Will we ever stop trying to look perfect? A campaign by Spain’s equality ministry urges beachgoers to enjoy summer without shame. Can we overcome years of learning to judge ourselves?
Spain: 'all bodies are beach bodies' now
Will we ever stop trying to look perfect? A campaign by Spain's equality ministry urges beachgoers to enjoy summer without shame. Can we overcome years of learning to judge ourselves?
It is a perfect day at the beach. Five women of different body types, ages and ethnicities lounge on the sand. Above there is a message in Spanish: "Summers is ours too".
This is the image for a new Spanish government campaign. It aims to encourage all women to enjoy their bodies.
The campaign has a joyful tone. But it is also an attack. For decades, women have been bombarded with advertisements and articles that promote the idea of the perfect body: a thin, toned, youthful form. One sub-category of this is the beach body, one deemed "attractive" enough to wear swimwear.
Critics have accused advertisers and the media of body shaming. Psychologists have found that this body shaming has terrible effects. It can lead to body dysmorphiaA mental health condition where someone spends a lot of time worrying about physical flaws, which are often unnoticeable to others. , depression, anxiety, low self-esteem and eating disorders. Some eating disorders can be fatal, such as anorexia.
The Spanish government campaign wants to encourage a new age of acceptance.
An obsession with the perfect body is nothing new. According to historian Andrew Bayliss, Spartan women were forced to dance and sing naked in front of young men so that they would be "ashamed to be fat or weak". In the 20th Century, a slimmer figure became the norm, as epitomised by supermodels from Twiggy to Kate Moss.
A prejudice towards those that display a certain form of beauty continues. Hollywood stars are cast for their appearance. TabloidsA newspaper that has smaller pages. It typically has lots of pictures and sensational stories. applaud celebrities who lose weight and mock those who gain it.
Social media has provided a new arena for unrealistic standards. One survey has found 35% of teenagers feel stressed about how they look. The problem has spread to men. A 2014 research paper claimed that 95% percent of men surveyed had faced body shaming.
Others believe we are on the cusp of change. In 2015, an advert promoting a slim beach body was banned in the UK. The next year, mayor of London Sadiq Khan vowed to remove all body-shaming from London transport. The Spanish government campaign is another positive step in this battle.
Famous figures argue that we should love the body we inhabit. Pop star Lizzo has spoken about "normalising" her body, so that all bodies are viewed in a similar light. Slam poet Sonya Renee Taylor argues that "the body is not an apology". We should embrace our bodies whatever their form.
<h5 id="question" class=" eplus-wrapper"><strong>Will we ever stop trying to look perfect?</strong></h5>
Yes: After centuries of being trapped by conventional ideas of beauty, we are gradually learning to find beauty in all things. The time has come to love ourselves and move past the age of shame.
No: From Sparta to Spain, we have always been obsessed with our bodies and appearance - and always will be. It will take more than positive campaigns and advertising restrictions to transform human nature.
Or... There are millions of people in the world who lack the time and money to fixate on their appearance. As the world lurches towards a climate crisis, chasing perfection might become a thing of the past.
Body dysmorphia - A mental health condition where someone spends a lot of time worrying about physical flaws, which are often unnoticeable to others.
Tabloids - A newspaper that has smaller pages. It typically has lots of pictures and sensational stories.
Spain: ‘all bodies are beach bodies’ now
Glossary
Body dysmorphia - A mental health condition where someone spends a lot of time worrying about physical flaws, which are often unnoticeable to others.
Tabloids - A newspaper that has smaller pages. It typically has lots of pictures and sensational stories.