writing

There is too much emphasis on body perfection in our society but it is changing. I think in the past five years, there has been a shift in society regarding body image in mass media and social media. Groups such as Always #LikeAGirl and #AerieREAL are some of the campaigns that have promoted this change in seeing young girls and women. Not only are these groups supporting positive images of females, but also, breaking down the social ideal-stereotypical image of how they should look. There is also greater diversity in shape, race, and gender in women across different social media and film. For example, Ashley Graham, Laverne Cox, and Nikkie de Jager. For a long time, “Girl’s and women’s bodies [were] objects for others to visually consume” (Heldman, n.d). This was a major selling point for magazine companies such as Playboy, Sports Illustrated, Cosmopolitan, Men’s Fitness, and Maxim. Their covers usually display women in provocative poses and wearing little to no clothes. Over the years, young girls and women developed eating disorders, low self-esteem, and other mental health issues.

In Stein’s (2017) article, the quote that interested me was, “Forward-thinking parents and staff are more likely to provide quality sexuality education, while those who are less liberal and believe that providing this education will lead to harm, fail to do so” (pg. 143). I thought it was interesting in the word choice in how Stein described the two groups of parents. He used words such as “forward-thinking” and “less-liberal” to describe these opposing viewpoints. From interpretation, his assumption is that conservative or “less-liberal” parents are not thinking in the best interest of their children. In general, a majority of children are taught a certain level of sex education. This is either in the form of abstinence or waiting until marriage to have a sexual relationship. From this perspective, children who do have a form of intellectual disability be taught the same concepts. This week’s reading focused on emphasizing that people with any type of disability are also sexual beings and want to explore their sexual identity and desires.

In the words of Yarber (2019), “Good health requires us to know and understand our bodies, to feel comfortable with them” (pg.353). I think Yarber’s words connect well with both Stein’s and Heldman’s articles. To have a healthy and meaningful understanding of your body, you have to first feel confident and comfortable with yourself. In regards to Stein’s article, there is pushback against parents who want their children to remain ignorant about sex due to their disability.

Yarber (2019) also stated, “Many of us are willing to pay high costs-physical, emotional, and financial-to meet the expectations of our culture and to feel worthy, loveable, and sexually attractive” (pg. 353). Similar to Heldman’s argument, women are especially deceptive to this unrealistic and false image. For example, many women turn to extreme plastic surgery procedures or other medical changes to make themselves appear similar to a celebrity they think is ideal. Yarber’s message is important because it pushes back against the over-sexualization of women.

· Is there too much emphasis on body perfection in our society? What are some of the effects of trying to make one’s body fit a cultural ideal?

· What did you learn and what questions do you still have in response to the Kaufman, Stein, and Owens pieces? If you watched the Sex on Wheels documentary, what stories stood out to you?

· What thoughts do you have in response to the Tabaac article on gender disparities in cancer screenings? What measures could be taken to decrease these disparities?

· How has your own sense of sexuality, including libido, changed during your life because of stress, medical conditions, life events, and other priorities?

· What do you define as “sexually normal”? Has your definition during the course of your life, or even during the course of this class?

· Do you think “sexual addiction” is a useful diagnosis? What thoughts or questions do you still have after reading Marty Klein’s article and the Joannides chapter on the subject? (Sex addiction is also addressed on pages 269 in our textbook- you are welcome to address that page as well).

Write a minimum 500 words discussion post. Be sure to address the class materials in your assignment. You need to make at least 3 direct references (with appropriate in-text citations) to the text or readings. Bring the information into your discussion to show understanding. Do not just make a passing reference with no discussion.

Class materials

http://apostrophemagazine.com/healthy-relationships-dating-sexuality-2/

Are you Sexually Normal — and Does That Matter?