The repeated, general ideas I found from the reading were that as our society has become more secular, women find their lives ruled by a different type of religion. The religion of beauty. And the religion of beauty gets its language from actual religion, such as ideas about "temptation" (with food versus actual sins) and following strict rules about diet and fitness.
I found that body image, beauty and sexual attraction are functions of "social construction" in that society, mostly men, seem to decide what makes someone or something beautiful or sexy. Such as the example about skin cream - aging doesn't have to be ugly! But someone decided that it is so now we have $250 skin creams, despite the fact that aging can not be reversed...
I also thought it was interesting, the idea that men die once and women die twice: once when our beauty fades and once when our bodies die. How sad is that? Why are we so separated? Why does it matter if our beauty isn't as radiant as it was at age 20? Does that signify a lesser contribution to society??
There were so many parts of the chapter on religion that made me think to myself, "Wow! That is so true, but I'd never made that connection before."
Like the part where Wolf lists off a bunch of slogans from anti-aging creams' ad campaigns. They all suggested that the creams were a "barrier" or "shield" from "irritants" or even the "daily environment." This plays on the actual fear that many women have about being raped or assaulted. Women are receptive to this advertising because, Wolf says, "it is about the unspoken underside of the life of the successful, controlled working woman: about sexual violance and street harassment and a hostile workplace."
Ideals of female beauty function as a form of social control in so many ways!
First of all, this constant guilt thing. Wolf called it "original sin"... this is a concept from religion that in the New Religion is a socially constructed problem of gender. "The Rites of Beauty define original sin as being born not mortal, but female." She says that now, no matter how young or old a woman is, she is never free of worry or guilt about her beauty!
Also, we have sexual guilt, but since sex is less of a taboo (well, kind of) in America, food has replaced sex as a sin. Especially delicious food is branded as "sinful" or "tempting"...Wolf gave this example comparing sex and food: "Sex within marriage, for procreation, was acceptable, while sex for pleasure was a sin; women make the same distinction today between eating to sustain life and eating for pleasure."
Women's choices and lives are limited by the social construct of beauty. Women are told that we need anti-aging creams, we need to be a certain weight, we need to be radiant. We need to be all these things because by being born women, we are inherently wrong, inherently sinful. We can combat this original sin by succumbing to the religion of beauty.
Going back to the idea of radiance: Wolf talks about this word when used to describe brides and pregnant women....women are most radiant when they are serving a man (brides) or a child (pregnancy). Thus, women are most beautiful when they are fulfilling their purpose as servants to men and children. It's so painfully obvious!!
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Monday, January 25, 2010
jersey shore article
This is a really interesting post from the site Jezebel about the messages in "Jersey Shore" about body image. Seriously. Here's a quote:
"...it's oddly refreshing how much artifice itself is celebrated, with everyone participating mightily, and openly, in becoming the ideal Guido. No one is just born one, or supposed to make it look effortless. There are communal visits to tanning salons and unblinking references to fake breasts, and everyone takes hours to get ready."
Here's a link:
Jersey Shore: On Beauty and Not Even Looking Italian
"...it's oddly refreshing how much artifice itself is celebrated, with everyone participating mightily, and openly, in becoming the ideal Guido. No one is just born one, or supposed to make it look effortless. There are communal visits to tanning salons and unblinking references to fake breasts, and everyone takes hours to get ready."
Here's a link:
Jersey Shore: On Beauty and Not Even Looking Italian
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Blog Three.
I just want to say before answering these questions that I really enjoyed both readings for this blog!
According to Friedan, the problem that has no name was the feeling of pointlessness or perhaps restlessness that housewives felt in the 1950s and 1960s. The women's lives revolved around their children and husband, women were not encouraged to pursue education or a career; the most important role for a woman to play was that of a housewife. So when women felt unsatisfied or unfulfilled with her life, she began to feel insecure about her abilities, and very alone. That was the problem that has no name.
It has no name because in most cases it wasn't spoken about. Friedan cites women's therapy sessions in which the problem is discussed, but even in such an open setting, women still verbally dismissed the problem, saying "There's nothing wrong" or thinking there was nothing wrong with them.
I think the feminine mystique is the idea that "feminine fulfillment" is attained through a husband and children. The image of a perfect and happy woman was that of a smiling suburban housewife who sent her children off to school, cleaned the house, cooked for her family, used brand new appliances, went to PTA meetings, and "pitied their poor frustrated mothers, who had dreamed of having a career."
OCCUPATION: HOUSEWIFE.
It is promoted by the media: television shows, commercials, women's magazines, print advertisement... the patriarchy! Women suffer for it. And men do as well because people deserve to be equals and be allowed to strive for the same goals; it's unfair for the beneficiaries of inequality too.
Friedan mentioned that she was raising three children while also working as a reporter.
Friedan's evidence includes magazine articles from the time period, quotes from therapy sessions, personal interviews with women, statistics about college enrollment and age of marriage.
I think that despite many of feminism's victories, women are still oppressed by the beauty myth. I have read an excerpt from this book before, in which Wolf presents the concept that as women gain more power (politically, in the workplace, etc) and therefore become symbolically larger, the more the patriarchy wants to reduce them to smallness. Wolf says that's why we are bombarded with images of very thin women. The "system" is threatened by women who are more than wives, mothers and secretaries; so it basically forces them to develop eating disorders and terrible body image.
Anyone can choose to overcome the beauty myth. Well, I actually don't think it's as easy as that sounds. Not even close. I am a feminist. I love my body. I know, logically and emotionally, that it's okay that I don't look like every girl in magazines or on television. I see beauty in myself and in others, despite what outside appearances are.
Yet I still feel self-conscious about my body hair, about my stomach, about my broad shoulders. I think my nose is too big. I compare myself to other women. I make fun of how other women look, if they are too fat or they wear too much makeup or have a bad haircut.
No one is untouched, no one is free. But we do have the power and the intelligence to recognize when the beauty myth is being inflicted upon us. And we have the power and the will to resist. It won't always be easy and it won't always work. Insecurities are a part of being human. But it is possible to change.
According to Friedan, the problem that has no name was the feeling of pointlessness or perhaps restlessness that housewives felt in the 1950s and 1960s. The women's lives revolved around their children and husband, women were not encouraged to pursue education or a career; the most important role for a woman to play was that of a housewife. So when women felt unsatisfied or unfulfilled with her life, she began to feel insecure about her abilities, and very alone. That was the problem that has no name.
It has no name because in most cases it wasn't spoken about. Friedan cites women's therapy sessions in which the problem is discussed, but even in such an open setting, women still verbally dismissed the problem, saying "There's nothing wrong" or thinking there was nothing wrong with them.
I think the feminine mystique is the idea that "feminine fulfillment" is attained through a husband and children. The image of a perfect and happy woman was that of a smiling suburban housewife who sent her children off to school, cleaned the house, cooked for her family, used brand new appliances, went to PTA meetings, and "pitied their poor frustrated mothers, who had dreamed of having a career."
OCCUPATION: HOUSEWIFE.
It is promoted by the media: television shows, commercials, women's magazines, print advertisement... the patriarchy! Women suffer for it. And men do as well because people deserve to be equals and be allowed to strive for the same goals; it's unfair for the beneficiaries of inequality too.
Friedan mentioned that she was raising three children while also working as a reporter.
Friedan's evidence includes magazine articles from the time period, quotes from therapy sessions, personal interviews with women, statistics about college enrollment and age of marriage.
I think that despite many of feminism's victories, women are still oppressed by the beauty myth. I have read an excerpt from this book before, in which Wolf presents the concept that as women gain more power (politically, in the workplace, etc) and therefore become symbolically larger, the more the patriarchy wants to reduce them to smallness. Wolf says that's why we are bombarded with images of very thin women. The "system" is threatened by women who are more than wives, mothers and secretaries; so it basically forces them to develop eating disorders and terrible body image.
Anyone can choose to overcome the beauty myth. Well, I actually don't think it's as easy as that sounds. Not even close. I am a feminist. I love my body. I know, logically and emotionally, that it's okay that I don't look like every girl in magazines or on television. I see beauty in myself and in others, despite what outside appearances are.
Yet I still feel self-conscious about my body hair, about my stomach, about my broad shoulders. I think my nose is too big. I compare myself to other women. I make fun of how other women look, if they are too fat or they wear too much makeup or have a bad haircut.
No one is untouched, no one is free. But we do have the power and the intelligence to recognize when the beauty myth is being inflicted upon us. And we have the power and the will to resist. It won't always be easy and it won't always work. Insecurities are a part of being human. But it is possible to change.
Blog Two.
To me, body image is how one feels about themselves, disguised superficially as how one feels about their body. As Ophira Edut says, "Our bodies have become arenas for feelings we don't deal with." When I was a freshman or sophomore in high school, I would cut my hair as a way to cope with feelings of frustration, depression and anxiety. I used my body to express my emotions. We define our identities based on our bodies at times... a type of haircut can indicate one's worldview, weight indicates fitness/health level, skin color indicates personality traits. Rebecca Walker says that "the body is a sign, a text to be read and interpreted." Body image is the interpretation of the text.
This topic is important because it affects all of us daily. It's important because it is one of the things the patriarchy can use to exploit and oppress women.
The waves of feminism:
The first wave's goal was to attain equal voting rights for women.
In the second wave, feminists fought for equal status in the workplace and schools. They "fought to be taken seriously" but also wanted to show that they still had humor and sexuality.
The third wave is not quite as focused on a few specific issues like the first two waves. It's more individualistic and, ideally, accepting of all types of women.
The third wave centers on female empowerment of all forms. This means that no one is a "bad feminist." The example that Amy Richards gives is that in third wave feminism, you could meet a pro-pornography feminist who has her own reasons, as well as a staunchly anti-porn woman. The third wave still calls for unity, but not unity of mind on every issue. Richards also argues that body image is a central issue in the third wave. She says that the main oppressors are the entertainment industry and the media. I like what Richards says at the end - that a dialogue, a conversation, is most important at this point.
Edut's definition of a body outlaw is someone willing to go outside her comfort zone to expose people to different body types. To show that there is no "normal." It's about being happy and comfortable in your own skin, no matter how much you weigh or how dark your skin is or how big your boobs are...
I think a good example of a body outlaw is Gabourey Sidibe, from the movie "Precious."
Sidibe is a big woman, much bigger than the average actress walking the red carpet. But she doesn't let that stop her from fitting in with those other actresses anyway...she wears beautiful dresses that flatter her figure, and her big happy smile speaks loudly about how she feels in her skin! Yeah body outlaws!!
This topic is important because it affects all of us daily. It's important because it is one of the things the patriarchy can use to exploit and oppress women.
The waves of feminism:
The first wave's goal was to attain equal voting rights for women.
In the second wave, feminists fought for equal status in the workplace and schools. They "fought to be taken seriously" but also wanted to show that they still had humor and sexuality.
The third wave is not quite as focused on a few specific issues like the first two waves. It's more individualistic and, ideally, accepting of all types of women.
The third wave centers on female empowerment of all forms. This means that no one is a "bad feminist." The example that Amy Richards gives is that in third wave feminism, you could meet a pro-pornography feminist who has her own reasons, as well as a staunchly anti-porn woman. The third wave still calls for unity, but not unity of mind on every issue. Richards also argues that body image is a central issue in the third wave. She says that the main oppressors are the entertainment industry and the media. I like what Richards says at the end - that a dialogue, a conversation, is most important at this point.
Edut's definition of a body outlaw is someone willing to go outside her comfort zone to expose people to different body types. To show that there is no "normal." It's about being happy and comfortable in your own skin, no matter how much you weigh or how dark your skin is or how big your boobs are...
I think a good example of a body outlaw is Gabourey Sidibe, from the movie "Precious."
Sidibe is a big woman, much bigger than the average actress walking the red carpet. But she doesn't let that stop her from fitting in with those other actresses anyway...she wears beautiful dresses that flatter her figure, and her big happy smile speaks loudly about how she feels in her skin! Yeah body outlaws!!
Blog One. (sorry it's late)
My name is Annika Larson, and I'm a Professional Writing sophomore. I am minoring in Spanish and Women's and Gender Studies.
I chose to take this class because it will help further my WGS minor. I also chose it because it sounded like a very interesting and relevant option. The topic of this class can be applied to everyday life, thus it is important.
I think the most pressing issues of body image at this time are issues of weight/size. Although the average American woman wears a size 14, the media still presents us with images of very thin or very fit women with "perfect" bodies. Celebrities are the guide for many women about what we are SUPPOSED to look like, yet those same celebrities are often quoted in interviews saying that they have a personal trainer, and a strict fitness and diet regime. The same people who set examples for us do so by using a process that is unattainable for the average American.
Although there has been a surge of embracing larger women or women of a variety of sizes - like the Dove Real Beauty Campaign and Glamour magazine's recent all plus-size model issue - these only further segregate thin women from larger women. It also serves to fetishize those larger, or average-sized, women. They become "other." A better solution would be to use thin models alongside larger models as if it were commonplace, because it should be.
My expectations for this course are to gain a broader context in which to place myself as a feminist, as an American women, and as the other groups I am a part of. I also want to learn more about messages about body image in the media, because I think they are very cleverly hidden and I want to be able to see them more clearly, perhaps to resist them and to help others resist them as well. I also want to learn more about body image issues within groups that I am not a part of, like other races, age groups, and men.
five questions i have are...
1. How can I resist body image problems?
2. What can I do to combat negative messages about body image?
3. How far have we come, or what is the progress that has been made with body image issues?
4. What are the standards for "attractiveness" in other cultures (that differ from a typical Western viewpoint)?
5. What are the 'best" media to get positive body image messages from (TV shows, movies, magazines, etc)?
I chose to take this class because it will help further my WGS minor. I also chose it because it sounded like a very interesting and relevant option. The topic of this class can be applied to everyday life, thus it is important.
I think the most pressing issues of body image at this time are issues of weight/size. Although the average American woman wears a size 14, the media still presents us with images of very thin or very fit women with "perfect" bodies. Celebrities are the guide for many women about what we are SUPPOSED to look like, yet those same celebrities are often quoted in interviews saying that they have a personal trainer, and a strict fitness and diet regime. The same people who set examples for us do so by using a process that is unattainable for the average American.
Although there has been a surge of embracing larger women or women of a variety of sizes - like the Dove Real Beauty Campaign and Glamour magazine's recent all plus-size model issue - these only further segregate thin women from larger women. It also serves to fetishize those larger, or average-sized, women. They become "other." A better solution would be to use thin models alongside larger models as if it were commonplace, because it should be.
My expectations for this course are to gain a broader context in which to place myself as a feminist, as an American women, and as the other groups I am a part of. I also want to learn more about messages about body image in the media, because I think they are very cleverly hidden and I want to be able to see them more clearly, perhaps to resist them and to help others resist them as well. I also want to learn more about body image issues within groups that I am not a part of, like other races, age groups, and men.
five questions i have are...
1. How can I resist body image problems?
2. What can I do to combat negative messages about body image?
3. How far have we come, or what is the progress that has been made with body image issues?
4. What are the standards for "attractiveness" in other cultures (that differ from a typical Western viewpoint)?
5. What are the 'best" media to get positive body image messages from (TV shows, movies, magazines, etc)?
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