Are We Wired To Hate Our Bodies?

Growing up we see models in hourglass and Barbie-like figures endorsing fashion and beauty products. Our fairytale princesses like Snow White, Cinderella, and Sleeping Beauty all have slender bodies. That was the ideal body size all women should have and must have, that was what we were wired to believe. But achieving such is so hard and everyone knows it. The easiest way to do it is by plastic surgery and some help from a
diet pill with ephedra.

Two different studies from Brigham Young University and Arizona University showed that even women who are fit and relatively thin have a very distorted body image, while men are likely to care about it. The study used an MRI to see the brain activity of men and women and it showed how women’s brain activity lifted like that of those who are bulimic and anorexic after being shown an image of a fat woman and they were told that they look like that. They immediately thought of doing crash diet or even consider going under the knife.

This is such a sad discovery because it has nothing to do with genes but social pressure. Personally, I think I still need to slim down, but other people see me as a very slim person, with curves on the right places. So I guess its in our heads and our concept of an ideal figure and body image that we should work on.