The Ideal Feminine Body Type Will Never Exist
Terms such as “Heroin Chic” and “Ozempic-Off” flood female celebrities’ and influencers’ comment sections
by Jaz Straus
The want and, probably more accurately, the need to be thin has once again become the social norm. Terms such as “Heroin Chic” and “Ozempic-Off” flood female celebrities’ and influencers’ comment sections, both praising and criticizing their figures. Many comments rave about how good the celebrity looks, congratulating them on their weight loss and expressing their desires to look the same. Other commenters shame celebrities for giving into societal pressures or for glamorizing what many call “eating disorder culture”. Both types of commenters were present in the comment section of those very same celebrities not even five years ago when hourglass figures and BBLs were what was considered to be “in”. This begs the question; if women are criticized for being thin or curvy, what is the ideal feminine body type?
The perfect feminine figure has fluctuated time and time again with social media going from favoring curvy girls with hourglass figures not even five years ago to calling them ugly and obese in the times of romanticizing the casual use of ozempic, a drug meant to treat type two diabetes. While this switch was sudden, it isn’t at all surprising. Female bodies have been placed under microscopes to be scrutinized by the mass public long before social media existed. The reason why this may be happening won’t be too surprising either.
“The male gaze” is a feminist theory that refers to the idea that women in media exist to cater to the desires of men. In this example of media, both men and women use the male gaze to change what they believe women should look like. When women started getting BBLs in the 2010’s, it was because of the attention the Kardashians bikini pictures were getting from men online. Now that men seem to be rejecting that outlook on beauty, women feel the need to starve themselves or to spend significant portions of their checks on weight loss drugs to cater to this gaze.
Women seemingly rely on where the male gaze is looking to decide what makes them beautiful. And if men can’t seem to agree on the ideal feminine body type, does one truly exist?
Jazmin Straus is senior Communications and Media and English student at Nazareth University. As an aspiring writer, Straus hopes to one day publish stories that will uplift the community around her and inspire change in places that need it most. She enjoys writing on a variety of topics, from local community stories to columns about food and lifestyle choices. Contact Jazmin at jstraus5@mail.naz.edu.
I hope this gets more exposure.