Societies all over the world view women's bodies very differently. Here in the United States and in Japan, women's bodies are found most appealing when waif like. Latinos on the other hand expect women to have a little meat on their bones. To them women must be strong enough to deal with husbands and children and "whatever God sends you because you never know what tomorrow may bring, so we have to enjoy what we have today" (Delgado 128). The author of that statement, Linda Delgado, views food as something that is necessary for life, and also as something to take pleasure in.
Japanese women, like mentioned before, strive to have as little fat on their bodies as possible. After film star Rie Miryazawa's starvation diet in 1996, Japanese women have tried everything in their quest to be thin. Products like "slimming soap" (Koerner par.1) and firming lotion are all the rage, and women are even ingesting tapeworms and wiring their jaws shut to make sure the weight stays off. The face is also an area women want to shed weight and use an aluminum mask that produces heat that causes the body to sweat away facial excess.
Latina women living
in America like Delgado are in fear that societies infatuation
with the thin woman will cause their culture to stray away from
the idea that women need to have weight on their bones. The Latino
communities in New York city feel the need to belong in this society,
but don't want to betray their cultural beliefs. "Reconciliation
of different cultural repertoires is quite a challenge, especially
for young Latinas who are trying to fit in" Delgado 129).
I hope these young Latina women are able to withstand societies
negative attitude toward women who aren't rail thin, and that
maybe their beliefs will rub off on those Caucasian and African
American women who feel the need to be so thin.
Delgado, Linda. 1999. "Arroz Con Pollo vs. Slim Fast." In Kesselman et al. Women: Images and Realities: A Multicultural Anthology. Mountain View, CA: Mayfield. Pp. 128-129.
Koerner, Brendon I. March 27, 1997. "A Slimmer Visage." U.S. News and World Report. v122 n 11: 12.
This site is an article from The New York Times that tells how the introduction of shows like Melrose Place and Beverly Hills 90201 has had a negative impact on women's body images in Fiji. The author of the article is a writer for the Times, but the information she got was from research compiled by Dr. Anne Becker. The fact that a Doctor did the research for the article, makes it more believable and trustworthy. There is data to back up the claim that Fiji women's body images are being influenced by the media.