What is Body Image?

To me, body image is the way you and other people view you; such as your body type, style, hair, etc. I think that it is important to study this topic because it takes you deeper into the minds of humans and gives clues as to what makes them think this way.
There have been 3 main waves of feminism in our history. The first one took place in the twenties and was centered around women's suffrage, voting and women's rights. The second one was in the sixties and focused on equal pay. The third and final wave of feminism focuses on several diverse strains of individual movements that have taken place since the early nineties. During this time period we saw women enter into the Senate, the first women to become the United States Attorney General as well as the Secretary of State. It was a popular time for women to become independent and break into the lead roles of the workforce as well as in the political world. It is clear to see that the roles and standards of beauty for women have changed dramatically over the years. Back during the first wave of feminism, women were to be seen and not heard. They were the perfect housewives, wore very modest outfits and spoke proper English. Beauty was seen as the way you carried yourself as well as what you wore on a daily basis. Moving into the second wave, the women were less modest and becoming more outspoken, demanding equal pay as well as the same job opportunities as their male counterparts. The standards of beauty during this time period is where we begin to see the very thin girls, long blonde hair and beautiful facial features. This standard is basically the same to this day, with some variances here and there.
In the book, Body Outlaws, Ophira Edut explains the definition of a body outlaw as being someone who goes against the norm and accepts her body the way it is and doesn't try to change it to fit the standard. There are many women of our time who I would consider to be a body outlaw, but I think the best and or strongest example of this would be Queen Latifah. I believe her to be a leading lady in this role because even though she is scrutinized about her weight and size, she has never tried to mold her body to fit into the views of her critics. She did become a spokeswoman for Jenny Craig, but not to become thin, but to become "healthy", campaigning for a healthy lifestyle in her perfect size; size happy.
http://www.dosomething.org/files/queen_microsoft.jpg