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PHYSICAL

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Notes

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SELF:
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The Physical Self: Body Image and Self

Esteem
 Notes
The social constructionist
Culture approach

Culture refers to the shared Is a theoretical perspective in

beliefs, values, customs, sociology and other social sciences
practices, norms, symbols, that emphasizes the role of social
interactions, language, and culture
language, and behaviors that
in shaping individuals' perceptions
characterize a particular group
of reality and the construction of
of people or society. It
knowledge. It suggests that many
encompasses the way people aspects of our world, including
live, interact, and make sense concepts of gender, race, identity,
of the world around them. and even reality itself, are not
Culture is a complex and inherent or objective but are
multifaceted concept, and it instead created and shaped by
plays a fundamental role in societal norms, values, and beliefs.
shaping human societies.

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 Essentialist view Essentialism
• The "essentialist view" refers • “Essentialism," on the other
to the perspective advocated hand, is a theory or concept in
by an individual or group philosophy and other fields that
about a particular aspect or expresses that things have
issue. This viewpoint asserts fundamental, natural, or essential
that there are unique qualities qualities or nature. In the context
or aspects that have a deep of humans, essentialism can imply
that a person's characteristics are
influence or significance. For
more based on their inherent
example, the essentialist view
qualities or biological components,
regarding physical appearance such as genes, hormones, or body
may be a perspective that structure.
claims there are fundamental
characteristics of the body
that greatly affect a person's

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confidence.
 Terrence Turner
(1920) These misconceptions
An example of how norms of masculinity and feminity shape strongly affect how the
are not just behavior, but public perceptions are those people young form their body image
who did activities of the other gender. They were praised at and its influence on their
the same time criticized by just doing what is not expected to self-esteem.Knowing that
their gender, that's why Terrence Turner came up with an idea adolescence is the period
that: where self-identity is
formed, it is important for
" The body is marked with culture and society is the term adults in the environment to
social skin to refer to the ways in which social categories listen to these young people
become inscribed into physical body. Through the social skin, and provide proper guidance
the body becomes the symbolic stage on which dramas of and support.
society are enacted."

Mary Douglas (1973)

Mary Douglas, is the one who centralized the analysis Yes, beauty is important.
of the body focused on traditional societies and But being beautiful still
concluded that physical body is a threat to social depends how a person
body. She also finds that societies with strict social defines beauty and the
limit would regard boundaries with caution including standards he sets to meet
bodily boundaries. She stated that, this definition. It is a big
mistake to base beauty on
"The body is the most natural symbol for and medium
some else's standard.
of classification, and thus rules associated with
controlling the body and its process emerge as a
People are different and
power means of social control." each one is uniquely
beautiful.
 Charles Darwin, in 1871, was among the first to
extensively discuss human beauty from a biological
perspective, concluding that there is no universal
standard of beauty and determining its underlying
dimensions is futile. Samuels and Ewy's study
reveals that infants, aged 3-months and 6-months,
can discriminate attractiveness by looking longer at
male and female faces rated as attractive by adults.
These findings are supported by evidence showing
preferences for attractive faces that transcend
gender, race, and age. However, differences in body
image definitions can lead to issues. Earving Goffman's
Dramaturgical Theory

In sociology, the body has been viewed as a

symbol and focus of study. From the 14th to
the 17th centuries, European civilization saw
Young people put so much pressure on themselves to attain
people internalizing social control norms,
unrealistic ideals to the point of risking mental and physical
leading to shame and embarrassment
health is unacceptable. The following are some aspects in
shaping their behavior. Erving Goffman's
culture that may have led to some misconceptions:
Dramaturgical theory, proposed in 1982,
1. Society's ideal for the perfect physical form for men
likens our social interactions to a theatrical
and women.
performance. It suggests that we all play
2. Images of perfection brought by all types of media ie
roles on a stage, engaging in impression
print, television, film, and internet.
management by monitoring and adjusting
3. Since a standard has been set by society and
our behavior to align with how we want
reinforced by the media, any characteristic that does not
others to perceive us.
conform to the standard is labelled as ugly. Body
diversity in size and structure due to genetic heritability
is not tolerated.
 The statement "A woman is what she wears,"
from Janes Gaines' work on fashion in 1990, • Self-esteem is the overall evaluation that a person has of
suggests that women are often judged and himself which can be positive or negative, high or low. Self
esteem is a measure of the person's self-worth based on some
defined primarily by their clothing choices.
personal or social standard. It is a global evaluative dimension
In this study, the concept of body image is
of the self.
explored, which refers to how individuals
perceive and feel about their own physical •Self-esteem is how valuable to himself and others he person
attributes. Body image encompasses both perceives himself to be. Needless to say, people with positive
internal, personal perceptions and external, or high self-esteem are happier, have a sense of
societal influences. accomplishment and purpose and relate well with others.

•The impact of culture on body image and self-esteem has

been very crucial for sometimes people depend on this as
when they define beautiful. It has been assumed that
Body Image preferences for beauty are gradually learned through cultural
transmission and exposure to contemporary media.
• Body image is a mental representation created by
individuals, which can be influenced by internal factors
such as emotions, moods, early experiences, and
parental attitudes. Mass media has become a platform
that reinforces cultural beliefs and promotes strong
views on how we should look, negative body image,
leading to preoccupation and distortions among
American women and men. These distortions are driving
eating disorders and severe anxiety, which can only be
alleviated through dieting.

• Understanding that physical appearance doesn't

define a person's character or value is crucial for a
positive body image. Acceptance and self-esteem play a
role in this, as they reflect how much a person likes
themselves and appreciates their individual qualities,
skills, and accomplishments. Self-esteem can also be
influenced by how others perceive them as a person.