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.
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