This is one of my research questions listed below. After looking at how much research I have I think it is clear I need to DO something with it. The research question above it very closed and in order to open it up a bit more I am going to do an experiment with it.
In order to find the solution to this research question it would be best to first find the problem.
Why do people think the body should look a certain way?
Why are people self conscious when weighing themselves?
In order to explore these questions in greater detail I am going to set up a small experiment.
Throughout this research I am going to ask as many boys and girls as possible to give up 5minutes of their time to be involved in my experiment. I am not going to tell them what it involves but merely ask them to come a long. The participants will be university students of a similar age group to me (18-21) this is for ease and not because it is the type of people I want to experiment on.
When people turn up they will be presented with an empty room with some weighing scales in the middle. I am going to ask them to weigh themselves in front of whoever is there and then shout out their weight. Once they have weighed themselves I will ask them what they think would be the perfect weight for a female of our age and also what they think the perfect body shape is. I will be filming the process and looking at the reactions between the males and females and also the reactions of them having to weigh themselves in the first place.
When thinking through the experiment I thought some people may start to feel more comfortable to weigh themselves in public if others have already done so. In order to make this test as fair as possible I am going to ask each person to come in one by one and weigh themselves in front of the audience. Once the individual has done their experiment they can then either leave, or stay in the room as an audience member.
From my experiment I want to question:
- How people feel about weighing themselves in public?
- If they would have preferred to do it in private?
- If the idea of the ideal body and weight is similar with everyone?
- Is there a difference between males and females?
- Ask them why they didn't (if they didn't) want people to know how much they weighed?
- If people take their excess clothing off in order to weigh less?
Once I have a list of the people that partake in the experiment I will then contact them all and tell them that the footage I took will be going on to a further experiment where I will be showing the videos to other people who will then judge what they think. I may or may not do this but would like to see their reactions.
Throughout the partaking in the experiment I have come up with some other ideas as to what I could add to my work. I could look at the male gaze and how women portray themselves in music videos or magazines etc. Even when we go out. As a production idea I thought I could get a skin tight outfit and have natural hair and no make up to show 'the real me'
Results
Constructing this experiment was extremely hard to do. I found myself feeling very awkward asking people to weigh themselves in public and I think this emotion in itself is very interesting. What is more I had help filming the experiment from a male volunteer. This volunteer said how he felt very awkward listening to the girls shout out their weight and he would try and look as though he wasn't listening. When it was the boys however he felt fine. I think again these findings that I did not expect to notice are possibly the most interesting ones.
It is interesting to think that weight has now become such a personal thing for females and men are brought up, never to discuss weight or ask about weight with women. His discomfort for me was possible the most interesting part of the experiment.
The actual experiment itself gave very similar results amongst males and females. The answers were as you would expect them.
Did they weigh themselves?
Both males and females did.
Did they shout out their weight?
All males and females did.
How did it make them feel, weighing themselves in front of me?
Males all said fine. Females used words such as humiliated, embarrassed, uncomfortable.
Would they have to do it in private?
Males - No
Females - Yes
Why would the females rather do it in private?
For privacy reasons, don't like people knowing how much you actually weigh.
What would be the perfect body weight and size for someone our age?
Males on males - 13/14 stone
Males on females - Slender up top and curvy down below
Females on females - 8-9stone size 8.
Did they take off excess clothes?
Two females did. No males did.
An interesting case in the experiment was a reaction from one of the female participants. When she weighed herself she was shocked and embarrassed. She took off as much excess clothing as possible and kept saying how she needed to go to the gym. It was clear she felt extremely uncomfortable. When she shouted out her weighed she was in fact the lightest female we had throughout the experiment.
Why is it that the smaller more slender people are more embarrassed of their weight than those who are slightly heavier.
Throughout the partaking in the experiment I have come up with some other ideas as to what I could add to my work. I could look at the male gaze and how women portray themselves in music videos or magazines etc. Even when we go out. As a production idea I thought I could get a skin tight outfit and have natural hair and no make up to show 'the real me'
Results
Constructing this experiment was extremely hard to do. I found myself feeling very awkward asking people to weigh themselves in public and I think this emotion in itself is very interesting. What is more I had help filming the experiment from a male volunteer. This volunteer said how he felt very awkward listening to the girls shout out their weight and he would try and look as though he wasn't listening. When it was the boys however he felt fine. I think again these findings that I did not expect to notice are possibly the most interesting ones.
It is interesting to think that weight has now become such a personal thing for females and men are brought up, never to discuss weight or ask about weight with women. His discomfort for me was possible the most interesting part of the experiment.
The actual experiment itself gave very similar results amongst males and females. The answers were as you would expect them.
Did they weigh themselves?
Both males and females did.
Did they shout out their weight?
All males and females did.
How did it make them feel, weighing themselves in front of me?
Males all said fine. Females used words such as humiliated, embarrassed, uncomfortable.
Would they have to do it in private?
Males - No
Females - Yes
Why would the females rather do it in private?
For privacy reasons, don't like people knowing how much you actually weigh.
What would be the perfect body weight and size for someone our age?
Males on males - 13/14 stone
Males on females - Slender up top and curvy down below
Females on females - 8-9stone size 8.
Did they take off excess clothes?
Two females did. No males did.
An interesting case in the experiment was a reaction from one of the female participants. When she weighed herself she was shocked and embarrassed. She took off as much excess clothing as possible and kept saying how she needed to go to the gym. It was clear she felt extremely uncomfortable. When she shouted out her weighed she was in fact the lightest female we had throughout the experiment.
Why is it that the smaller more slender people are more embarrassed of their weight than those who are slightly heavier.
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