“I’m literally yours hun, Cuz’ I never seen an ass so big with a waist as little as yours…clothes fit it [it-refers to the female butt] I want you to give me some of it because minute by minute I rise because your thighs and all your hips,” these lyrics are taken from the song entitled “It’s All Right” by rappers Fabolous and Sean Paul. The rappers explicitly express their likening of a Black woman’s butt, hips, and thighs. Hip hop lyrics are notorious for their descriptions of Black women’s bodies with a focus on Black women’s curvaceous body parts: butt, breast and thighs. Frequently, in southern Black culture the characteristic that a man notices about a Black woman is her body- breast, hips thighs and butt. Other aspects such as her face are not initially given as much attention. In the article “Ethnic Differences in Female Overweight: Data form the National Interview Health Survey” Deborah Dawson notes that in southern Black culture the ideal Black women’s body is heavy in comparison to White women and by health standards is often considered overweight ( Dawson 1326). But, many southern Black women ignore the unhealthiness of being overweight and eat more in order to replicate the voluptuous body type that Black men perceive as attractive. Now, not only are a large percent of Black women overweight, but more than thirty percent are affected by obesity (Lovejoy 246).
Eating disorders are the third most chronic illness among females in the United States. Over the past twenty years there has been a five hundred percent increase of eating disorders (Lofton 5). There has been a sixteen percent increase of obesity in Black women from 1988 to 2000 (American Obesity Association). In the article “Race Differentials in Obesity: The impact of Place” the authors’ research proved that obesity in predominately poor Black communities is related to their lack of socioeconomic resources such as proper health care (Boardman et al). This was proven through a study that showed that minority women with low income appear to have the greatest likelihood of being overweight (American Obesity Association). Additionally, the American Obesity Association studies report that “Cultural factors related to dietary choices, physical activity, and acceptance of excess weight among African Americans, appear to play a role in interfering with weight loss efforts,” thus leading to obesity. My understanding of the common causes of obesity has led me to introduce a different reason for the disorder in southern Black women. The high rates of obesity among Black women in southern culture can be
linked to Black men and mainstream media’s standard of ideal beauty in Black women.
Why are women so critical about their bodies? Susan Bordo the author of Unbearable Weight discusses answers to this question. She states that American western culture has socially constructed the idea that women’s bodies are subject to improvement (Bordo 68). This means that women should be critical about their bodies in an effort to better themselves. John Berger emphasizes this ideology more in his article “Ways of Seeing.” He states that a woman has to constantly survey herself because how she appears to others and mostly how she appears to men is of crucial importance (Berger 115). Additionally, Bordo discusses that the media plays a major role in the perception that women have about their bodies. The media perpetuates the ideals for standard beauty through their constant representation of certain body types. Accordingly, the critical attitudes that women have about their bodies is a result of societies emphasis of making the body pleasing for others as represented in the media.
Beautiful Black women in mainstream media are characterized by their heavy but proportioned bodies. In the article “Exposure to the Mass Media and Weight Concerns Among Girls” the authors’ research showed that pictures in magazines and other media forms had a strong impact on girls' perceptions of their weight and shape (Field et al.). Sixty- nine percent of the girls reported that magazine pictures influence their idea of the perfect body shape. In Black magazines, music videos and films many of the Black women portrayed have a small waist against wide hips and a large butt. In the article “Adaptive Significance of female Attractiveness: Role of Waist-to-Hip Ratio” Devendra Singh talks about the importance of waist to hip ratio. A narrow waist set aside a full set of hips is considered attractive. Black men have coined the word “thick” to denote this ideal body type that Singh talks about. To further my understanding of the word “thick” I conducted a survey. Through 70 surveys where half of the surveyors were men, 95 percent agreed that a “thick” woman was more attractive than a thinner woman .The frequent representation of these body parts emphasizes the aesthetic value they have in the Black community. Thus many Black women take drastic measures to achieve the “thick” body type.
On a yahoo blog entitled “how do I get thick” women offered unhealthy advice for achieving this body type. The myths for getting thick included: eat more bread, eat potatoes, drink a lot of milk, eat many carbohydrates, super size yourself as in McDonalds and eat more food all together. By trying to imitate the “thick” images that Black women see in mainstream media, they sacrifice their health and become more susceptible to obesity.
Black men’s reaction to heavier or “thick” women is a cause of obesity in Black women. I observed a reaction to a “thick” Black woman while at a concert and I also observed the affect it had on a smaller Black woman. A young Black female walked by the crowd who fit the “thick” body type and the men were very intrigued by her presence. They showed this through their constant verbal and physical actions toward her. One man commented “she could have a paper bag over her head and I would still get with her.” The girl sitting beside me was smaller than the ideal Black woman and she said that maybe she needed to eat more in order to attract that kind of attention. The comment that one of the Black men made about putting a paper bag over the woman’s face is relevant because it shows the emphasis that is placed on a Black woman’s body versus her face. A smaller Black woman may feel that her face is not an attractor to Black men thus might resort in excessive eating to gain the physique that get Black men’s attention. Susan Bordo states in Unbearable Weight the affect that men’s reactions have toward women. She says that women often feel that their bodies are never good enough. “This is suggested by the reaction of men to other women’s bodies evoking a feeling that their body is lack something” (Bordo 67). Therefore men’s reactions to “thick” women can be a link to high cases of obesity among Black women by making smaller Black women feel the need eat to gain the physical attributes that receive male attention.
The lack of pressure to be thin as a result of Black men and the media’s acceptance of heavier Black women is also tied to overeating and obesity in Black women. Because the media and Black men are acceptant of heavier women, Black women who are already overweight may not feel compelled to lose weight or on the other hand they my feel compelled to continue eating so they can maintain their heavier size. White women are more likely than Black women to perceive themselves as overweight (Dawson 1326). But interestingly Meg Lovejoy states in “Disturbances of the Social Body: Differences in Body Image and Eating Problems Among African American and White Women that obesity affects more than thirty percent of Black women and over half of White women are normal weight (243-246). This statistic shows how the different pressures that the two cultures have on body type affect the perception that women have on themselves. Along with the Black culture’s acceptance of heavier women Lovejoy notes that Black women’s perception of whether they are overweight is influenced by the weight relative to peers versus health standards (243). Again, Black women are influenced by the acceptance of the media and Black men views of body weight.
“ Your girl is alright but, did you see my girl she got a fat ass” this excerpt is taken from former hit show The Wayne’s brothers. The character Marlin Wayne makes the claim that his girl is better because of her large butt. He is not alone in his attraction to the “thick” Black female body. Many studies have shown that other Black men are lured by this body type as well. Obesity is an often ignored eating disorder that affects numerous Black women. The media and Black men’s constant emphasis on heavier but proportioned body type is a link to obesity. Beauty is not characterized by the face but by the body. Black women may feel that their face is irrelevant. Indeed booty is the new face!
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