By Megan Cathey, Staff Writer, Emerson College
As someone who is 5’10, you could say I’m a pretty tall person. I never had a crazy growth spurt, I’ve just always been on the taller side. I was consistently in 95th percentile or above whenever I was measured by my pediatrician. Growing up, people constantly made comments on my height, which me permanently conscious about it. When I hit middle school, it became a large source of insecurity. While my friends experimented heels, I stuck to flats, because I hated the idea of bringing even more attention to myself. I stopped growing in the 9th grade, but my insecurities stuck with me. I felt that being tall made me less feminine, and therefore less attractive.
My insecurities did not come out of a vacuum - women are taught by social conventions and the media to be conscientious of how much space they displace. The voice of my teacher from an etiquette class still echoes in my mind, “Ladies sit with their legs crossed at the ankle.” Women are supposed to be small and contained, from they way they look, to the way the way they sit, even from the way they interact. Research from Columbia University shows that female students are less likely to speak up or blurt out answers in class discussions, while men speak more frequently and for a longer duration. Her voice, as well as her body language, is supposed to be passive.
This behavior is prescribed early in in childhood, even as young as three. A study conducted by Florida State University in the International Journal of Eating Disorders shows that parents worry that their daughters are eating too much, while their sons are not eating enough, even when the children have the same body mass index. As Thomas E. Joiner, Ph.D. says, “Parents are buying into the media ideal of thinness for girls and perceiving that their daughters may not be thin enough, even at this young age. They also have stereotypes about male culture that boys should be big and strong and physical." Even as toddlers, girls are encouraged to limit their food intake, whereas boys are encouraged to eat a lot more.
Gendered ideals of size continue throughout adolescence. Even before young girls have reached puberty, many already believe they’re fat. A University of Central Florida study shows that girls younger than six worry about their weight. As these girls grow up, these feelings can manifest in harmful ways such as eating disorders. While girls strive to reach unattainable ideals of thinness, boys concerns with their bodies are often about not being big enough. In our culture, muscles are seen as attractive masculine attributes. Studies show 40% of high school boys work out to build muscle mass. Society teaches girls that their bodies should occupy less space, whereas boys are encouraged to occupy more.
My insecurities did not come out of a vacuum - women are taught by social conventions and the media to be conscientious of how much space they displace. The voice of my teacher from an etiquette class still echoes in my mind, “Ladies sit with their legs crossed at the ankle.” Women are supposed to be small and contained, from they way they look, to the way the way they sit, even from the way they interact. Research from Columbia University shows that female students are less likely to speak up or blurt out answers in class discussions, while men speak more frequently and for a longer duration. Her voice, as well as her body language, is supposed to be passive.
This behavior is prescribed early in in childhood, even as young as three. A study conducted by Florida State University in the International Journal of Eating Disorders shows that parents worry that their daughters are eating too much, while their sons are not eating enough, even when the children have the same body mass index. As Thomas E. Joiner, Ph.D. says, “Parents are buying into the media ideal of thinness for girls and perceiving that their daughters may not be thin enough, even at this young age. They also have stereotypes about male culture that boys should be big and strong and physical." Even as toddlers, girls are encouraged to limit their food intake, whereas boys are encouraged to eat a lot more.
Gendered ideals of size continue throughout adolescence. Even before young girls have reached puberty, many already believe they’re fat. A University of Central Florida study shows that girls younger than six worry about their weight. As these girls grow up, these feelings can manifest in harmful ways such as eating disorders. While girls strive to reach unattainable ideals of thinness, boys concerns with their bodies are often about not being big enough. In our culture, muscles are seen as attractive masculine attributes. Studies show 40% of high school boys work out to build muscle mass. Society teaches girls that their bodies should occupy less space, whereas boys are encouraged to occupy more.
The media perpetuates the idea that women are supposed to take up less space than men. Not only are women in advertisements usually incredibly thin, they are commonly in submissive positions. As seen in this Dolce & Gabbana ad, the woman is powerless under the strength of the men surrounding her. Although this ad is supposed to be sexy, the fact that the model is being pinned down suggests that this is against her will. This advertisement, along with many others (I’d recommend watching Jean Kilbourne’s Killing Us Softly series), uses violent imagery involving women and presents it as erotic. Advertisements not only show that the skewed power dynamic between men and women is normal, but it’s sexy as well.
Body language is an assertion of power. Men are granted to the ability to occupy space more freely than women. If women are taught that they are supposed to keep their bodies small and contained, they are essentially being taught that they occupy less of an important role in society.
Today, whenever I start to feel insecure about being tall, I try to keep my chin up and walk with confidence. If someone finds my height to be intimidating, then so be it.
Megan is a freshman Writing, Literature & Publishing major from sunny Scottsdale, Arizona. She enjoys red lipstick, kombucha, cats, and driving her Volkswagen Beetle named Sasha. She also pretends she's Marina & the Diamonds in her spare time. You can contact Megan on her Twitter or Facebook.
Images: realsimple.com, Dolce & Gabbana 2007
Body language is an assertion of power. Men are granted to the ability to occupy space more freely than women. If women are taught that they are supposed to keep their bodies small and contained, they are essentially being taught that they occupy less of an important role in society.
Today, whenever I start to feel insecure about being tall, I try to keep my chin up and walk with confidence. If someone finds my height to be intimidating, then so be it.
Megan is a freshman Writing, Literature & Publishing major from sunny Scottsdale, Arizona. She enjoys red lipstick, kombucha, cats, and driving her Volkswagen Beetle named Sasha. She also pretends she's Marina & the Diamonds in her spare time. You can contact Megan on her Twitter or Facebook.
Images: realsimple.com, Dolce & Gabbana 2007