English Assessment: Body Dysmorphia Speech

Hello Everyone, and a very good morning to all of you!

Today I thought I would post something that can relate to my blogging in some respects. Recently I had to write a speech for english, and after thinking long and hard on a subject I feel strong about, I chose Body Dysmorphia, and some of you wanted to see it posted here, so here it is. Please post feedback and any questions in the comment section, thankyou.

Body Dysmorphia:Why?

all images are off google, some might not come out as well as others. (Pictures were used as powerpoint images)

Hello, today I am here to talk about a subject that is so common, but hard to talk about. I suppose, it’s a taboo. Body Dysmorphia is more common than all of us think, it’s all around us in our everyday lives, but how does it happen, what makes normal, everyday people believe that their nose is too big, or that they are too fat?

Everywhere we look today people are painting pictures of what perfection is supposedly like. Take Vogue for example, every issue has about 20 spreads of painfully skinny models, who all have the same plastic hair, flawless skin, and ‘beautiful’ bodies. It is like they want to force us to believe that everyone is supposed to be the same, with blank personalities. But these advertisements aren’t what they seem. As some of you might know, most magazines photoshop their pictures, to make the models have perfect bone structure, tight waists, and endless legs. But how much do they really photoshop them? Do we really know? Here’s an example. 

Penelope Cruz, as we all know is naturally beautiful, and we usually see her flaunting her shape on the red carpet in beautiful dresses. You would never think that anyone would change her body for a magazine? Well you are wrong. It’s obvious in these pictures that I show you, that there have been some changes. They have changed her so that her waist is thinner, her skin is more ‘glowing’ and her hair is a lot thinner, and a lot more plastic. I give you another example.

Britney Spears is as famous for her off stage activities, as she is for her on stage activities. In 2007, after divorcing her then husband, she had a very public breakdown, involving drugs. But I must respect her, because after children and drug abuse, her body is immaculate. But that doesn’t mean that press wanted to change that, so they did.

Another cause of Body Dysmorphia is often (believe it or not) peer pressure. It can come directly from them, or spread around from mouth to mouth. Sometimes your peers won’t even notice they are doing it. It can be the smallest comment, but it builds up in our minds. How is it that one negative comment, can delete all the positive things people have said to you in a second? But by telling someone else they are fat, or don’t fit into something because their thighs are too big, it makes us feel instantly better. Teenagers are sensitive about their bodies no matter what, but for a friend to point that out to them, makes them feel insecurity even more. Things can spiral out of control in a minute, and before you know it, you’re watching what you eat, and weighing yourself everyday. Girls are horrible, and they love it.

If I take you back to the point I made of the media, look at this photo. Think for a second who’s body would you like to have? Victoria Secret of course, because that’s what the models have starved for, to be wanted and loved. But you can still be beautiful even if you are not size 0, in fact, if you are curvy you should love your body even more because even though you are not like those models, you are still beautiful, curvy, skinny, or straight up and down. You should be YOU.

I really hope you enjoyed reading this speech, I tried to give everyone an insight into what causes Body Dysmorphia, but to be honest we will never know what is going on in their minds. That's why I wrote about it, for people to know that any action or comment they make on someone, can change their perspective on themselves, and make them paranoid and ill. Just think before you make a remark, because it's more powerful than you think.