What are body image trends?

What does the world see when looking at body image trends? Is there a generation striving to better themselves? Or are people trying to become an unrealistic image?

Body image trends are social trends amongst society that concern the most desirable physical features, such as washboard abs and tiny waists. These features are promoted and praised by celebrities. Though it is never advertised what they can do to a person’s health over a long period of time and not even college students are safe from it.

To better understand the appeal and how far the knowledge of these trends extended, I asked some college students from Southern Vermont College (SVC) and Springfield Technical Community College (STCC) a few questions through email. Out of 12 responses, more male students knew more about body image trends than female students. Six male students were able to provide clear understanding and examples of body image trends rather than all five of the female students who knew it was related to their bodies. Six of the male students were not in favor of body image trends while one male student believed that it is okay for a person to want to be attractive. Three of the female students admitted to having the desire to have thinner waists or bigger buttocks, while the other three believed body image trends were pointless. Class of 2017 STCC student Lee Gaines said that “it’s foolish to try to become like that when most people get surgery or have their pictures photoshopped. It just isn’t a reality.”

Waist training is an example of a trend advocated by celebrities.  On her Instagram, Kim Kardashian West can be seen wearing her waist trainer with the hash tags #hourglass #waisttraining #nophotoshopnecessary #whatawaist.com@premadonna87. The same with “Real Housewives of Atlanta” star Kim Zolciak, who has said on her Instagram “ I can’t believe how tiny it makes my waist I’m obsessed with @nowaistclique waist trainer and it doesn’t show through my clothes!”

While these women commend the waist trainer, the dangers of what it does to the body isn’t ever discussed. In the article “The Dangers of Waist Training”,  Mary Jane Minkin, M.D., clinical professor of at Yale School of Medicine says that wearing one can make breathing difficult, and can possibly damage the body’s ribs. She also believes it doesn’t make sense to waist train when, “Medically, it doesn’t make sense that cinching your waist tightly will make it permanently smaller,” bigger buttocks, while the other three believed body image trends were pointless. Class of 2017 STCC student Lee Gaines said that “it’s foolish to try to become like that when most people get surgery or have their pictures photoshopped. It just isn’t a reality.”

When asked if she had any experience with following a body image trend, class of 2018 STCC student A. Lee Rivera talked about using the waist trainer. “Yeah, I’ve done the waist training before, but it was with a corset. It wasn’t too bad to have on, but I really had to get used to it. My breathing was a little stunted and I couldn’t bend or move as much as I would like to. I didn’t stick with it for long either, it just wasn’t something I could keep up with. Honestly I thought it would give me a more curvy body and make me look more attractive. I see it a lot on my newsfeed and I just thought, I wish I had a body like that.”
So while celebrities could be more familiar with body image trends than college students, it still seems that some have the desire to have different bodies.