Culture, Body Image, and Genetics: Introduction
How did the American culture get to its current point of being obsessed with the excessive and unrealistic idea of thinness being the only measure of beauty? This has become overwhelming mainly in the last fifty years or so. It is important to learn to understand what this has done to physical and mental wellness of both sexes. Your personal body image can also be distorted and effect your sense of worth as a person. What part does genetics and the evolution of the human body’s survival mechanisms play in the ultimate determinant of what is your realistic body size? This unit will help to explain some of these processes and provide you with material for thought.