Comfortable with our bodies

"Our Bodies, Ourselves" article, was about body, health and sexuality. It went from criticizing tight-laced corsets, to campaigning for birth control and then to their dissatisfaction with their body. The women's health movement offered information on menstruation, masturbation, sexual diseases and childbirth. The first source talks about taking things from people's own experiences and teaching other women about them. So then we can be informed on the subject and know more about our own bodies. For example, menstruation and how it is normal and you shouldn't be embarrassed about it. Also, that masturbation is a normal activity for everyone. The second is knowing how little control we have over our bodies. An example, would be not being able to control pregnancies until recently with birth control and how much better it has been for women being able to plan for births. Thirdly, is freedom of choice for your own body and being able to decide what's best for it. Lastly, is education and not alienation form ourselves. Being satisfied in what you are doing and being strong. Trying not to live up to these normal ideals that are nearly impossible to achieve.

Steinem talks about what advertising really does to people. It "confuses them" and sets up norms for being beautiful. The media is all around us and inspires what the new trend in cloths, hair, makeup and how to look in general to be considered beautiful. When talking to the guys in our class, it seems to believe that they would not even notice if we got new shoes but we do it because we need to be like those women who are considered beautiful and we want to be that too. If you don't buy this shampoo you won't attract you crush, or magazines that say this shirt is out but these pants are in. It just gets people to spend their money. I am not saying that I am not apart of this because I am, I am just saying people should recognize what is going on in our society.

Brumberg's article on "Body Projects", discusses how women view themselves as the new fashion trends change. Outfits changed in the 20s and so did women having to shave their arms, and legs, ect because we were showing them off more often. Now, we show off even more skin and we worry even more about being toned, muscular, and a size 00 with huge breasts. As fashion changes, so do we. Instead of altering the cloths we alter our bodies to fit the cloths that we think we should be able to fit in. There are many different body types and some just aren't made to fit in certain cloths. As an athlete, it can be hard to find jeans that fit my waists and fit my legs. Sometimes I have the right waist size but i can't get the pants up past my thighs. Everyone's bodies are different but I think the main point of these articles are to say that we should learn to be comfortable with out bodies both insides with medical knowledge and outside with physical comfortability.