Project 1: Video Reaction Paper
Video 1
Introduction:
In her ted talk, “Enough with the fear of fat”, Kelli Jean Drinkwater talks who live with the constant fear of becoming fat which causes anxiety. She narrates about her personal experience as a fat person and describes the challenges that she faces on a day to day basis. In this context she confronts the perception held by the public against bigger bodies. Throughout the presentation, she asserts that such beliefs are indicators of fat phobia, which is a prejudiced mentality. The speaker rationalizes how people, media, and doctors tend to visualize at fat people as bad people, although slim people are fundamentally good. This paper provides a detailed descriptions of my reactions to Kelli Jean’s and Meaghan Ramsey’s video on body image and its effects on individuals’ well-being. The paper provides relevant solutions for changing the cultural norms which entails judging people based on their looks to help all individuals achieve their goals. The paper talks about how most people are affected by their appearances and what they can do to develop self-confidence and become successful in life.
Drinkwater narrates about her personal experience of being overweight and the storms she has encountered as people judge her based on her appearance. She states that most people spend most of their life trying to maintain a lean body because it was what the society has always supported as attracted (Drinkwater, 2020). However, she insists that people should be allowed to be happy regardless of their body size because everyone is human and there is no need of limiting the definition of attractive.
My reaction to the Drinkwater’s video positive because she is brave, straightforward, and has high self-esteem. The speaker evokes positive energy based on her confidence while challenging people’s negative perception about big bodies. The speaker has made me feel happy and proud of her because unlike many people, she has accepted her big body, and she is unremorseful for being herself. The speaker is narrating her story while smiling, and this proves that she is happy and satisfied by her physical appearance. At a first, glance I would not help but recognize that the speaker was overweight which in turn created a negative attitude about her lifestyle and choices. However, based on her presentation this notion changed rather fast because of her confidence as she raised relevant arguments about how the perception affects individuals who are considered to be fat.
The initial thoughts that went through my head when I first I saw the speaker is that she needs to lose some weight to fit in society and avoid developing chronic illnesses which are associated with being overweight. In summary, the speaker talked about fat phobia because in our modern culture, being fat is considered as being as a result of irresponsibility, greediness, and laziness. However, we often forget that factors such as genetics play a role as well in determining our body size.
Fat people are often discriminated, abused, and excluded in some activities like a catwalk, club shows, prominent dance stages, and public swimming pools (Drinkwater, 2020). The speaker started engaging in activities that are regularly prohibitive to bigger bodies to show the world that fat people are also real human beings. She emphasizes that it is by accepting self that one is likely to protect his or her mental well-being.
The things that the speaker said and made me surprised include fat bodies that can blow an individual’s minds and there are fat activisms that encourage people to reject fat fear. The speaker said that fat phobia prevents people from making peace with their bodies. I can relate to that statement because most overweight people hate their bodies and all people have a fear of being obese, so they try dieting in every possible way to the extent of overdosing themselves with pills which causes further harm to their bodies. Sometimes they even think they are obese, so they get anorexia or bulimia. These factors contribute to the development of illnesses particularly mental conditions such as anxiety.
The speaker’s statement that challenged my perceptions of fat people is that they should be valued and respected in society. Fat people should not be underestimated because they are normal human beings and productive (Drinkwater, 2020). By the end of the video, I have learned that a person should make peace with his body to overcome fat phobia and live happily.
By the end of the talk, my impression of the speaker is that she is a role model because she has managed to change positively many lives of obese individuals. She is also a hero because she managed to overcome the fear of fat at six years. Before the video, my perception of fat people was that they were irresponsible, inactive, and greedy. After the video, my perception changed because some people were born fat, and despite being active, they are still overweight and therefore, fat people should not be condemned and abused. I agree with EP's comment that bullying people who are obese is horrible thus, people should stop the habit (Drinkwater, 2020). I also support Abe Felisa's comment that no one in the world wants to be obese, and this makes some individuals define obesity as an illness.
Video 2
Introduction:
In the video “Why thinking you're ugly is bad for you,’’ the speaker, Meaghan Ramsey argues that people should avoid media pressure. The video talks about the effects of people thinking they are ugly. Thousands of individuals wonder and try to search for answers on Google to confirm whether they are beautiful or ugly because they think that their appearance is not good enough. One in three teenagers does not participate in class discussions to avoid drawing attraction. Teenagers with low body confidence underperform compared to those with high body confidence. The keyways to overcome image-related pressure include educating teenagers about body confidence, respecting, and looking for themselves.
My reactions to this video are sad because I have learned that most teenagers are affected by what they think they look (Ramsey, 2014). People are loved by the way they look and therefore, those that are considered as unattractive are subjected to bullying and abuse especially on social media platforms.
What I have learned from the video is that today, the online environment is training children to value themselves by the likes and comments they get because there is no separation between online and offline life. What has surprised me is that there is a girl who posted her picture on social media and asked people whether she was ugly and beautiful because her mother used to tell her she was beautiful while her friends used to tell her she was ugly. The confusion made her ask a public opinion on her look, but unfortunately, she received absurd comments (Ramsey, 2014). Parents should show their kids that what they look is just one part of their identity, and they love them for who they are and what they make them feel.
Analysis Section
I was asked to watch the two videos back-to-back because they talk about body appearances. In both videos, fat people are considered ugly, while slim people are viewed as attractive. The videos are similar and relevant because they address an important issue that is affecting society today. The videos asserts that people should not be judged based on their appearances because fat and slim people are all human beings and useful. The videos relate to other reaction papers because the speakers are reacting to body weight and image confidence. The videos relate to mind-body connection because people who find themselves attractive succeed in life while those who find the unattractive become losers.
What I have learned through this project is that the habit of bullying others based on their weight and attraction is harming teenagers and people in general. Mental health is the most essential because it gives people clear thinking, inner peace, and increases their self-esteem. For example, in the ‘’ enough with the fear of fat’’ video, I have learned that people should start accepting themselves at an early age to become strong and overcome fat and appearance phobia.
References
Drinkwater, K. (2020). Enough with the fear of fat. Retrieved from: https://www.ted.com/talks/kelli_jean_drinkwater_enough_with_the_fear_of_fat
Drinkwater, K. J. (2020). Summary. Retrieved September 30, 2020, from Studienet.dk: https://www.studienet.dk/enough-with-the-fear-of-fat-kelli-jean-drinkwater/summary
Ramsey, M. (2014). Meaghan Ramsey: Why thinking you are ugly is bad for you. Retrieved from: https://archive.org/details/MeaghanRamsey_2014S
