In our latest blog post, we explored some of the underpinnings of our society’s obsession with thinness, uncovering a reality more nuanced and insidious than a mere preference for a certain body type.
Rather, our society’s idealization of thinness is embedded in our broader patriarchal culture, disproportionately affecting women—and intentionally so at that!
In her renowned essay We Should All Be Feminists, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie asserts that under patriarchy, “We teach girls to shrink themselves, to make themselves smaller” so as to not challenge the status quo of male dominance. Conditioning girls from a very young age to equate their worth with the size of their bodies, such as through our fatphobic media (to name just one example), is simply this idea taken to its literal extreme.
Thus, the ideal of thinness is far from a random aesthetic preference.
It is deeply, undeniably political—a clear manifestation of the patriarchy in which we live, a system that subdues women by its very design.
We came together as a team to come up with five strategies for confronting misogynistic beauty standards, particularly as they concern body size, in honor of Women’s History Month. We hope that you feel empowered to take steps toward confronting our toxic beauty norms, recognizing that every one of us plays a unique and important role in disrupting oppressive beauty norms.
#1: Educate Yourself
When it comes to unlearning misogynistic beauty ideals, knowledge is key. Likewise, we’re all beginning from a different learning place—and that’s perfectly okay! However much you already know (or don’t know) about society’s misogynistic beauty ideals and their origins, you can start your (un)learning journey by simply gathering more info.
Not sure where to begin? Access our curated list of resources designed to support you on your journey. Download now and take the first step towards empowerment and positive change.
#2: Apply an Intersectional Lens
Not all women are not impacted equally by our society’s beauty standards. In fact, did you know fatphobia has roots in white supremacy?
In her book Fearing the Black Body: The Racial Origins of Fat Phobia, sociologist Sabrina Strings traces fatphobia to Enlightenment-era anti-Blackness (as opposed to an interest in promoting “health”) and, specifically, misogynoir, or misogyny aimed at Black women.
Moreover, women who hold marginalized identities face more pressure to conform to fatphobic, Eurocentric standards of beauty. It is vital that we approach our toxic beauty norms from an intersectional lens, recognizing how different forms of oppression interact in the upholding of these norms.
Part of this also means challenging our own implicit biases around beauty. What do you personally define as beautiful, and why? How about for yourself? Answering these questions honestly may give you a glimpse into some of the biases you hold.
#3: Reject Diet Culture
Diet culture frames thinness as the ultimate indicator of health, virtue, and even happiness—but this framing is a lie we must reject.
We also now know that weight loss diets don’t even work for the vast majority of people. The diet industry knows this—make no mistake—and purposely capitalizes on people’s hatred of their bodies, particularly women’s.
In The Beauty Myth: How Images of Beauty Are Used Against Women, Naomi Wolf calls dieting itself “the most potent political sedative in women’s history,” for “a quietly mad population is a tractable one.” It’s no secret that dieting makes people tired, moody, irritable, and unfocused. When we’re dieting, we don’t have as much bandwidth to even see how the diet industry preys upon women. Refusing to diet quite literally energizes us to address misogynistic beauty standards.
#4: Center Diverse Voices
You’ll be happy to know that there are a slew of people who are already confronting misogynistic beauty standards.
However, many of the most popular body positivity influencers on social media, for example, are slim, conventionally attractive white women, which reinforces the idea that body acceptance is only available to people who fit these narrow standards, further marginalizing people who fall outside them.
To truly challenge misogynistic beauty standards, we must actively center and uplift the voices of marginalized people, including BIPOC, folks in larger bodies, members of the LGBTQ+ community, people with disabilities, and others excluded from mainstream discussions on body positivity. Check out our list of resources for some Instagram accounts we recommend following!
#5: Celebrate Yourself
In the fight against misogynistic beauty standards, celebrating yourself is not just an act of self-love but a powerful form of resistance. In a world that constantly bombards us with unrealistic beauty ideals, taking the time to honor and appreciate your body and what it does for you is a radical act.
Moreover, honoring yourself for who you are beyond your physical appearance is crucial in shifting away from our externally focused culture. We are multifaceted beings with strengths and passions that extend far beyond our outward appearance.
Begin Eating Disorder and Body Image Therapy in California
Kindful Body can help you positively transform the way you think and feel about your body, no matter your gender or size. At Kindful Body, we utilize the most cutting-edge, evidence-based approaches, including Internal Family Systems (IFS), EMDR, and Somatic-based modalities, and approach disordered eating and body image from a Health At Every Size (HAES) lens. You can begin therapy with us by following these steps:
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Schedule a free 15-minute consultation with our client care coordinator.
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Connect with a caring, experienced eating disorder therapist.
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Start improving the relationship between you and your body!
Other Services Offered by Kindful Body
Our team is happy to offer a variety of services in support of your mental health. This is why our team is happy to offer counseling services focused on self-esteem issues, trauma and PTSD, emotional eating recovery, nutrition counseling, binge eating disorder, and body image. We are also happy to offer therapy for anxiety, support for college students and teens, and individual therapy for relationship issues. You can start receiving support from Sacramento, San Jose, Oakland/Berkeley, Walnut Creek, San Mateo, Orange County, or online anywhere in California. Learn more about us by checking out our blog and FAQs page.
