- Title
- Constructing the female body: dieting, the thin ideal and body acceptance
- Creator
- Williams, Lauren; Germov, John
- Relation
- A Sociology of Food & Nutrition: The Social Appetite p. 329-362
- Relation
- http://www.oup.com.au/titles/higher_ed/social_science/sociology/9780195551501
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press
- Resource Type
- book chapter
- Date
- 2008
- Description
- Gender differences in food consumption remain one of the clearest examples of the social appetitie - in short, women often eat differently to men. The social norms governing women's appearance and behaviour result in concern about the implications of food consumption for the look of the female body. The thin ideal is the desired aesthetic look for women's bodies in contemporary Western societies and its pursuit - primarily through dieting - significantly influences women's food choices. This chapter examines why dieting is predominantly a female behaviour by exploring the historical, structural, cultural and critical factors that have contributed to the development of, and resistance to, the thin ideal. The ability of some women to achieve body acceptance is conceptualised using Anthony Giddens' theory of self-identity to explain how certain social processes enable women to exercise their agency.
- Description
- 3rd ed.
- Subject
- food habits; gender differences; food consumption; dieting; body image
- Identifier
- uon:5864
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/44741
- Identifier
- ISBN:9780195551501
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