Blog 12: The “Perfect Body”
We have all heard these types of body types: Hourglass, pear ,apple, brick etc but while reading this weeks text on women’s bodies, one thing popped into my head; What is in fact the perfect body? You see I have thought about this question multiple times considering I love to work out, but one thing that always seems to cross my mind is don’t different body types appeal to different cultures? I find it hard for myself or quite frankly anyone to actually determine or imagine what the “perfect body” is because there are so many preferences out there. In both the African American or Hispanic cultures men prefer thicker curvier women. Where as in a Caucasian culture men prefer slim women with large breast. Most Oriental cultures prefer the more petite women. I think that’s what the problem is in determining what is the “perfect body”. Another flash back popped into my head, about a year ago I was watching a show television and it was about the “perfect body” what the experiment they did was had women who contradicted the ideal body type for their culture and had them stand behind a screen so just their silhouette appeared, (one short and petite, one tall and slim and, one woman who was very curvy) Then they asked women from the audience to guess their race. Basically every one guessed the petite woman was Asian the tall and slim woman- white and the curvy woman- Black. It was at that point that I realized wow are their actual body types your supposed to have depending on your ethnicity? Another experiment the show did was before they revealed the women’s ethnicity’s is they had men from each race go on and critique each woman’s body. Each man was harsh to say the least but they all seemed to be attracted to one body type, The black man preferred the curvy silhouette, the white man preferred the tall and slim silhouette and the Asian man preferred the the petite silhouette.
I guess its hard to determine what in fact is the perfect body type, but one thing I know realize is society expects you to have a certain body type depending on your ethnicity, which I believe to be very sad!
I agree when it came to you saying that you have thought about these features that are excepted of us, I think all women have. I too work out a lot, and I am trying to examine myself to find out the real reason that I have such a strict workout regiment. Is it because I want to sustain good health, or do I want my body to look the way I want it to?