Beden İmajı ve Toplumsal Normlar: Suskunluk Sarmalı Teorisi Üzerinden Değerlendirme

Body image refers to a person’s perceptions, thoughts and feelings about their body (Cereda, 2023: 573). Body image also includes the person’s evaluations of their own body. It is important for individuals to focus on the positive features of their bodies in order to effectively present their own selves to society. However, over time, many reasons such as the change in social structure, capitalism and consumer culture cause individuals to lose control over their bodies. In particular, the fact that not everybody is accepted in society and the tendency towards certain bodies is high opens the door for individuals to change their bodies in this direction. This situation reveals that individuals constantly shape their bodies according to society according to the impositions made under the name of “ideal”. The positive or negative perceptions of an individual’s body can directly affect their self-esteem and general mental health. Discourses about individuals’ bodies cause them to shape their bodies according to social perception. In this respect, although body image evokes an individual situation, it cannot be isolated from the thoughts of society. Social norms regarding the body involve a complex process shaped by the interaction of various social, cultural, economic and political factors. These norms determine social expectations such as how the body should look and behave.

The ideals of a beautiful body imposed in society are the thin, slender, strong and muscular body (Sırma, 2018: 150). However, the concepts of thinness, beauty and elegance have become the slogan of modernism. The thin body has been associated with youth, activity and health. In this respect, the concept of the thin body has been glorified (Timurturkan, 2013a: 239; Low et al., 2003: 87). Social media and advertisements in particular can create pressure on individuals by spreading idealized body stereotypes, which can lead to feelings such as the desire to reach the “ideal” body or being dissatisfied with their bodies. The constant emphasis on certain body standards, especially through media, popular culture and social media platforms, can cause individuals to compare their own bodies with these standards and often evaluate them negatively. In this context, when individuals feel contrary to social norms, the Spiral of Silence Theory put forward by Neumann (2014) comes into play. This study aims to conduct a theoretical examination of body image and social norms through this theory. The Spiral of Silence Theory states that individuals avoid voicing their own thoughts due to the fear of deviating from the views of the majority. When it comes to body image, people may choose to remain silent due to the fear of criticism or exclusion when they deviate from the idealized body norms by society. This situation can negatively affect individuals’ perceptions of their own bodies and lead to loss of self-confidence. Excluded individuals remain silent. This situation accelerates the spread of the ideal body/body perception prevalent in society. Individuals strive to conform to the ideal body perception imposed by society in order not to be excluded from society. On the one hand, this spiral pushes people to active efforts within themselves such as conforming to the ideal body, diet industry, following fashion, losing weight, and this spiral constantly repeats itself according to the perceptions of society.

The background of all these interventions is the effort to be accepted by society. Over time, individuals try to organize their bodies according to certain patterns, and thus they can more easily interact with individuals in society. It is important for individuals to comply with body norms in order to exist in social life. In this respect, although individuals remain passive in the spiral (especially in the exclusion and silence/compliance phase), they also help the spiral to function effectively with active efforts. However, the inclusion of large-size types such as “size 46, size 52” outside of the “ideal body” on magazine covers, advertisements, television and the fashion sector is important in breaking away from the perception of the ideal body. Body positivity movements oppose ideal body impositions under the guise of “love your body” discourses such as accepting fat. The body positivity movement, which opposes traditional beauty norms, questions the validity of these norms. As individuals accept that not complying with these norms is not a problem, they can take more courageous stances against social pressures. This creates a space for individuals to express themselves.