Are humans their bodies or are we separate entities from our body? The Cartesian ideology alleges that the mind and body are separate entities. In contrast, the dogma of holistic embodiment states there is a strong alliance between the self and the body. In essence, the holistic viewpoint explicitly states that humans’ are their bodies. Many people in this country believe in the latter of these viewpoints. They express themselves through their bodies and concern themselves with how others perceive them.
One of the last acceptable forms of discrimination within this country is prejudice against overweight or obese individuals. There is a common connotation that overweight or obese individuals are perceived to be lazy and unattractive. Conversely, People considered to be skinny or of ideal weight are regarded as beautiful and hardworking. Few people want to carry the stigma of being overweight. As a result, the implication of size drives a good majority of people to become obsessed about their weight. Many people try to mitigate this issue by employing quick fix strategies such as consuming weight loss pills and exercising extensively.
The booming industry of weight control and weight loss regiments demonstrates our acceptance of the holistic ideology. Our obsession with body image illustrates that we believe our “selves” are directly tied to our bodies. The notion that we are our bodies suggests that we cannot accept negative impressions of ourselves. Many people feel as that in order to be more confident about their selfhood they must conform to what is deemed beautiful and acceptable.
In America, the acceptable view of beauty has narrow constraints and many are now falling short of because of the rapidly growing overweight population. With the ideal size of Americans changing; will the standard of beauty adjust as well? More importantly why do we rely so heavily on our outer appearances to dictate our confidence and selfhood?
Unruly Bodies 
I was scrolling through the blog and something jumped out at me, so naturally I had to comment because my opinion is essential to any good conversation.
There are no “last acceptable forms of discrimination.” Not only are all systems of oppression interconnected and therefore not easily categorical into “first” and “last,” but oppression still exists in any form. It has just become more socially normative to hide prejudices, which is a problem, because it leads people to believe that discrimination has gone away. This society is structured by oppression. It’s not going to disappear that easily.
Also, I’d like to point out that thinness is not always considered attractive. When people are “too thin,” which can be the case due to heredity, chronic illness, and a number of other reasons, they are persistently told that they are unhealthy. Worse, they are sometimes told that they “look anorexic” and they should “eat more,” which trivializes the complexity of anorexia as a mental disorder. It also simplifies people’s struggles with weight into a simple equation: eat less, exercise more, lose weight. Skinny is healthy.
I’m not really trying to imply that you said this, just taking one thing and working through its implications. I think you posed a really interesting question about how beauty standards might change as bodies change, and I guess I would point out that this is culturally specific. Some cultures do value weight as a sign of health or privilege; some cultures have valued this in the past but changed their standards. So it’s possible that this could change, but it’s also possible that current beauty standards will continue to drive an emphasis on health, which will either create a larger divide between those who are “fit” and those who are not, or it will lead to reforms of health and food systems so that the population as a whole can lose weight. Speculation.
Too many thoughts must stop talking going to sleep now.
This is a mixed reply to both the post and the comment…
I don’t think beauty standards have an emphasis on “health” I think beauty standards focus on exactly what they state: beauty.
Unfortunately, I know far too many young girls and women who may have a socially accepted beautiful body, i.e. thin, but they are by no means healthy. Healthy in the sense that these women and girls speak about their bodies in negative ways and put themselves through hell and back for every calorie eaten.
When I was in high school I overheard a conversation that has left a distinct mark on me, Girl A: “Ugh, my leg muscles are so fat. I need to lose weight in them.” Girl B: “I know, I do too!”.
Neither of these girls were overweight in any sense of the word and “Girl A” was in fact a volleyball player, a sport that involves full physical fitness. In other words, a healthy girl rejecting her own healthy body. If Girl A was to lose the muscle in her legs that she considered made her ‘fat’, she would be unable to play volleyball to the best of her capabilities.
Part of westernized culture does have a strong emphasis on health; going to the gym, yoga workouts and advocating for a healthy non-sedentary lifestyle.
But if a woman has too much muscle she risks being labeled masculine. I believe the emphasis on health to be a sliver on the circle of what western culture is all about: beauty.
I think what Sam offers as a solution is a good start to potential thought and body reform. A full reconstruction of the health and food system would be an incredible start. Perhaps if Congress had not declared pizza a vegetable (don’t even get me started…), or fresh, organic, non-GMO food was cheaper and readily available in every store then change could slowly begin to occur.
But my solution would be to have agriculture classes built into every curriculum in every school. If we as a nation really want health reform in our society, then perhaps starting off with the basics, what healthy food really is and where it comes from, can begin to change how people eat and eventually how people visualize themselves within their own bodies.