Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Re: Society's Impact on Fitness
I have to disagree with Danny here. His claim that I primarily take task with is, “women may feel compelled to go to the gym, but the act of actually going increases their self-confidence. This is a sad truth, but one that is evident throughout society and especially on Colgate's campus.” I am not debating that going to the gym boosts women’s self-esteem, but I refuse to just accept this as inevitable reality of our society. The true issue that needs changing is the belief that a woman’s self-confidence is and ought to be directly linked to the number on the scale. Women should take pride in so many other things above their body image, whether it’s in their own mind or in the opinion of others. Alisa Valdes tries to make this point extremely clear throughout her essay. She understands that the reason that women take her class is to lose weight so other people, particularly men, think they are beautiful. However, Valdes maintains that, “through our organized dance exercise, we had also created a girls’ club where women work for women and make money off of and for women.” (p. 29) I am not saying that women should boycott the gym in order to rebel, but rather that they and society needs to drastically alter the mindset that thin and only thin is beautiful, and everything is simply grotesque. Herein lies the true perception that Valdes is fighting and that we all should be fighting. Being in shape is first and foremost a health issue, but I would take Danny’s characterization of fitness even one step further and call it an unfortunate obsession for many women. Many women in America don’t worship at the alter of fitness, but rather they drink the lethal punch of the cult of Barbie.
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I agree with much of what John is saying. Connecting our reading to the article on advertising in magazines earlier this week, a quick look at any grocery store's magazine rack will reveal a myriad of woman's health magazines, all of which promise ways to lose 10, 15 or 20 pounds over a month. Clearly the media has a large role in creating this emphasis on connecting women's sense of beauty and weight. Yet the entire focus on numbers is clearly detrimental to woman's physical and emotional health. A 5'10" woman weighing 150 pounds looks exactly even if she loses 5 pounds. Yet many women obsess over these numbers, a point which Valdes is clearly trying to make. By putting the emphasis on unattainable numbers, our society adds to the physical and emotional stress women feel when they look in the mirror. While it is true that being fit and healthy is an important health concern, especially given the current obesity epidemic in our country, the pressures to weigh a certain weight is clearly harmful to young women. Colgate specifically seems to have a obsession with working out at the gym, being the "second most fit" campus in the country according to the Princeton review. I think that many women at school can sympathize with much of what Valdes says about the pressures on young women to look fit and thin.
ReplyDeleteGreat debate here -- or at least, presentation of differing viewpoints. This is a tough call in some ways, because it's difficult to imagining such huge shifts in our society taking place quickly. At the same time, if we simply accept the status quo, then change certainly WON'T occur. One question for all of you (not necessarily to answer but to think about): are there problems with Valdes' article? Is she going too far? Daniel, is the issue just that change is unrealistic, or is there something about Valdes' narration that seems unrealistic/overblown?
ReplyDeleteI have to agree with John's response to Danny in that the problem is not the gym being a religion, but the perception of what going to the gym can give us as human beings. It's all well and good to go to the gym, feel good about it and make a routine of it because it's the healthy thing to do. However, I think it's a problem when the sole reason for working out is to achieve the "ideal weight" that shows up on a scale. A lot of people's goals are unachievable and unhealthy in terms of weight -- why can't people go to the gym because it's good for them, and yes, weight loss can be a byproduct of working out. But it doesn't need to be the be all end all and consume us as a society. Size and weight are just numbers that in the end, mean very little and tell you pretty much nothing about someone as a person.
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