An Exploration of the changing attitudes towards female body shape of Dissertation

An Exploration of the changing attitudes towards female body shape of South East Asian young adults immigrates to the UK - Dissertation Example Previous studies conducted with regard to the subject matter at hand were able to show that a person’s body image is a product of their personal experiences, personality as well as various social and cultural forces. It has likewise been stated that a person’s sense of their own physical appearance usually in relation to others and to some cultural ideal, can shape the manner by which they perceive their own bodies (Grogan 2008). In addition thereto, they also maintained that a person’s perception of their appearance can be different from the manner by which others actually see (Kindes 2006). Aside from the aforementioned, studies were also able to show that women tend to be more worried about their body image than their male counterparts (Grogan 2008). Unfortunately, their concern with respect to the same was often times considered to have a negative impact on their health. More often than not, people who have a low body image will try to alter their body in var ious ways such as dieting and going through cosmetic surgery (Kindes 2006; Grogan 2008). It is in relation to what has been previously discussed that this dissertation focuses on body image. More specifically, the researcher focuses on the Western perceptions with respect to body image from that of their Asian counterparts. In addition thereto, this study aims to look into the impact of the Western body image to Asian immigrants, focusing on young women students who came to the United Kingdom of Great Britain in order to study. Previous studies and articles written with respect to body image and the effects thereof on both women and men, tend to underscore the fact that consciousness with respect to body image is a purely Western issue. The Western Society is often perceived to give much emphasis on the so-called model-type bodies. In fact, it is because of this emphasis that eating disorders are prevalent in the Western countries (Lake, Staiger and Glowinski 2000). However, the stu dy of Lake, Staiger and Glowinski (2000) pointed out that these eating disorders are prevalent even amongst non-Western women. Nevertheless, there is still a wide disparity with respect to the manner by which Western women perceive body image as compared with their Asian counterparts. Kristy (2011) supports the study conducted by Lake, Staiger and Glowinski (2000). According to her, body image problems tend to be more prevalent amongst developed countries. The author correlates this to the fact that most children and young adults in developing countries tend to focus on other problems which in turn, gives them little time to worry about their issues with respect to body image (Kristy 2011). Yates (n.d.) supports the previous discussions stating that the Western Culture is responsible for perpetuating an unending and deeply saddening reality – the quest for bodily perfection. According to this author, this quest is fueled by advertising campaigns as well as the manner by which women are portrayed in Hollywood (Yates n.d.). The consequence of this is that 80% of American Women tend to be dissatisfied with their appearance. In relation to the abovementioned, Dixit (2011) discusses the consequences of such standards on South Asian women living in other countries. According to her, with the entire world are influenced by media-defined ideals of beauty through films, magazines and television shows, South Asian women living in other countries feel the pressure to conform to the standards of beauty set forth by Western shows, films,