with this part of your
body, or when you felt the most aware of it. 
EVERY SINGLE DAY!!


4. If you could name this body part, what would you call it? 
WELL FUNNY YOU ASK, A FRIEND OF MINE HAD A
C-SECTION TO AND WE CALL OUR STOMACH OUR SECOND BUTTS,
BECAUSE WE WERE BOTH CUT STRAIGHT UP AND DOWN AND THAT
MAKES IT LOOK LIKE ANOTHER BUTT. I HOWEVER AM NOT GOING
TO INCLUDE A PICTURE OF THIS DUE TO THE FACT IT WOULD
NOT BE A CUTE PICTURE.

The Imperfect Female Body

As women, we are taught that our bodies define our place in the world. We face a culture that assaults the senses with depictions of how we are supposed to look, rather than celebrating difference. We are told to hide our imperfections: to pick, pick, pick at every inch, every tuck, every ounce of our body that isn't perfect. This has not worked out well for us. Eating disorders have been at an all-time high in the last decade for women aged 18-40 (http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/index.php), and negative self-images have been shown to influence even young girls' emotional and psychological responses to the world we live in (http://youthdevelopment.suite101.com/article.cfm/extreme_dieting_plastic_surgery).

So as part of a class project, I asked dozens of women--of all ages--to talk about the area of their body that they hated. Not that's "ok;" not that "needs work." What do you hate about your body? The goal in doing this is to show that no area of the body is safe from criticism: we have become a culture that takes no prisoners. I have done this in order to facilitate a discussion between women about our bodies, about each others' bodies. I ask that you read all of the responses, and leave comments in order to create this open forum. It's possible that just by having a place to anonymously talk about these issues, we can create a more positive environment for our bodies to thrive in.

Thank you.