In this episode, Sam delivers a lecture on the history of the "ideal" (read: socially rewarded) female body type. From the first recorded visual representation of the female form, through Ancient Rome and Greece, the Victorian Era, flappers, the Kardashians, and beyond, she explores the way western beauty standards have changed to reflect societal values at any given moment in time, and the implications and dangers of inflicting those beauty standards upon women. As the history becomes more recent, she reviews the current climate of social media, celebrities and influencers, GLP-1s like Ozempic, photo-editing apps, and more.

Listen to this episode if you're just a girl in the world.

Key moments:

03:41 History of the idealized female body type

04:38 The first historical record of the female form

07:41 Sylvester Graham and early diet culture in America

09:29 William Banting and William Harvey’s weight loss diet

11:54 Victorian Era England and its impact on preferred female body types

12:06 The real reason women wore corsets in Victorian Era England

13:01 Gibson Girls and the women’s rights movement (so interesting)

14:49 Flappers!!!

16:05 Old Hollywood, Marilyn Monroe, and Playboy

16:43 People become increasingly athletic, and Twiggy is the “it girl”

18:21 The supermodels of the 80s

18:49 Heroin chic in the 90s

19:06 The introduction of ultraprocessed foods in America and the growing divide between thinness and obesity 

20:42 “Slim thick,” as popularized by the Kardashians

21:45 Did you know the BBL is one of the most dangerous procedures you can get?

21:57 Social media and photo-editing apps become ubiquitous

22:23 The body positivity movement and the villainization of skinniness

23:16 Currently—people are pretending to be body positive but secretly doing weight loss drugs

24:21 Sam rants lol

25:11 Sam’s point #1: The preferred female form at any given time is a reflection of society’s current values

27:52 Sam’s point #2: Men are often in control of the narrative surrounding women’s bodies

29:31 Sam’s point #3: The body image conversation has always been white and Euro-centric

31:06 Sam’s point #4: Celebrities and influencers are the authority on what’s “in”—and they have unattainable resources and lifestyles

31:50 They’re also LYING TO US LOL

33:21 Villainizing skinny is not inclusive/body positive behavior

34:03 Sam’s point #5: We need to stop speculating on other people’s bodies at all

35:39 Sam’s point #6: SkinnyTok needs to go lol

37:00 The burden of critical thinking

37:24 Sam’s point #7: The overlap between the wellness industry and the trend of being skinny

38:36 Sam’s point #8: Body types should never be “in” or “trending”

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