Feeding the Body

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           Society's relationship with food has resulted in the creation of many cultural connotations surrounding the act of eating. As demonstrated by Joan Jacobs Brumberg in her article, “The Appetite as Voice”, woman are often the ones that suffer most from the relationships defined by society. As is often portrayed in the media, a woman eating food is linked very closely to sex. This is emphasized when the woman is eating indulgent foods such as sweets or meat and the woman's moral character is brought into question.

          The commercial displayed above is for chocolate, a food that woman traditionally “love” and is considered a food of decadence. In the commercial the two women search a man's bag and discover that it is full of chocolates, they respond by immediately eating one of the chocolates and turning to the man in lust, saying that they will need to strip search him as they admire his butt. The commercial ends with them forcing him to leave the chocolates behind and, as he walks away, the man refers to the women as "crazy". This commercial presents a lot of ideas similar to the arguments made in Brumberg's article about women's appetite in the Victorian Era. One of the integral parts of the article is about the close association of food and sex. The author states, “appetite was regarded as a barometer of sexuality...these sorts of foods [chocolates, meats, etc.] stimulated the sensual rather than moral nature of the girl” (166). In the commercial, these women display the same extact trait. As soon as they are placed in the presence of chocolate they are very sexual, they act on impulse and are not afraid to express their sexuality.

          This also provides a commentary on our society's understanding of women's relationship with sex. The women in the commercial are very forward, and very exaggerated in their sexuality. They are portrayed as laughable and incapable of controlling themselves or displaying proper ettiquette. The man calls them “crazy” as he leaves, indicating that he does not want to be around women that are so sexual in nature, and that they are abnormal for being so.

          The women's desire for the chocolates in this advertisement and their overt sexuality creates a direct link between eating and sex. The link is drawn from the fact that the chocolate is a very indulgent and pleasurable food, and women that eat it so openly are thought to be morally questionable. The fact that this association to sex is linked to questions of morality shows that our society has very specific understandings of what is acceptable in terms of sex. Women who want to have sex are portrayed in a comedic light, because our culture tells us that sex is bad, and women that want to have sex are not within the bounds of society's norms.  


Reading:
Brumberg, Joan Jacobs 1997. "The Appetite as Voice." In Food and Culture: A Reader. Carole Counihan and Penny Van Esterik, eds. New York: Routledge. Pp 159-179.

Does Size Matter?

Source: http://bit.ly/M0e5t

Source: http://bit.ly/L9GIPv

          American culture has established many standards about the ideal body. Individuals are told, primarily through media, that they must strive to meet this idolized body type if they wish to be an attractive, worthwhile individual. One of the ways in which this manifests itself, as Susan Bordo argues in her article, "Does Size Matter?,  is through the media's emphasis on the importance of penis size. Male individuals are constantly bombarded with images in the media telling them that “size matters”, that a male with a smaller penis is inadequate. Because men are told, in regards to penis size, that bigger is better, an unrealistic ideal has been established. Most men feel concerned that they are not big enough even if they are average or even larger than average. This concern about penis size can affect many different aspects of a male's life.

          This attitude is portrayed in both of the images shown above. The first image is of an advertising campaign which posts pictures of women over urinals, looking down and laughing. It is assumed that the women in these images are laughing at the urinal user's penis. By having the women present, every user is subjected to the message that their penis size is something to be ashamed of. That a small penis is humiliating and will not be attractive to women. It also perpetuates the mentality that no penis size is adequate. Every male that uses the urinal will be subjected to the imagery (no matter the size of their penis), thereby creating an unachievable standard.

          The next image depicts a rhino with a smaller horn, sitting in a sports car, being observed by two rhinos with larger horns. In this picture the horn size is a visual metaphor for penis size. Therefore, this image shows that small penis size is something that supposedly affects every aspect of an individual's life, they are being judged by those that do meet society's ideals. Therefore, to make up for this short coming, they must overcompensate through the purchase of items such as fancy sports cars. The ability to own these big, fancy items asserts one's masculinity and is an attempt to prove their worth to society.

          Ultimately, this issue is much more about feeling normal and sufficient, less about actual size. It is a mental issue, not a physical one. As Susan Bordo argues in her article, “thinking that one's penis is smaller than it should be is not really about inches but 'about how men are trained by the world to see [themselves] as not enough'” (35). Men of all different sizes can suffer from this feeling of inadequacy because, in reality, there is no “right” size. The fear of being large enough is socially constructed, it is a fear that is deeply rooted in society's demand of masculinity. 

Reading: 
Bordo, Susan 2002. "Does Size Matter?" In Revealing Male Bodies.  Nancy Tuana et al, eds. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. Pp. 19-37.

Commodification of the Body

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Source: http://bit.ly/Kn42Mg

        To commodify the body is to objectify and dehumanize it. This is a practice that presents itself in many forms and occurs for a variety of reasons. It is the result of societal demands on the body, and can range from the objectification of the woman's body as a tool for reproduction, to the understanding of the body as a machine for accomplishing work. The images presented exemplify two forms of commodification: the human body as an object for consumption, and the body as the sum of all its parts.
          The advertisement for PETA, features a model with her body divided into labeled segments, and is accompanied by the phrase, “all animals have the same parts” at the top of the image. This is a simple display of body objectification. It implies that the body is just a composition of common parts, this takes out any sort of personal human aspect, and claims that the body is purely an object. The words emphasize this point by eliminating the possibility for an individual to possess any unique traits. This is similar to a concept we discussed in class. In lecture we read an article about a young boy who sold his liver in order to make money so that he could purchase an iPad. The article is similar to the ad above, in that it commodifies the body, it makes it into something that can be divided and used as “parts”. As we discussed in class, dehumanizing the body makes questions of morality much more complex. Where do we draw the line? Is the body truly an object? Or is there more to it, does human personality need to be taken into account? The commodification displayed in our society almost daily, seems to imply that the body is purely an object that is meant to be utilized as a tool.

Source: http://bit.ly/K6v23I

          The next two images display the human body as other physical objects. The woman's body as a bottle of beer, and the man's body as a tank. These demonstrate the ways in which the body is seen as an object for the consumption of others. The woman's body is sexualized, it is designed to be appealing to the consumer.  Through commodification, the woman's body becomes an object of sexual desire. The male's figure is slightly different. In this instance, the body is not a tool for sex, but is rather a tool for productivity. The man is a machine, he has toned and trained his muscles in a manner that allows him to be an effective aid in society.

          Stuart Ewen expresses these ideas in the article entitled “Form Follows Power”. Ewen states that in the past the “soldier bore the marks of muscular strength, but it was also implicit that this strength was intrinsic to the man. He was motivated, from within, by natural courage and pride, not by the techniques of externally imposed discipline” (195). The modern understanding of strength has become distanced from the man as a person. The calculated body is broken down into parts and is strengthened with a specific goal in mind.  When the body is commodified, it is separated from the mind and its desires.




Reading: 
Ewen, Stuart 1988. Form Follows Power. Pp. 185-232.

Femininity

Source: http://dianenoorlander.blogspot.com/2011/04/beautiful-campaigns.html

          The advertisement above is a visual representation of the feminine ideologies that have been established in our society. The model's pose demonstrates both the ideal physical characteristics of a woman, and the supposedly natural character traits. In American culture, women are portrayed as delicate, slender, passive individuals that are sexually appealing. Women that do not meet these idealized images of feminity are rarely portrayed in a positive light by the media.          
          Society is taught to expect certain traits from feminine figures. In the image above, the model has a slim body, large breasts, and unblemished skin. Because this woman is put on a pedestal and shown to the world as beautiful, the image is telling viewers that this is what they should imagine when they consider feminine beauty. Many people often argue that this portrayal of women is damaging for young girls' self-esteem as it creates an unrealistic idea of what is beautiful, one that cannot truly be achieved. This concept was discussed in Jennifer Terry and Jacqueline Urla's article, “The Anthropeometry of Barbie”. In the text, the authors discuss Barbie's role in creating a stadard image of beauty. They state that, “over the years [Barbie's] wasp-waisted body has evoked a steady stream of critique for having a negative impact on little girl's self-esteem” (300). While there is much debate about whether or not Barbie has harmed or promoted self confidence in young girls when it comes to their body, there is no doubt that she perpetuates the same ideals as is seen in the image above.          
          The advertisement is also a visual representation of the feminine persona. Because the model is laying down with her fingers near her mouth, she is exhibiting vulnerability. She is not about to challenge anyone or anything, instead she will wait for the masculine figure to protect her. The woman is not imposing or challenging the viewer, instead she is available for the viewer's gaze. These characteristics carry over into real life to create an ideological understanding of femininity.  If a woman does not act in this manner, for example, if she is to display a more dominant attitude she is often looked upon negatively and deemed a “bitch”.          
          Finally, the woman is sexually appealing. She is dressed in revealing clothes and invites the sexual gaze. She does, however, refrain from exhibiting any overt sexual desires.  For, if the woman were to exhibit any of her own desires for sex, she would be challenging society's standards pertaining to women and sex.  She would be deemed a "slut" or a "whore" for expressing her desires.          
          Our society has a very firm understanding of what it means to be feminine and masculine.  In images such as the one above, these ideologies are often highlighted and further perpetuated.  The feminine individual is meant to be delicate and subordinate, she requires the protection of a male figure.  Because this understanding of femininity can be damaging to women's understanding of their bodies and themselves, many advertisements or dolls (such as Barbie) are criticized.  In a culture that is just beginning to accept and promote feminism, people argue that our society should promote acceptance of diversity when it comes to the feminine body and that there needs to be greater promotion of independent female figures. 

Reading: 

Urla, Jacqueline, and Alan C. Swedlund 1995. The Anthropometry of California Press.

Sexing the Body

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           The film Boys Don't Cry follows the story of a transgender man in the United States. The film provides a look into the conflict that is often caused by people who challenge the typical rules our society has created about sex and gender. In the United States we have established, as argued by the text, “Sexing the Body” by Anne Fausto-Sterling, two distinct sexes and genders. So, when people deviate away from these categories, others often begin to feel threatened, they begin to feel that it is their place to intervene in the individual's life.

          The trailer for this film begins by quoting a statistic, “in 1993 7,587 hate crimes were committed in America”. A hate crime is one, usually of violent nature, that is based on some sort of prejudice. Through the weight of this statistic, viewers are taught that abnormality is something that is very clearly frowned upon in our culture. People that vary too much from American ideologies are likely to experience some form of discrimination and may even be the victim of a hate crime. As the clip progresses, the scenes become more violent, and people begin confronting Brandon yelling, “are you or are you not [a woman]”? This montage of violence and anger is driven by the confusion of other characters as they discover Brandon is legally defined as a female by sex. They make claims that he is “weird” and a “liar” for having presented himself as a man. The characters' use of these terms demonstrates their own understandings about what is “normal”, and how much they value normalcy. The trailer is concluded with the narrator claiming the story is one about “the courage it takes to be yourself”. Through this statement, the narrator is finalizing the argument that being too different in our society is viewed as a negative thing, and if one wishes to truly be themselves and express their uniqueness they need to be prepared with a lot of inner strength.

          This concept, as mentioned earlier, is one that was discussed in Fausto-Sterling's article. In the text, the author provides many examples of hermaphroditic individuals who are operated on without consent. This is driven by the imposition of others who believe it is their right to make a hermaphrodite “normal”. As one person stated, after being operated on against her will, “I was born uniquely hermaphroditic – and from the bottom of my heart I wish I'd been allowed to stay that way” (84). Then, later in the article, a woman makes the argument that, “Sex categories should be removed from all basic identification papers...the right of each person to define their own sex is so basic...why are physical genitals necessary for identification?”(111). This concept of self-identification is expressed in Boys Don't Cry as the characters refuse to accept Brandon's own definition of himself, and instead yank his pants down to see what genitals he has. Much like the people in the article, the characters felt it was their right to define another individual's sex on their own terms.

          People feel threatened by difference because it challenges their own understanding of themselves. It is through cultural norms and ideologies that people are able to pinpoint and define exactly who they are. Therefore, people that are outside of this system tend to make others feel uncomfortable because they are forced to confront their current understanding of themselves and the world.  For this reason, it is difficult for people to adopt a different understanding of sex and gender, and it becomes an issue that is very difficult to address within society.  The understanding of sex and gender is so fundamental that a suggestion to change (as the Fausto-Sterling suggests) is not easy.  For everyone to feel truly comfortable with each other's variations, they must be able to define themselves without the reliance upon others for comparison.

Reading:
Fausto-Sterling, Anne 2000. Sexing the Body: Gender Politics and the Construction of Sexuality. New York: Basic Books. Pp. 78-114.