Not all about that bass: the need to redefine “positive” body types

New social media trends, such as the proliferation of selfies, are putting more emphasis on body image. According to the Teen Futures Media Network of the University of Washington, 78 percent of seventeen-year-old girls feel “unhappy” with their bodies. This has led some celebrities to promote “positive” body image through music. Others, though, have worsened this trend.  Hit songs “All about the bass” and “Anaconda” bashes women with a slim figure, and criticizes them as being undesirable to males. Indeed, this contradicts the positive body image these songs are supposed to convey. Denouncing one body type as inferior to another is unacceptable and ultimately, what people need is to accept their body type without finding fault in dissimilar bodies.

ABC news reports that a former plus-size model, Crystal Renn, face criticism and pressure from the public and the media after she lost weight. Renn claims that the public is unsatisfied because Renn’s figure does not match their image of what a plus size model should be.Furthermore, many music videos of popular songs feature more curvy women while skinny women are portrayed badly. According to the Palo Alto Medical Foundation, these images can negatively affect teenagers as they aspire to become more like the people they see on screen.

Students on campus, who are constantly exposed to the media messages, feel the effect of these images.

“It’s unfair the media is only promoting one body type,” sophomore Camry Bush said. “Some people can’t help being skinny, but they are labeled as unhealthy or weird if they are different from ‘normal’ body types. People should consider all sides of the story.”

Although promoting bigger body types as opposed to the skinny one can encourage high self esteem for certain people, it must be coupled with a more generally tolerant culture of all body types. Palos Verdes Peninsula High School’s Safe School Counselor Christine Lopez shares her thoughts about the message the media is sending and its effects on teenagers. Lopez says that media messages can have a significant effect on adolescents, a time for change and uncertainty.

“As some people cannot help being curvy, some people cannot help being skinny,” Lopez said. “The reality is we cannot change who we are and we should not change who we are. The ideal would be for young women to not feel pressured to fit a certain profile. It’s about loving yourself.”