Women are body shamed daily by media including: magazines, books, the internet, TV, and other sources of media. There is an image that women have put in their heads of a skinny woman that is dressed in the highest fashion. In the article “Fat Is a Feminist Issue,” Susie Orbach, chair of the Relational School in the United Kingdom, inadequately explains that women are purposely getting fat to support feminism, women should view themselves as objects; however, she explains the influence of the media on women. In the article, Orbach explains the issue of body image in the view of feminists. She describes the feminist view of being fat by stating, “Feminism argues that being fat represents an attempt to break free of society’s sex stereotypes” (Orbach 449). Women that follow this movement and decide to do this to themselves are trying to put a stop to the mainstream image that women are supposed to be skinny. She followed that statement by talking about how a woman intentionally becomes fat. Orbach then explained that women have to think of themselves as a sex object. If the women try to obtain a man and become a mother and wife, they must think as themselves as a sex object. Getting a man is one of the main goals as a woman. She adds support to her argument by talking about a woman’s need to stay in fashion. Women think of new fashion and staying skinny as the ideal image and believe they must be both of these to win a man over. Body image plays a major role in a woman’s life, and depending on her outlook on her body image will depend on how she acts and what she does. Women are held to a high standard when it comes to their bodies; in the eyes of society, women must have tight, toned, bodies that have close to no fat on them. Orbach supports her argument by explaining, “Getting fat can thus be understood as a definite and purposeful act; it is a directed, conscious or unconscious, challenge to sex-role stereotyping and culturally defined experience of womanhood” (449). Women are making themselves fat to combat the sexual image that males have made for them, and they are becoming obese on purpose. Orbach is mistaken because she overlooks the fact that women would not want to get fat on purpose. Fat is not a feminist issue; instead, fat is an issue of mental abuse and lack of control. For example, feminist women want men to think that they are just as powerful without them; therefore, women would want to be skinny and look attractive to show the man that he needs her not the other way around. Women want to be attractive and not fat, so women have to learn to look at themselves as objects. The need for sex in a healthy relationship is problematic when a woman is fat. Women must look at themselves as a sexual object because of the standards they are held to by men, and fat is not one of the standards that men are looking for. Orbach explains this controversy, “To get a man, a woman has to learn to regard herself as an item, a commodity, a sex object” (450). Women have to look at themselves as less of a person and more of a sexual object for a man if they expect to be in a relationship with a man. Orbach’s claim that women must think of themselves as an object to get a man rests upon the questionable assumption that the woman cares about what others think of her.For example, some women think that they look more beautiful when they have a little extra weight on their bodies. The body image that the woman is comfortable with is the body image that she should be able to have and not be scrutinized for it. Women think that they need to be a sexual object because of the media’s presentation of women this is also why they think that they have to be in fashion. Being in style is a must for today’s society. Women see fashion as a way to express themselves, and the media paints a positive and negative image in women’s heads when they think of fashion. Orbach says, “The one constant in these images is that a woman must be thin” (452). When a woman is pictured to endorse a product or just pictured the woman is, most of the time, skinny, and these other women see these pictures and hold themselves to the same standards as the women in the photographs. Although I agree with Orbach up to a point, I cannot accept her overriding assumption that some sources of media and pictures do not paint bad images and pictures into women's minds.For instance, there are many plus-sized models and many women that hold power that are bigger in size. The media does not only put a bad image in women’s heads but also puts an image of other women dressed in the newest fashions; seeing these fashion statements influence women to look, and dress, like that. This is also why women think that dressing in new fashion is a standard that they must do. Body shaming is a common occurrence in America because of the men in society, and the media constantly telling women what they should look like. This brings women to do drastic make-overs to themselves. Like, women intentionally becoming fat to protest the image that is forced upon women. In “Fat Is a Feminist Issue,” Susie Orbach inadequately explains why women are purposely getting fat to support feminism, why women have to learn to look at themselves as an object, not a person, and effectively explains the thought process of women wanting the newest fashion. Fat is not a feminist issue, it is an issue for everyone.
Works Cited Orbach, Susie. "Fat Is a Feminist Issue." They Say I Say With Readings. By Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein. Ed. Russel Durst. 2E ed. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2012. 448-453. Print