27. Skinny Is In: A History of The "Ideal" Female Body Type, Plus Commentary and Implications
In this episode, Sam delivers a lecture on the history of the "ideal" (read: socially rewarded) female body type. From the first recorded visual representation of the female form, through Ancient Rome and Greece, the Victorian Era, flappers, the Kardashians, and beyond, she explores the way western beauty standards have changed to reflect societal values at any given moment in time, and the implications and dangers of inflicting those beauty standards upon women. As the history becomes more recent, she reviews the current climate of social media, celebrities and influencers, GLP-1s like Ozempic, photo-editing apps, and more.
Listen to this episode if you're just a girl in the world.
Key moments:
03:41 History of the idealized female body type
04:38 The first historical record of the female form
07:41 Sylvester Graham and early diet culture in America
09:29 William Banting and William Harvey’s weight loss diet
11:54 Victorian Era England and its impact on preferred female body types
12:06 The real reason women wore corsets in Victorian Era England
13:01 Gibson Girls and the women’s rights movement (so interesting)
14:49 Flappers!!!
16:05 Old Hollywood, Marilyn Monroe, and Playboy
16:43 People become increasingly athletic, and Twiggy is the “it girl”
18:21 The supermodels of the 80s
18:49 Heroin chic in the 90s
19:06 The introduction of ultraprocessed foods in America and the growing divide between thinness and obesity
20:42 “Slim thick,” as popularized by the Kardashians
21:45 Did you know the BBL is one of the most dangerous procedures you can get?
21:57 Social media and photo-editing apps become ubiquitous
22:23 The body positivity movement and the villainization of skinniness
23:16 Currently—people are pretending to be body positive but secretly doing weight loss drugs
24:21 Sam rants lol
25:11 Sam’s point #1: The preferred female form at any given time is a reflection of society’s current values
27:52 Sam’s point #2: Men are often in control of the narrative surrounding women’s bodies
29:31 Sam’s point #3: The body image conversation has always been white and Euro-centric
31:06 Sam’s point #4: Celebrities and influencers are the authority on what’s “in”—and they have unattainable resources and lifestyles
31:50 They’re also LYING TO US LOL
33:21 Villainizing skinny is not inclusive/body positive behavior
34:03 Sam’s point #5: We need to stop speculating on other people’s bodies at all
35:39 Sam’s point #6: SkinnyTok needs to go lol
37:00 The burden of critical thinking
37:24 Sam’s point #7: The overlap between the wellness industry and the trend of being skinny
38:36 Sam’s point #8: Body types should never be “in” or “trending”
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