Body politics
Obsession with one’s body is often part of growing up. The unspoken question is here: which standard are we trying to apply to ourselves? And this, then, is converted into: which group do we wish to be a member of? For when one wants to be part of a particular group, one really has to go for it and strive for the best ‘matching’ representation of oneself. Meaning: a representation that is in line with the explicit and implicit norms of that group. And here comes the problem: if your body differs too much from the average, it may make you feel abnormal – you may be too fat or too skinny, or simply insufficiently ‘in’, in the eyes of the others.