Lecture 12 Flashcards
Are somatotypes a legitimate science?
No.
Endomorphs
Rotund, soft, and overweight. Easygoing, gregarious, self-indulgent. Not prone to violence.
Ectomorph
Tall, slender. Nervous, high-strung, introspective and thoughtful. Loners who might engage in vandalism, theft, or other non-violent crimes.
Mesomorph
Less sensitive, more aggressive.
How is deviance constructed when it comes to body types?
Children’s movies and books idealize thinness. Associate it with positive attributes. Obesity correlated with negative attributes. Also, Barbie dolls.
Many scholars reject this idea about body types, but public agrees to it.
Believe that it can be transmitted genetically, that you are born into violence.
Do Barbie dolls represent the normal women?
No.
How do Barbies affect young girls?
- See this as the ideal body type for women.
- Girls who play with Barbies have lower opinions about their bodies, and a desire to be thin like Barbies.
In the adult world, media body images are often ___.
Edited. Digital retouching, photoshopping.
How does the media affect women’s self-image?
Women hold themselves to the standard of retouched photos.
How does the media affect men’s ideas of women?
Men who are exposed to the ideal body type have unrealistic expectations of women.
Voluntary Aspects
Element of physical appearance that we have some control over. Connected to subcultures.
Involuntary Aspects
Height, disfigurements, and physical disabilities.
How does the scientific method approach body size?
Science is based on health risks and harm. BMI. 18.5-24.9. Individuals above that range are overweight, while those under are underweight. WHO report that worldwide, 1.4 billion adults are overweight. 3 million die each year from being sedentary.
Causes of obesity:
Lifestyle choices, saturation of culture with unhealthy food, emotional factors, and interactions between human biology and human culture over a long period of evolution.
Interactions between human biology and human culture over a long period of evolution cause obesity. Explain this:
As mammals and primates, humans have the opportunity to store body fat when the opportunity to consume excess energy arises. Such opportunities were rare and transient, Also had to engage in lots of physical activity. Evolved elaborate and complex physiological systems to protect against starvation. However, we also devised technological ways to decrease effort and increase energy consumption.
How do sociologists talk about obesity?
- It is a form of physical deviance.
- Obesity is portrayed as a social problem.
How is obesity portrayed by the general public?
Many people see obesity as a form of deviance. Manifestation of weak, self-indulgent, or lazy behaviour. Ignore social-scientific viewpoint.
Fat Shaming
Making someone who is obese feel inadequate in some way.
How does fat shaming vary between cultures?
While most cultures see a morbidly obese person as problematic, some racial groups have different views. African-American women are often complimented by their African-American partners for having a larger body size. Larger body sizes can be a sign of wealth and status.
Thin or Skinny Shaming
Making someone who is thin feel inadequate in some way.
Example of thin shaming:
“Real Women Have Curves” campaign.
Why is thin shaming problematic?
Trying to counter the thin standard of beauty. However, still singles out a certain kind of women as beautiful.
Anorexia
Combines extremely low body weight with other physical and psychological symptoms.
