Hesse Biber- Am I Thin Enough Yet? The Cult of Thinness and the Commercialization of Identity :: essays research papers

The religious cult of Thinness Many modern women subject themselves to an intense day-to-day involvement in the pursuit of thinness demands. These demands resemble those behaviors commonly associated with cult hood. Three main tools are used in order to achieve this goal or ideal. The Cult of Thinness invests in thinness through primary rituals. The rituals are followed through by the obsession of a particular ideal body. There are withal extremities or positions of higher authority with extreme involvement in cults, much like the level of devotion in The Cult of Thinness.Daily actions of checking and critiquing can be performed in many ways. Body monitoring offers an array of resources. Constantly weighing ones self is a way of achieving quantitative precision. Being able to pinpoint an exact gain or loss is a necessity in this cycle. To be able to have an ideal weight and to accurately examine yourself leaves no room for misinterpretation. Counting Calories helps maintain disci pline to be sure not to exceed the limit. If one eats certain restricted food, it is seen to be extraordinary or as breaking the rules. This restriction of food intake is in a highly disciplined way. This is part of a larger process of fast and exercising which is used in an obsessive manner to obtain the perfect body. These diet rituals can go as far as to fast for old age at a time. Another tool of monitoring is food watching, monitoring the intake of good and unskilled foods. Nutritionally healthy foods are considered good. Anything else, from sweets to foods with fat, are considered bad foods.Other rituals are performed through comparisons. By evaluating and examining old pictures and using them as motivation. Having a constant reminder of previous slimness can push a person to regain what might be an unrealistic goal. Mirrors provide a selective image to the viewer. You only see what you want to. This is particularly important, as virtually members to this Cult of Thinness have low self esteem. A reflect can be used to scrutinize and dissect physical flaws. A mirror reflects the virtual image of an object placed in front of it. This provides an analogy for how society fosters womens obsession with their weight and body image. These rituals can serve as a reminder to ones self that one is not meeting the standards, guilt and self penance are results.In a cult, there is an object or ideal to worship.