Body image
The way a person feels about themselves can have a huge impact on their confidence and self esteem. ESRC research shows that advertising, social stigma and class each have an important part to play in body image.
What is healthy? What is beautiful?
Back in the 16th century, fat was in. Skinny was a sign of poverty and ill-health. Today it’s the opposite. Fat is not only a feminist issue, but a class issue, too. Research shows that middle class families are more likely to be health conscious eaters, and chances are the shops in their neighbourhoods offer a wider range of healthy food.
Do models need to be thin to sell moisturiser?
Advertisers say they use very thin models because they ‘sell’ more products. Yet research shows that not only do women feel bad about themselves when they see these images, but they are just as likely to buy a product if the model is equally attractive but of average size.
Fat is not a four-letter word
If you are 'fighting the flab' or losing the 'battle of the bulge', stop to think about the metaphors you are using. Why do we talk about weight loss in military terms? Some researchers argue that the war on obesity "contains all the hallmarks of a classic moral panic". This 'rationalised' war could potentially lead to people discriminating on the grounds of someone's size and to be intolerant towards the fat.
This sporting life (and questions to think about)
Everyone knows that exercise is important, but middle class people take it more personally. For them, a toned body is a display of 'cultural capital'.
Credits
These resources were written by Diane Hofkins.
Video
An ESRC video about role models, based on an A-Level debate about 'UK Youth Today' which was part of the 2007 ESRC Festival of Social Science:
If you experience any problems viewing the embedded video above, you can watch the video on YouTube.