The Female Body What the Media Considers Sexy
Author: Larissa Wignall
Growing up in the UK surrounded by ideal body types, before and after, and zoomed-in images of what the media produced. Is it any wonder why many of us have developed unhealthy eating habits and excessive exercise regimes?
Through the 1990s and 2000s magazines showcased an empire of highly slim/borderline ill models and celebrities. And if you didn’t fit that profile – you would be scrutinized for the world to see – splashed across teen, gossip, and mum life publications. Thinking back to the look – the trend was heroin chic. The name speaks for itself and is one that many of your girls next door couldn’t fit into.
Western culture and society sent strict messages to our girls that you must fit a particular role and look a certain way to get anywhere in life. That is to look sexy for whatever era it may be. Otherwise, you will never get a job, husband to marry, children, and anywhere else in life if your beauty and body weren’t up to scratch.
Isn’t it a wonder why anxiety and stress lie at the forefront of many problems today? With everyone trying to have a perfect life on the exterior. This doesn’t even consider how social media has influenced the way we think, look, and feel about ourselves but I’ll save that for another time.
With an increase in plastic surgery, filler, Botox, and all kinds of salon enhancements. Will our females ever feel sexy again? If what we’re striving for is unattainable? It starts with a boob job and the next minute it goes to lipo, butt implants, and a whole new person. This may sound far-fetched but it’s the sad reality of the 21st century.
How can we possibly keep up when sex appeal in the 1950s was pin-up stars, such as Aubrey Hepburn, Marilyn Monroe, Sophia Loren, and Brigitte Bardot to name a few. Led to the 1970s of hippy girl, free love vibes. Where slim builds were in fashion but at least this was an era where women were given a voice. This was a time of seeking out equal rights, challenging sexism, fighting for legal abortion, and overcoming oppression.
Moving to the 90s which I earlier mentioned as heroin chic. This particularly stands out for me because I bought weekly magazines that highlighted how not perfect women were and what needed to be done to work on themselves. This was ingrained in my skin - as well as a little part of my brain that we don’t always talk about – the unconscious. If we weren’t that perfect size 0, then how could we fix this? What diets could we do to stop any more weight pilling on? And if someone had a stretch mark – heaven forbid! The media would zoom in and circle the image on a woman’s leg or arm.
Then belly rolls, belly fat, anything that wasn’t a washing board belly would be highlighted and we were told how disgusting this really was. How could one even dream of allowing this to happen to themselves? What a lazy person this female must be! This was the harsh reality of reading magazines growing up and looking at mainstream advertisements daily. I know this will trigger many – as well as myself.
Towards the 00s and present day. People like the rise of the Kardashians, Beyonce, Jennifer Lopez, and Rihanna have given some hope to others. We have seen an increase in diverse celebrities and people in the spotlight. Whether they have been surgically enhanced, natural, or from different places and cultures. Diversity is welcomed and on the forefront for our future children and generations.
Something else that hasn’t always been accepted is if you’ve created a human, pushed it down your birth canal, and into this world. Then not being able to bounce back to a reasonable size that society can handle – you must have something wrong with you. This is still the views globally and enhanced by us being able to see every small detail of people’s lives on apps like Instagram.
With time changing, people have more exposure to the world around us and many have become open-minded about us having this human experience. That goes for a lot of the media too. From the time I was younger, seeing barbaric images of what we should look like and if there’s a hair out of place it’s game over. Claiming our individuality and diversity is a move in the right direction.
No longer are magazines (well some still are but if you know this, I hope you’re moving with this transition of self-love and body positivity) picking out those stretch marks, belly fat, or anything that well, would make us human. Many advertisements are leaving the models un-airbrushed and with body hair, marks, scars, or flaws showing that person’s identity.
This, right now, here in 2022 is a time of self-love champions like @megan_rose_lane, @danamercer, and @alexlight_ldn on Instagram. We don’t always have to mask something as a flaw or surround it with a negative connotation. The things we are trying to make perfect are our beautiful, natural, human selves that have done and will do so much for us. It carries our entire skeletal system, and organs, and can birth another human.
This is no joke females. Yes, look after your well-being – exercise, meditate, eat healthy meals, have sufficient sleep but also, drink wine, dance all night long, and fall in love with yourself first. Then fall in love with someone – don’t worry about a bit of fat protecting your organs here and there – because they will not. Be more concerned with your inner being. Once you figure that out – everything else will fall into place I promise you. And you will feel sexy no matter the country, era, season, or whatever the media will throw at you.
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Twitter: @larissa_dharma_
LinkedIn: Larissa Wignall