Short Response to "Lean and Mean"

In the chapter "Lean and Mean," Susan Douglas explains how the media delivers mixed messages concerning how women ought to appear. On the one hand, magazine and television ads tell us that the ideal woman is a size zero with an unrealistically large cup size, flawless skin, and perfect teeth. On the other hand, we are bombarded with messages to love ourselves the way we are. But, as Douglas points out, there is the further message that obesity is an epidemic in the United States and that we must change our habits to lose weight and stay healthy. And in the midst of all these mixed messages, we are still attacked by ads featuring juicy burgers and large milkshakes that can be purchased for $1 without having to exit our cars. After internalizing all these conflicting messages, we are simply left with a headache… and, as Douglas puts it, “a sick relationship with food.” I think the Dove’s “Campaign for Real Beauty,” is a example of a an ad that features women who are not only healthy, but are happy in their own skin and do not need to succumb to our country’s ideal of beauty by denying themselves of life’s treats (like desert and ice cream) or by undergoing plastic surgery. However, I do feel that messages that urge women to love the body they have is sometimes dangerous. Childhood and adult obesity is a growing epidemic in our society that cannot be overlooked or swept under the rug. Women should be proud of their curves and their God-given bodies; however, they must also strive to live healthy balanced lives, if not for themselves, then for their children and their futures. The difficulty in weighing these mixed messages often comes at a price, as we see countless examples of women starving themselves to meet our culture's standard of beauty. However, we as smart women must realize that these unrealistic messages flying at us from all angles demand us to be a certain shape and to fit a certain mold, when in reality they should be telling us that no matter what size we are, as long as we are making healthy choices in our diet and exercise routines in order to contribute to society and positively influence our children, we are beautiful just the way we are.