Q: I have always identified myself as feminist, but in today’s society, I look at all the adds on billboards, in magazines, and on TV, and I cant help but notice all the girls are so skinny. I want to be desired, like any other woman, but these adds make me feel inadequate and my mind cant help but wander- if I just could look this way or that way, I would be happy. Does this go against feminist principles? Would I be a hypocrite if I became anorexic but identified myself as a feminist?
- Starving for Perfection

A: You don't have to go very far to notice that the ideal for women's bodies at present is a thin, fit, radiantly healthy, young woman. The message of what we should look like is everywhere. The media images we see of women offers us the "ideal." The exclusion of so many women from representation is a denial of the wide range of bodies and appearances. Instead of marveling at the assortment of body shapes, we continually compare ourselves with each other. We begin to objectify our own and other women's bodies. We are given the message that our value depends on our physical appearance. Unfortunately, limits on "desirable" thinness have not been set. The popular notion is that, as long as a woman isn't "badly" anorexic, being thin is not hazardous. Our standard of normal body size has become so thin that average weight people are considered abnormal. The need to perfect our bodies has intensified the social tendency to equate women's worth with our bodies. On one hand, many feminists who are pro choice heavily weight the importance of being able to choose what happens to our bodies (even if they do usually only focus on the issue of abortion). However, it’s hard to imagine a feminist who doesn’t seek to celebrate and embrace who they are, just as they are. A major driving force in the revolutionary steps feminist’s have made has been the unwillingness to submit to conformity. Ultimately, feminism wants you to be whoever you are-but with a political consciousness. And, vice versa: You want to be a feminist because you want to be exactly who you are.