Lena Chen

“Confessions Of A Bad Feminist: I, Too, Wish For Beauty”
Underwired Magazine | October 2011

I have a piece reprinted in Underwired Magazine this month. I don’t write all that frequently about body image — or my body, for that matter — but it’s one of the most common topics that readers ask me about. I’ve written before that I don’t feel comfortable giving advice on exercise or diet: 1) because I’m not anyone’s doctor and 2) because I think it’s misguided to equate “being healthy” with “looking ‘good’”, especially since definitions of attractiveness are anything but arbitrary. Another reason for my hesitance, however, is the fact that I struggle with how I look myself. It’s not like I’m sooo beyond superficial concerns about my waistline simply because I’ve taught myself some feminist theory. It’s an on-going, up-hill battle, and the above essay was one step toward a healthier body image. But I’m not there yet and I wonder if I ever will be. (More on this topic tomorrow.)

For the high-resolution version of the essay, click here.

Related posts on body image, dieting, and health:
What Sex Blogging & The Freshman 15 Taught Me
The Gym-A-Phobe’s Guide To Having Your Cupcake & Eating It Too
Reader Question: “How do you reconcile your feminism and beauty/fashion consumption?”
Reader Question: “What are the merits of having small breasts?”
The Blueprint Myth
Sex And The Ivy: The Purge of Purging