Month: April 2012

By Ginny Jacobs

Contributing Writer

Body image doesn’t depend on what size or shape you are. We can be beautiful and fulfill the stresses that society demands and feel great about ourselves. On the other hand, we can be just the same and hate the way we look. Body image is all about how we feel and perceive ourselves, and society doesn’t always make that easy.

In society today there is a huge demand to look a certain way. If you have ever read a fashion magazine or watched any music video you are probably aware that the media isn’t kind to women. The ideal size for women in Hollywood and in high fashion is often a rail-thin size zero.

You may be aware of how Tyra Banks has recently gained weight, forcing her to have to defend her shape on television and in magazines.  “I get so much mail from young girls who say, ‘I look up to you, you’re not as skinny as everyone else, I think you’re beautiful,’ So when they say my body is ugly and disgusting, what does that make those girls feel like?” Banks said in People Magazine. 

It is not surprising that physical attractiveness plays a huge role in our culture. Every period of history has had its own standards of what is and is not beautiful. In the 19th century being beautiful meant wearing a corset, which caused breathing and digestive problems. Now we try to diet and exercise ourselves into what we deem as “fashionable” shape, which often brings even more serious consequences.

Advances in technology and the rise of mass media have caused normal concerns about how we look to become obsessions. Televisions, billboards, and magazines cause us to see “beautiful people” all the time, more often than our older family members did in their day, making these unrealistic standards of beauty seem both normal and attainable. It is likely that young women now see more images of outstandingly beautiful women in one day than their mothers saw throughout their entire teenage years.

Women these days are in fact trying to achieve the impossible as far as standards of beauty. Standards of female beauty have in fact become progressively more unrealistic during the 20th century. In 1917, the physically perfect woman was about 5′ 4” tall and weighed nearly 140 pounds. Even 25 years ago, top models and beauty queens weighed only 8% less than the average woman, now they weigh 23% less. 

We are constantly bombarded by images telling us how our bodies should look and feel. One of the most difficult aspects of achieving a healthy body image is being able to resist the social pressures around us telling us that are bodies are not good enough. We have to realize that these messages we see in the media are unrealistic and that bodies come in different shapes and sizes.

By Stefan Ivanovski

Contributing Writer

It’s gorgeous outside. It’s springtime, my favorite time of the year. As the temperatures start to rise, people all over campus and beyond reflexively reach for the air conditioning (AC) control and put the thermostat below 60 F.

I have not yet understood how people decide to use ACs the way they do, especially here in the United States. I spent my summer at the University doing research with the economics department, working most of the time at the library. The temperature outside was around 85-90 F. I would walk outside with a T-shirt, shorts and flip-flops. I would get to the library and I would be freezing; I would have to walk outside in order to warm myself up.

I remember asking one of the staff members at the reference desk to turn off the AC, but I was told that some areas cannot be “climate controlled.” Basically, it’s the whole floor or nothing. I wasn’t asking for the AC to be turned off. I was just trying to find at least one logical reason why anyone would turn the temperature down so low, to a temperature that is unbearable for pretty much everyone. I could not find any. Such actions do not follow any economic, environmental or rational logic nor are they healthy.

Keeping the temperature in the range of 68-73 F during hot summers, when it is necessary, instead of below 60 F would make sense. These days, the temperature outside doesn’t top 65 F, so it is best to open the windows and let the smell of spring enter the classrooms. My impression is that it seems to be “socially unacceptable” to open the window when you can “conveniently” turn on the AC and make the temperature “comfortable.” There must be something special about that feeling associated with turning the temperature knob. The HVAC is probably filled with dust, allergens, bacteria and mold, only making indoor air quality worse, using more money. Why would you pay for something when you can get something better for free?

I do understand that humidity is a big issue over the summer, and I am not advocating to stop the use of ACs, but I am calling for smarter use. The University can save some money through relying more on natural ventilation throughout most of the year, like now, rather than solely ACs.

For thousands of years, man has constructed houses in hostile environments, hot and cold, dry and humid, and has still managed to control indoor temperature without the use of technology or energy. For example, in the south of Spain, in most cities and towns, multi-story houses are constructed around narrow streets. This helps create shadows and keeps the sun away, which generates a nice cool climate indoors. Simple engineering and respect for environmental process goes a long way. My point is that we have to adapt to natural conditions and question “socially acceptable” habits such as the unnatural use of ACs.

Let’s try to enjoy the smell of spring from the comfort of our rooms, classrooms and offices: it isn’t too much to ask.

Thank you for your time and enjoy the spring.