How the Ideal Body Image Changes Through Time
Source used to build lesson: Thin Is In? Think Again: The Rising Importance of Muscularity in the Thin Ideal Female Body.
It covers the study of whether the trends of what is considered the ideal female body have changed throughout the years.
Learning Goals
Focus of the class:
-Body image more importantly the change in the “ideal” body image throughout the years.
Student Take-Away:
-What you may think of as good looking was not always what was deemed good looking by society and how social media outlets create help create these trends.
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Key points:
-Explain what the idea of the “ideal” body image is.
-Emphasize that just because you may not fit into the “ideal” body image that doesn't mean that there is anything wrong with that.
-Explain that the “ideal” body image is a made up standard that changes throughout time.
-Explain fitspiration/thinspiration.
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Social media survey/body image throughout the ages Activity:
Materials needed (If Applicable):
-Paper
-Pen/pencil
-Copies of magazine pictures of body image models from a couple different eras male and female to pass out to students
Exercise Details:
Step 1: Start survey by asking how many students have ever been on Instagram or Pinterest.
Step 2: Ask the question if anybody has seen, pinned, or followed people who promote working out and exercise.
Step 3: Ask if anyone has seen wanted to look similar to those people.
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Activity Details:
Step 1: Hand out magazine pictures of models from different eras.
Step 2: Have students write down the ways in which the models dress, size, hairstyles, change through time.
Step 3: Compare and discuss the differences with a partner.
Step 4: Bring the class back together and ask what some of the differences that they came up with were and write them down on a whiteboard.
Step 5: Ask the question of why they think that the idea of what is good looking or “ideal” has changed in these pictures.
Discussion:
-After the last exercise touch on the fact that the differences mean that the “Ideal” body image is always changing and what society and media find perfect now may not be what is perfect later on. Talk about the negative side effects of trying to attain these fitness goals or thin goals that may be impossible to obtain since everyone's bodies are different such as(eating disorders, depression, etc).
References:
-Bozsik, Whisenhunt, Hudson, Bennett, & Lundgren. (2018). Thin Is In? Think Again: The Rising Importance of Muscularity in the Thin Ideal Female Body. Sex Roles, 1-7.