The body has been around since the beginning of time right? It has always been male or female, with the rare individual that has both sexes. The human body can be defined as being precious and the raw material through which we navigate the world. We use our bodies everyday for various activities such as sports, and for motions that we may take for granted such as walking, talking and breathing. When we can’t do simple tasks that we used to, it can cause a decline in the body from being disabled and depressed. The body is not only a subjective individual act, but also a political and cultural act. Growing up as young children, you noticed the different between boys and girls through their bodies and actions. Girls like to play with dolls and indoors and boys like to play with trucks and outside with dirt. Even at a young age, we are taught that boys are the better sex because they are stronger and more respected. It still rings true today, the political world, there are only 25 women in the Senate and the cultural world, the males are viewed as dominant. There are binary dualisms of the body such as gender, race and ability. The body has the ability to do whatever you want it to do. A female can do a male’s “job” and a male can do a “females” job because the body doesn’t know the difference. The humans have made the divide by shaping our understanding of our bodies through representation, medicine, beauty and fashion, religion and industries (fitness, fat loss, mindfulness, etc.) Let’s talk about the topic of beauty and fashion and what the cultural expectations are. For women, beauty is characterized as being thin, full lips, small waist and a large butt. For men, it is having muscles, being tall and athletic. For example, the BBL’s are extremely popular, even though there could be potential complications including death and every man doesn’t need to be built like a movie star (The Rock, Irdris Elba or Chris Hemsworth) to be respected. This way of thinking is setting us up for failure because it is not allowing us to value and accept our own individual bodies as they are. Also, there isn’t an in between for the transgender community or the woman that can bench press 300 lbs or the man that is a beautician. I think that self-esteem shapes our minds of what is expected of each gender, which can cause an individual to self-conscious about their body. Is it not enough that us women are viewed as sexual objects and not what our bodies can do, such as create life? The pressure is overwhelming, which sometimes can lead to body-shaming, intentional or unintentional. The men are under alot of pressure as well. For example, steroids are easy to get to and they help you to have a great amount of muscle, but the negative is not promoted as much as the positive, like as the man ages, he could develop heart issues and potentially die. There are several Pro Wrestlers that have died after years and years usage. Both females and males view their bodies as gifts, but I feel that the pressure is more on the females to look a certain way.