Physical Body and Self

According to Augustus William Hare and Julius Charles Hare in Guesses at Truth, by Two Brothers “The body too has its rights; and it will have them: they cannot be trampled on without peril. The body ought to be the soul's best friend. Many good men however have neglected to make it such: so it has become a fiend and has plagued them. “ This belief that the body can be controlled and manipulated by the self is reflected in the constant emphasis the United States’ obvious focus on control. If we can control and manipulate the world around us, we can perceive it in the ways which are the most pleasing. However, this control is not exercised by the whole population but by an elite few. It is important to note that these elite few are not selected at random, but by a system carved by centuries spent polishing the image of beauty; if one can morph her or his body until it is indistinguishable from the plastic mold of a Barbie or G.I. Joe doll, one will gain agency. Not only do these images and others portray impossibly high standards (with her extreme proportions, Barbie could not stand if she were real), but they also convey extremely sexist standards.
The fact that the majority of stories of struggles with body image can be heard from young adults reveals the grassroots nature of this issue. Another principle which reveals this is the fact that much of this ideology is hidden linguistically within United States English. For example, the phrase “you throw like a girl” is not an uncommon expression to tell someone that she or he is not very good at throwing. Similarly, euphemisms for one who displays feminine characteristics (i.e. “sissy”) are common substitutes for a poor athlete on the playing field. Not only is this language sexist, but it also has a hidden power: the power to hurt athletes physically. If an athlete is consistently being told that she or he is physically inadequate, she or he will become insecure and will feel more pressure to perform physically, and will therefore attempt to mold her or his body to the standards set by society. In a society like that of the United States, this strength is particularly stressed to young male athletes, creating a barrier between sexes which assumes that men are stronger and more capable to achieve these standards than women. This results in the kind of harsh attitude faced by many young male athletes (i.e. Sabo) and often fosters a sexist attitude in young adults.
There is a clear gender biased in the United States which tells boys and men that they must be strong and emotionless, women that they must be pretty, and anyone who doesn’t fit into those categories that they are unattractive and therefore less valuable. Because assimilating to these standards allows one to gain agency, this attitude functions in a cyclic manner.