GENÇLİK ARAŞTIRMALARI DERGİSİ
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The Meaning of Having a Weak Body for Young People in The Context of Socio-Cultural Construction of Weakness
The messages culturally sent to the young person can be internalized and may be turned
into a behavior by the young person for not being far from the society. Fie (2008) and
Kasper (1998) emphasized the cultural messages about the bodies of the individuals
being sent. Besides, while physical characteristics are related to the beauty and attrac-
tiveness of the individual, it is also related to being healthy (Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention 2003, Strauss and Pollack 2001 cited in Haff, 2009).
Heingberg (1997) stated that the weakness and attractiveness topic idolized in socio-cul-
tural explanations are shaped on the basis of feminist theories, gender-role socialization
and mass media tools.
In the context explained above, it can be stated that the culture has an influence on the body
shape. This research explains that being weak / the desire for having a weak body can’t be
examined only as an individual choice but rather should be sociologically discussed.
The Desire to Lose Weight in the Literature.
First of all, it can be easily seen that the main focus of all the research in the literature in
various disciplines is body. Each discipline discusses the topic with their own perspective
and methodology, and therefore has different focuses.
Medical researches (Alemdar 2016, Demirel vd., 2005, Gümüş 2014; Hamurcu vd., 2015,
Özkan 2017) focus on hormonal disorders, the personal problems caused / may be
caused by being overweight, eating habits and the reasons for losing weight. Psycho-
logical researches Cihan and Bozo (2012), Demiralp et. al., (2015), Haspolat and Kagan
(2017), Kartal Yagız et. al., (2016) and Okumusoglu (2017) discussed being overweight in
the context of depression, individual`s dissatisfaction about his/her body and loneliness.
On the other hand, sociological researches (Erden, 2011; Işık, 1998; Nazlı, 2004; 2005;
2006) discussed historical body concept and the social construction of the body.
The social studies Demiray and Çalışır (2016), Günindi-Ersöz (2010), Özcan-Demir et. al.,
(2004), Şensoy (2013), Ulusoy et. al. (2003), which sociologically concentrates on losing
weight / the desire for having a weak body, the main focus of this study, discuss the rea-
sons for losing weight and the social consequences of being overweight.
International studies sociologically examining weight loss behavior discuss the reasons
for this behavior in the context of culture, ethnicity and consumption. The researches
Casanova (2004), Duke (2000), Logio (2003) and Lovejoy (2001) which focus on the desire
for reaching out to the European beauty in the context of ethnicity emphasized the expec-
tations of young people from different ethnic roots.
The individuals` ideas about their own body can change according to the time that they
live in, expectations and production types. Klein (1996) and Stearns (1997) states that
being overweight was preferred to being weak in America and Europe till the beginning
of 20
th
century.
