Women of any race or ethnicity have certain goals of what they want to look like in terms of their appearance. But sometimes practices or beliefs of culture can be the main influence or can complicate things. For example, Patricia is engaged to an Egyptian man and in their culture having hair on any part of their whether visible or not must be removed. For someone who was raised in one culture that did not care about those things, it was extremely awkward to bring that topic up. Other than culture, society and the media has shaped what women should look like and makes women who do not fit the mold self-conscious. It is not easy to change the way society looks at things but is it possible? How can someone who comes into contact with a practice of another culture comply with it or avoid it without coming off as rude?
- How was Patricia able to handle the situation of removing the hair from all over her body?
- How do you feel about society’s view on women’s bodies?
- How do you feel about the current trends for women, such as the thigh gap?
- Middle school is when girls start to become obsessed with their appearance, weight, etc. In your personal opinion, what is the best way to help them see that they are beautiful the way they are?
