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?