Sunday 8 June 2014

A Hungry Stomach: For Beauty's Sake or Out of Lack?

We all want to look attractive and have healthy bodies. Models often starve themselves, especially woman, in order to have the so-called hungry stomach. Well, “A hungry stomach is not beauty.” I believe it is an insult to those who are actually going through the scourge of starvation due to various reasons that are beyond their control.
I myself have experienced what hunger vulnerability means. I only carried a lunch box to school until the third grade. In fourth grade I began to experience a growling stomach and I did not see it as beauty. I survived all the ups-and-downs that came with it, from picking up bread-crumbs on the ground to ignoring the fact I may be a victim of starvation.
I understood that my grandmother did not have the means to provide sufficiently since she served as the bread-winner and the woman of chores.
The following may be the reasons of most hungry stomachs:
·         Poverty
·         High food prices
·         “Beauty”
Poverty…

Research has shown that the hungriest people are the ones from developing countries in rural areas who depend on agriculture to survive. These people, though, still have the means to survive.
However, the hungriest people are those who live on the streets, who wake up every day begging for food. To them it’s not a thing of beauty; it’s a way of survival to becoming a protagonist of one’s own story of hunger and survival.
High Food Prices

One of the enormous antagonists in the story of the hungriest people is high food prices. High food prices have robbed the rich and the poor from healthy nutrition. If the phrase of, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away” is valid then too much of the same type of foods is a problem.
Variety is important but price hikes on food can lead to malnutrition and long term health effects.
“Beauty”

Men call it a six-pack and women call it hungry stomach. For a perfect movie production or photo shoot, models have to starve to look thin, likewise, men have done it too.
Reality now is the opposite; some don’t see hunger as beauty but a means of survival. A growling stomach is no beauty.
 
In conclusion, what do you think is the answer to starvation? How do we reconcile intentional starvation for beauty's sake and starvation due to lack of resources?
What can we do in this generation to alleviate the world's hunger issue?
 
I'd like your input. Please comment below.