The United States is a country of extremes, and this tendency toward polarization is most obvious when it comes to weight. While the image of the United States as projected by Hollywood is extremely thin and underweight, in reality, the majority of citizens are obese.
Subsequently, the camp combating anorexia and eating disorders sends messages to young women to love their bodies, while the camp combating obesity bombards the public with messages of health, good nutrition and fitness.
Though these mottos aren't necessarily opposing, they most certainly create confusion among young women when dealing with weight. The slogan ""love your body"" implies a need to ""embrace curves,"" or accept extra weight as a natural part of a woman's body. On the other hand, we realize more and more of the negative effects of obesity on health and lifespan.
To counteract the health implications of obesity there are numerous nutrition and exercise regimens to be followed to the letter.
However, these ""love your body"" and ""lose some weight"" messages are certainly contradictory, and both extreme in their views of proper body images.
The messages of healthy living pushed on Americans teach people to scrutinize every bite of food and every step taken, and though this is done to improve health, it places much focus on the body.
Moreover, it promotes a kind of obsession with fitness and food, and a young woman prone to eating disorders could easily take this new emphasis on health and fitness as an excuse for excessive dieting and exercise habits. Many young people think in polarizing terms, and they may take rules for healthy living to the extreme.
Furthermore, rules and directions for how much and what to eat to keep healthy can induce guilt in young women who are relatively fit but sometimes break these rules, making them feel bad about their bodies. This could possibly push them to over-compensate in diet or exercise.
Girls may also look at the statistics for obesity in the United States and start to think that unless they take health to the extreme, they will inevitably end up like the majority of U.S. citizens.
From one angle, young women are told to accept their bodies just the way they are, yet from the other side they are told that they must improve their bodies for their health and well-being. These contradicting messages regarding the female body only work to make young women more alienated from their bodies.
Though both of these messages are certainly important, as they both intend to promote mental and physical health, perhaps less emphasis should be placed on food, exercise and body image, and more placed on keeping young girls and women emotionally happy. Eating disorders, overeating and lack of activity often stem from psychological distress and unhappiness, and girls who are secure with themselves generally do not have these problems.
Instead of sending two extreme messages about physical health, a new message should be sent to young women that contains a combination of these views. In other words, girls should be taught something that seems to elude American society: balance.
Indulgences in food or laziness should not be cause for guilt if they are paired with times of activity and healthy eating. If females are taught this in childhood, it will most likely follow them throughout adolescence, keeping them out of danger of either eating disorders or obesity. A general attitude of balance in all areas of life may stave off the unhappiness that often leads to such extremes in weight.
