A
s our bodies change, so
do our perceptions of the
body types we consider
“normal.” As a young white girl
growing up in a small town,
surrounded by other young
white girls, it was easy to pick
out my own flaws in comparison
to theirs. In the classic coming-
of-age fashion, I came to realize
that the world of bodies was
incredibly diverse outside of my
community, yet in spite of this,
the representation of bodies in
media is still focused narrowly
on the same young, white,
feminine bodies with which I
was so familiar.
For centuries, there have
been women who have been
unhappy with the way they look.
Though trends have changed,
this commonality of a negative
body image has remained. This
critical self-perception is most
prominent through adolescence
and
typically
persists
into
adulthood. Various literature
suggests that perfectionism,
defined by Merriam-Webster
as “a disposition to regard
anything short of perfection as
unacceptable,” is a core factor
in body dissatisfaction and
eating disorders among women.
What I quickly learned was
that the University of Michigan
is home to an exceedingly large
population of perfectionists,
which
explained
both
the
intense
academic
standards
to
which
students
held
themselves and the consistent
physical regime which those
very same students follow.
I personally do not have the
necessary determination and
work ethic that is required for
a perfectionist personality, but
many of my friends and peers do.
While in various circumstances
such a personality is useful and
rewarding (by holding oneself
to high standards, one is more
apt to travel upward in terms of
career and success), in terms of
body image and the perfectibility
of the body — specifically among
women — perfectionism quickly
becomes dangerous.
The prevalence of thinness in
the media can explain the ideals
to which women so strictly
hold themselves. What various
studies (and common sense)
show us is most media outlets
portray women as thin, and
representation
matters.
This
topic has many branches, but
focusing specifically on body
type, ask yourself how many
female television characters you
can think of with body types that
would wear anywhere between
a size 16-18 (the sizes of the
average American woman as
reported by Psychology Today).
A dangerous mix is created
when women are told that
the admirable body type is
incredibly thin and toned, and
these same women are taught to
work rigorously to achieve their
goals by any means possible.
While it’s obviously healthy to
exercise and eat well, excessive
habits in any form become
problematic
quickly. This
is
occasionally apparent in the
young women who go to the
gym seven days a week without
fail, who’ve vowed to cut sugar
and carbohydrates entirely from
their diets. (I cannot and do not
wish to define what is or should
be considered “healthy” because
that term is purely subjective.
What is healthy for some may not
be for others. This subjectivity is
the kryptonite of dealing with
eating disorders.)
But when this behavior is
flaunted and praised, as it often
is on college campuses, we
come to consider it as the ideal.
While for many this lifestyle is
healthy and at times necessary
for mental well-being, this is
not universally the case. When
subjective methods are applied
objectively, problems arise. The
adoption of a strict diet and
exercise regimen may result in
significant bodily and mental
change for some, and not for
others,
thus
perpetuating
distress among young women
who are so desperately striving
for physical perfection.
Even
further,
there
is
certainly a class divide between
those who are and are not able
to afford gym memberships
and health foods, which are
considered necessary for these
idealistically healthy lifestyles.
The
distress
of
lacking
requisite resources to attain
this bodily ideal is greater than
is immediately visible, and the
various racial, cultural and
class-based setbacks to young
women attempting to achieve
this ideal are innumerable.
So we ask ourselves, “How
do
we
change
this?”
One
possible immediate response is
simply to call for more realistic
representation in media or to
advertise healthier, less extreme
lifestyles. But these solutions fail
to account for the damage that is
already done. What’s more, this
norm is already perpetuated by
the young women it affects and
those around them.
I do believe that, over time,
bodily ideals can be modified
into
more
attainable
and
inclusive forms on a global
scale. However, change such as
this does not happen overnight,
and there are more personal
and individualistic efforts that
can be made in the meantime.
Instead, I argue, we should
utilize
mindfulness.
Do
not
discuss with your friends how
little or how much you’ve eaten
that day. Do not boast how much
weight you’ve lost or gained
in the past week. By focusing
less on physical aspects of
one another, we can end the
personal perpetuation of these
potentially harmful ideals and
simultaneously focus on aspects
of our peers that do not need to
be changed by diet restrictions
and
gym
memberships.
Be
mindful of how others might
perceive your words. What
seems harmless to you may not
seem so innocent to another.
O
ver
the
past
eight
years,
our
country
has gone through a
lot, from mass shootings and
arguments over gun control
to
human
rights
crises such as the
Flint water crisis
and
the
Dakota
Access
Pipeline
protests. Maybe it’s
just because of the
consistent flow of
media making us
aware of everything
wrong in the world,
but times have been
tough
lately.
But
when it comes to
the issues of racism and police
brutality, there was no better
president to be in office than
Barack Obama.
Obama’s
campaign
from
2008 seems like a distant
memory to some, but the slogan
“Change we can believe in” and
the chant “Yes We Can” still
ring loudly in my memory and
have remained applicable for
both his terms. I remember
watching his inauguration in
my seventh-grade science class
and feeling such an aura of
positivity and hope.
It personally meant so much
to me because someone like me
(mixed, born to a Black father
and a white mother) was the
most important man in the
country and perhaps the world.
Who knows when or if that
will happen again. He was a
president whom I felt I could
relate to, who made me laugh
and smile and cheer him on.
He
set
a
beautiful
example of a loving, devoted
husband, father and public
servant, combating the many
unfortunate
stereotypes
attributed to Black men. He
didn’t come from a privileged
background
and
faced
discrimination throughout his
life, whether he was going to
a predominately white high
school in Hawaii or becoming
the first Black president of the
Harvard Law Review. He rose
to the top position
in the country as a
Black man, giving
faith to many that
they
can
achieve
great things (though
that isn’t possible
for
all,
especially
with vast disparities
in the quality of
living
conditions
and education we’re
born into).
Obama
was
a
symbol of hope for many
Americans, especially Black
citizens,
and
certainly
for
myself when racial tensions
were high. No matter the result
of the most recent election,
a clear divide has emerged,
polarizing us to two sides:
whether
you
believe
race
relations and racism are still
prevalent in the country or not.
From my perspective, racism
can be covert but is still a large
issue in our country. There
has been a disproportionate
number
of
Black
people
shot by police compared to
whites, a clear mistreatment
of Black people all over the
news and a disregard of the
fears and feelings of people
who are afraid of what could
potentially happen to them or
their loved ones.
On the nights when I prayed
that my father or sister would
be safe and mourned for the
men and women who have lost
their lives because of profiling
or oppression, Obama was a
symbol of hope for me. I had
a
president
that
probably
was mourning over the same
issues. He shed a tear when
the Sandy Hook Elementary
School shooting happened and
displayed empathy whenever
a tragedy struck our country.
And he didn’t just mourn — he
used his words to bring us all
together and attempted to use
his position to pass laws, such
as the curbing of gun usage.
In the beginning of July, after
the wrongful death of Philando
Castile, Obama’s words hit the
nail on the head about why
everyone should care that there
are people dying in the streets
at the hands of police: “When
incidents
like
this
occur,
there is a big chunk of our
fellow citizenry that feels as
if because of the color of their
skin they are not being treated
the same. And that hurts. And
that should trouble all of us.”
This was a president who got it
and gave extensive statements
on the topic, not shying away
from it or dismissing it like
other politicians.
I smiled at pictures giving
us glimpses of Obama’s life
at the White House, such as
when he hysterically laughed
at a baby dressed as the pope. I
felt empowered listening to his
State of the Union addresses
as he used his gift of public
speaking to comfort the nation.
I know that there’s nearly half
the country that voted against
him and perhaps many view him
unfavorably, but I think there’s
an argument to be made that he
is one of the most personable
presidents we’ve ever had. And
that side of him is what we
needed at times. We needed a
president to make us laugh and
tell us the reality of situations
while guiding us through them
with poise and empathy.
All in all, I’m overjoyed that
my president looked like me.
It’s not just that — he cared like
me, too.
Opinion
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
4 — Friday, January 13, 2017
Resolutions for every year
ANTHONY COZART | OP-ED
I
n an episode of “Master of
None,” the Netflix comedy
produced by and starring
Aziz Ansari, there’s a scene
where a colleague of Ansari’s
character,
Dev,
introduces
himself to Dev’s friends at a New
York City bar. The colleague only
addresses the men at the table,
which Dev’s romantic partner
Rachel, played by Noël Wells,
reacts to immediately. She points
out the colleague had treated
her and the other women in the
group as if they were invisible.
Dev and his male friends brush
it off, making up excuses: Dev’s
colleague was in a hurry, people
aren’t so awful and they’re
overreacting.
Two things stand out in the
scene: the initial sexist, if subtle,
act by Dev’s colleague and the
men’s reactions. The men tell
Rachel and the other women,
who have just experienced the
sexist act, that they’re wrong.
They (and their excuses) reject
their female friends’ perceptions
of what just happened and how
they’re treated more generally.
Later, Rachel describes what
this is like: “When somebody,
especially my boyfriend, tells me
that I’m wrong without having
any way of knowing my personal
experience, it’s insulting.”
Watching the episode over
winter break made me think
more about the experiences of my
female friends and classmates.
In the fall, a close friend told
me that almost the same scene
and
treatment
happened
to
her. I’d also heard from others
about colleagues who regularly
“mansplain” and about similar
subtle sexist acts. Apart from
listening to and encouraging my
friends after the incidents, I’d
done little to help.
Like many people, during the
holidays I also began to consider
resolutions for the New Year.
How can I be happier, healthier
and more successful in 2017?
While I’ve adopted resolutions
with this question in mind, I’ve
also included several addressing
the
sexism
and
misogyny
displayed in the “Master of
None” scene. They’re resolutions
that we (men, on campus and
more generally) should keep:
to avoid these common sexist
acts, however small, subtle or
unintended,
to
support
our
peers, interjecting instead of
justifying the offense (as Dev did
in the episode) and to intervene
whenever possible.
The episode is powerful, in part,
because it demonstrates these
acts are ubiquitous and happen
even in progressive bubbles of
Manhattan (and Ann Arbor). Like
the characters in the episode, I’m a
feminist in principle, likely because
of my mother’s experiences as a
leading female lawyer. And while I
try to be conscious of what I say and
do toward others — for example,
by avoiding using stereotypes and
gendered terms — I’ve found and
seen how it can be easy to make
these mistakes. Last week, while
walking with a female colleague
to teach our first classes of the
semester, I made a quick comment
that,
while
well
intentioned,
may have sounded demeaning,
however slight.
How
can
we
keep
these
resolutions?
To start, we can stop and stand
up to “mansplaining,” the not-at-
all subtle or insignificant practice
of men explaining to others,
often women, a topic or idea in
a condescending or patronizing
way. According to research on
team building, listening to and
respecting
others
makes
us
more successful. (I also plan to
read more, including the book
“Men Explain Things to Me,” by
Rebecca Solnit.)
Another way is to cut out the
jokes — which are often online and
justified as “trolling.” At the end of
last semester, a female classmate
posted a reminder to Facebook
about using gendered language
in instructor evaluations. One of
my male peers commented “No.”
Whether joking or not, in doing
so he delegitimized her point.
Someone should have responded,
yet no one did. On the same
topic, we can abstain from using
gendered terms and slurs in our
conversations and messages.
We can stop talking over,
crowding
out,
discounting,
bulldozing and interrupting our
female classmates. We can reflect
on what we said, saw and heard
in 2016 and when we should
have stood up for others. We
can commit to holding our peers
more accountable, to act in ways
that reflect our beliefs. And we
can listen to, learn from, help and
support our female peers, this
year and in the future.
REBECCA LERNER
Managing Editor
420 Maynard St.
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
tothedaily@michigandaily.com
Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan since 1890.
EMMA KINERY
Editor in Chief
ANNA POLUMBO-LEVY
and REBECCA TARNOPOL
Editorial Page Editors
Unsigned editorials reflect the official position of the Daily’s Editorial Board.
All other signed articles and illustrations represent solely the views of their authors.
Carolyn Ayaub
Megan Burns
Caitlin Heenan
Jeremy Kaplan
Max Lubell
Alexis Megdanoff
Madeline Nowicki
Anna Polumbo-Levy
Jason Rowland
Ali Safawi
Kevin Sweitzer
Rebecca Tarnopol
Ashley Tjhung
Stephanie Trierweiler
EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS
Anthony Cozart is a Public Policy
graduate student.
Sincerely: Thanks, Obama
CHRIS CROWDER | COLUMN
CHRIS
CROWDER
Striving for perfection
MEGAN BURNS | COLUMN
Megan Burns can be reached at
megburns@umich.edu.
EMILY WOLFE | CONTACT CARTOONIST AT ELWOLFE@UMICH.EDU
Chris Crowder can be reached at
ccrowd@umich.edu.
MEGAN BURNS
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Avoid these
common sexist
acts, however
small, subtle or
unintended