INSCRIBING GENDER ON THE BODY
DOUBLE STANDARD
Women’s worth is more tied to bodily
appearance than men’s worth
 Physical appearance is more important in
terms of the way women are perceived and
treated
 This is particularly true in terms of the aging
body
 Our understanding of the body cannot exist
outside of the society that gives it meaning

GENDERING OF BODIES
Objectification: the body as an object separate
from its context
 Does control over one’s body equal personal
freedom?
 Does the preoccupation with our bodies distract
us from larger issues (social and political change)?
 Biological determinism: assumption that a
person’s biology or genetic makeup determines
that person’s destiny

THE BEAUTY IDEAL
Contemporary images of female beauty are
changeable and contextual
 The ideal reflects various relations of power in
society
 Beauty practices are enforced in complex ways
 The ideal is directly tied to corporate capitalism
and U.S. consumerism

WOMEN AND BODY IMAGE
The average American woman is 5’4” tall and
weighs 140 pounds. The average American
model is 5’11” tall and weighs 117 pounds.
 Three minutes spent looking at models in a
fashion magazine caused 70% of women to
feel depressed, guilty, and ashamed.
 It is estimated that 40-50% of American women
are trying to lose weight at any point in time.

WOMEN AND BODY IMAGE
One out of every four college aged women has an
eating disorder.
 Almost half of all women smokers smoke because
they see it as the best way to control their weight.
Of these women, 25% will die of a disease caused
by smoking.
 At age thirteen, 53% of American girls are
“unhappy with their bodies.” This grows to 78% by
the time girls reach seventeen.

 Sources: National Institute On Media And Family, About Face, American Academy Of
Pediatrics
PLASTIC SURGERY
From 2009-2010, there was a 9% increase in the
total number of cosmetic surgical procedures: 1.6
million total procedures.
 Since 1997, there has been a 155% increase in
the total number of cosmetic procedures.
 The top five cosmetic surgical procedures in 2010
were: breast augmentation (318,123);
liposuction (289,016); eyelid surgery (152,123);
abdominoplasty (144,929); breast reduction
(138,152).

PLASTIC SURGERY
The top five nonsurgical cosmetic procedures in
2010 were: botulinum toxin type a (2,437,165);
hyaluronic acid (1,315,121); laser hair removal
(936,270); laser skin resurfacing (562,706);
chemical peel (493,896).
 Women had almost 8.6 million cosmetic
procedures, 92% of the total. the number of
cosmetic procedures for women increased
over 164% from 1997.

PLASTIC SURGERY
The top five surgical procedures for women were:
breast augmentation, liposuction, breast
reduction, abdominoplasty, and eyelid surgery.
 Men had over 750,000 cosmetic procedures, 8%
of the total. The number of cosmetic procedures
for men increased over 88% from 1997.
 The top five surgical procedures for men were:
liposuction, rhinoplasty, eyelid surgery, breast
reduction to treat enlarged male breast, and
cosmetic ear surgery.

Source: American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery
PLASTIC SURGERY

Americans spent nearly $10.7 billion on
cosmetic procedures in 2010. Of that total
almost $6.6 billion was spent on surgical
procedures; $1.9 billion was spent on
injectable procedures; $1.8 billion was spent
on skin rejuvenation procedures; and almost
$500 million was spent on other nonsurgical
procedures including laser hair removal and
laser treatment of leg veins.
EATING DISORDERS





Almost 50% of people with eating disorders meet the
criteria for depression.
Only 1 in 10 men and women with eating disorders
receive treatment.
Only 35% of people who receive treatment for eating
disorders get treatment at a specialized facility for
eating disorders.
Up to 24 million people suffer from an eating disorder
(anorexia, bulimia and binge eating disorder) in the
U.S.
Eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of any
mental illness.
EATING DISORDERS AMONG STUDENTS







91% of women surveyed on a college campus had attempted to control their
weight through dieting. 22% dieted “often” or “always.”
Anorexia is the third most common chronic illness among adolescents.
95% of those who have eating disorders are between the ages of 12 and
25.8
25% of college-aged women engage in bingeing and purging as a weightmanagement technique.
The mortality rate associated with anorexia nervosa is 12 times higher than
the death rate associated with all causes of death for females 15-24 years
old.
Over one-half of teenage girls and nearly one-third of teenage boys use
unhealthy weight control behaviors such as skipping meals, fasting,
smoking cigarettes, vomiting, and taking laxatives.
In a survey of 185 female students on a college campus, 58% felt pressure
to be a certain weight, and of the 83% who dieted for weight loss, 44% were
of normal weight.
EATING DISORDERS AMONG MEN
An estimated 10-15% of people with anorexia
or bulimia are male.
 Men are less likely to seek treatment for eating
disorders because of the perception that they
are “woman’s diseases.”
 Among gay men, nearly 14% appeared to suffer
from bulimia and over 20% appeared to be
anorexic.

WOMEN OF COLOR AND EATING DISORDERS

Due to the historically biased view that eating
disorders only affect white women, there is
relatively little data that separates women by race
or ethnicity.

However, there is increasing evidence of disordered
eating occurring among racial and ethnic minorities
in the U.S.

Process of acculturation? “The process of shifting
values to the host/dominant culture.”

The most acculturated women are more likely to be
dissatisfied with their bodies.
MEDIA, PERCEPTION, AND DIETING







95% of all dieters will regain their lost weight within 5 years.
35% of “normal dieters” progress to pathological dieting. Of those,
20-25% progress to partial or full-syndrome eating disorders.
The body type portrayed in advertising as the ideal is possessed
naturally by only 5% of American females.
47% of girls in 5th-12th grade reported wanting to lose weight
because of magazine pictures.
69% of girls in 5th-12th grade reported that magazine pictures
influenced their idea of a perfect body shape.
42% of 1st-3rd grade girls want to be thinner (Collins, 1991).
81% of 10 year olds are afraid of being fat (Mellin et al., 1991).
Source: National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders, Inc.