Reading the article by Joan
Brumberg was interesting. I do not often think about the process that got women
to think a certain way. I thought that some of our beliefs would have been
started much earlier than the 20th century. The flapper dress really
did change things for women. I remember looking for one for a costume and
thinking that they were just so unflattering. The French designer created the dress,
but did not tailor it to women like many designers do today. Some of the descriptions
of the women in Brumberg’s article are disturbing. The majority of women that I
am around do not go to those intense measures to diet or lose weight. On occasion,
my friends will “diet” which just includes watching what they will be eating,
but not actually drastically changing their habits.
I looked it up online and this book
was published in 1997. In the 15 years since it was first published, I would
argue a few things have changed and I am curious what Brumberg’s response would
be. First, the article did not mention tanning. I know that there is a lot of
talk about women going to tanning salons for either “fake baking” or spray-on
tans. Some states have even created laws about teenagers needing permission to
get a tan. The second thing I thought of is the change of tattoos. I think
Brumberg dismissed tattoos into something that is not very common. In fact, I
know quite a few women who have tattoos, many of them multiple. A third thing
that I think would be very interesting is the internet. Social media along with
the internet in general has a lot to do with how many young women view themselves
today. Something that was in the news recently was a bunch of young girlsasking the public if they are “ugly.” Oftentimes young girls would post videos
on YouTube asking views to comment if they are ugly or pretty. In many cases,
they were the recipients of some harsh commentary.
I liked how Rita expanded beyond Brumberg’s article and pointed out how women have continued to focus on their body image in new ways over the past 15 years. I also think it is particularly interesting to examine social media and the role it plays in women’s lives. Sites like facebook, twitter and youtube are avenues where women today can publicly display themselves and look to keep up with social trends.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Rita that I as well often forget that the way things in society are now, have a history or a path of how it got to be that way. Looking over the evolution of the bra, the change in bodily desires, and new techniques of expression such as body piercing began to piece together why we think the way we do currently. What really strikes me were the personal stories that Rita points out. In the 20's the stories were still striking at how dangerous certain mind-sets can be. Yet, when looking at today's culture, we almost accept these mind-sets and call them normal. Not only that, but society exploits them, finding different ways to use media to manipulate women, potentially perpetuating these disturbing body images, in order to continue their role as consumers in the beauty industry. If mind-sets were that disturbing in the 20's, in a society where these practices like dieting and plastic surgery are so widely accepted and promoted, I can't even imagine the level of self-loathing that probably exist in some women today.
ReplyDeleteWhile I too think that Rita has made some excellent points here, reading her post also made me think of another factor that has influenced body-related pressures since 1997, and that's the prevalence of pornography on the internet. Since porn is so easily accessible now, I feel like everyone is subjected to far more images of naked women than they otherwise would be, even if it's not intentional. And because women in pornography often have a certain look that the director is aiming for rather than representing a diverse array of women. And when audiences see these images, they do invoke feelings of looking different or abnormal, hence the rise in female genital cosmetic surgery.
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