Body Image, it plays a heavy role in our life and our perception of self worth. Womenshealth.gov says this about the importance of a healthy view of a woman’s body image, “With a positive or healthy body image, a woman has a real perception of her size and shape. She also feels comfortable with her body. With a negative body image, a woman has a distorted perception of her shape and size, compares her body to others, and feels shame and anxiety about her body. Being unhappy with your body can affect how you think and feel about yourself as a person. A poor body image can lead to emotional distress, low self-esteem, unhealthy dieting habits, anxiety, depression, and eating disorders. Developing a positive body image and a healthy mental attitude is crucial to a woman’s happiness and wellness.” Celebrating your own body is the key to happiness and wellness.
Society and cultural pressure shape how women view their own personal worth. If we don’t look like the impossibly gorgeous super models or top celebrities we find the need to achieve that ‘perfect’ perception. However, beauty and women’s body image are viewed differently around the world. The western world has fabricated the ideal woman but we can find inspiration and real appreciation all over the globe.
The Kayan tribes of Burma and Thailand believe their attractiveness is related to the perceived length of their necks. Thus, to achieve this much wanted look they wrap a metal coil around their necks to lengthen it. The process starts at the young age of five, the rings push down the woman’s collar bones, compressing her ribs and giving off the illusion of a longer neck. While the coil may seem inhibiting, movement is not an issue and the girls can even enjoy playing volleyball.
The Maori people of New Zealand have had a resurgence in the traditional practice of ta moko, a permanent body and face marking of the indigenous Maori people. This practice is embraced by both men and women and is a sign of cultural identity. This resurgence is almost a response to Western culture, challenging the “traditional” ideal of beauty and exclaiming, “I am Maori.”
The Musi women in Ethiopia have a tradition of stretching out the lower lip with a lip plate. The lip plate is a rite of passage into social adulthood and biological maturity. The lower lip is cut by the girl’s mother or another woman in her village around the age of 15 or 16. The girl herself then determines the size of the plate she wants. Shauna LaTosky, building from observations and conversations during field research among the Mursi in 2004, concludes that most women undertake a lip plate because it reveals her female strength and self-esteem.
Congolese Pygmies of the Republic of Congo and Mentawai people of Indonesia practice human teeth sharpening. Children from both of these tribes file their teeth as part of their spiritual practices and rites of passage. This practice makes a woman more beautiful and more initiated into the tribe.
By examining these different beauty rituals and the way these women view themselves physically, reveals a lot about the perception of body image in women’s lives. To the Western eye these practices look extreme and even unnerving. But, they are practices indebted in tradition and acceptance. The strength and endurance of these women is admirable and the calm confidence they exude very much inspiring.
Jennifer Nostrala 