• Join over 1.2 million students every month
  • Accelerate your learning by 29%
  • Unlimited access from just £6.99 per month

Critically discuss the idea of normal eating? What issues does a sociological approach raise for such an idea?

Extracts from this document...

Introduction

Ilze Kalke Critically discuss the idea of 'normal' eating? What issues does a sociological approach raise for such an idea? When it comes to term 'normal' in our changing and influential world where so many of stereotypes rules, discussions and criticism among every single subject, it's hard to answer the question what does a normal stands for in any subject, so when we speak about eating habits, the subject so discussed nowadays that it even becomes a part of lifestyles and everyday life, even a fashion issue. First of all looking at eating itself, normal eating and eating disorders sociological view differs from looking at these problems throughout other subjects such as biology or psychology, so whilst looking at such term sociologically- here we must take a look not on symptoms of eating disorders as we talk about bulimia and anorexia nor at recommendations for normal eating from doctors, but the main thing that needs to be stressed out here, is how society influences our understandings of life we should have how social institutions informs us and even forces us to live and understand orders of things. ...read more.

Middle

So what are social institutions that affect the body image and forms societies mind about how you should look, eat and act. Looking at eating habits and roots for eating disorders in micro scale, it's family, friends, young girls affected by the teenage idols, when they are discussed in magazines and often criticised for getting fat, I would also claim that schools do not pay enough attention to how young minds are affected by unexplained stereotypes and how many attention is drawn to outlook starting with an early age. When it comes to meso scale, such institutions as a beauty pageant for kids, modelling school for youngsters, they do stress out the attention to beauty, not paying so much attention about eating habits and explaining healthy lifestyle. As a macro scale I can bring an example of American and Western developed societies 'The impact of Western European and American attitude towards the cultivation of bodily appearance, as well as conflicting social role expectations for women that have become a worldwide phenomenon, have been profoundly influential'(Gordon;2000:7) It almost seems like these discussions about eating disorders and normal eating is a way of women reaction to given rights and stereotypes in the world - a price to pay for living in men's world. ...read more.

Conclusion

For Mauss the body is a physiological potentiality which is realized socially and collectively through a variety of shared body practices within which the individual is trained, disciplined and socialized.'(B.Turner; 2001:25) So as the body is your main instrument to socialise, here I can mentions the power of first impression, where your appearance is all that matter, (where your photo is obligatory when you send your CV and even job adverts mentioning to 'look at yourself critically' before sending your application) it is understandable that looking good for whatever price it takes is an issue today. So we can conclude that normal eating nowadays cannot be divided as a single terms showing what is right and what is wrong, to provide yourself a normal eating it is not necessary to have a healthy lifestyle it is essential to have a healthy attitude towards yourself not to get influenced by negative social structures in any social levels whether it is your peers, your idols our the society you live in. In our postmodern society to be normal often means to become an individual who does not search an answers for becoming normal in newspapers or magazines. ...read more.

The above preview is unformatted text

This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our University Degree Gender Studies section.

Found what you're looking for?

  • Start learning 29% faster today
  • 150,000+ documents available
  • Just £6.99 a month

or


Not the one? Search for your essay title...
  • Join over 1.2 million students every month
  • Accelerate your learning by 29%
  • Unlimited access from just £6.99 per month

See related essaysSee related essays

Related University Degree Gender Studies essays

  1. - Assess the extent to which sociological theories of interpersonal violence adequately explain why ...

    There are various socially located theories which include the Social Learning Theory, Socialization and Cognitive-Behavioural Analysis. All of these are based on the same basic idea that men's violence is behaviour which men learn. Although psychoanalytical theories suggest that observing other people committing violence or even expressing one's anger in

  2. Why is it important that ethical issues are considered when a research study is ...

    The participants need to understand that they do not have to participate in the research, or if they do, they can decide to stop at any point. In the case of children, it is not always clear-cut how to achieve informed consent.

  1. The "Wedding Banquet" : Challenging Gender Stereotypes

    They survey, like men, their own femininity" (63). The concept of a representation is not just limited to female representation, but extends to men, other notions regarding gender, and even outside gender where there is a portrayal or perception of a person or object that does not capture its true nature, subjectivity, and/or reality.

  2. 'Children's cultural worlds are divided by gender'. Discuss.

    Many adults in Western society see gender as something which is decided by our genetic makeup but this research is used by social constructionists to support the theory that gender is something that we 'do' rather than something that we 'are'.

  1. What can evolutionary psychology tell us about who we find attractive and why?

    Forming a relationship with a socially dominant male would confer greater direct access to resources and also raise the social status of the female that would indirectly confer resource acquisition. Women pay close attention to how men interact with, and are treated by other men, Sadella et al., (1987)

  2. Men are different from women, not only biologically, but also sociologically.

    In other words society expect men and women to act in accord to their s*x). Thus feminist geographers have began to study issues related to gender, that have not been studied by men, such as, looking at women in the urban spatial structure, women's employment, women's access to facilities, women and development.

  1. 'The Origin of Sexuality: Biological, Pathological or Sociological?'

    of Americans support this stance.4 Perhaps the most famous reasoning for socialisation is the argument of a dominant mother and an absent father. For years people presumed that this was the way homosexuals were 'created'. This argument has been disproved countless times in countless studies.

  2. Considering the issues raised by John Colapinto, the author of As Nature Made Him: ...

    Colapinto?s book along with Jeffrey Eugenides?s book ?Middlesex? and nonprofit groups like Intersex Society of North America have helped create awareness about ?intersexuality? to break down the stereotypes and stigmatization associated with people that challenge ?gender stereotypes? (Melba 2002, p.4)(Matsumoto 2008, p.156).

  • Over 160,000 pieces
    of student written work
  • Annotated by
    experienced teachers
  • Ideas and feedback to
    improve your own work