Many factors play a role in what Americans view as the “ideal” body.
Over the last 200 years, body image has played an important role in American culture. There has long been pressure from the media, whether it be on the internet in the early-2000s or in a painting in the mid-1800s, to obtain the body seen as perfect to the time.
This graphic shows how the “ideal” body has changed over time for men and women in America, and why those changes might have occurred.
