Brumberg's article is interesting, but I'm pretty sure my views are just a tad bit different, and luckily I get to have the main post today. In all honestly I'm not 100% positive what Brumberg's argument is. Is she angry that this whole 'body project' went on throughout the last century? From what I gather she's a little less than pleased. I remember using the Flapper reference in one of my earlier posts, and it's interesting that this comes back around. Brumberg starts off the article with the example of Yvonne Blue. She uses diary entries to chronicle the journey of Yvonne from a 150 pound girl to a 125 pound woman. Please note that I only said girl to woman because of this change really did occur in the adolescent years of her life. Brumberg cites the changing media influences, as well as pressure to belong in her college years, as reasons she may have felt compelled to change her image. These changes manifest in subtle changes such as a haircut, but also in the form of strict dieting that negatively affected her health. In the end Yvonne ended up 30 pounds lighter and had totally changed her lifestyle multiple times before graduating college. Brumberg goes on to talk about other issues such as breast size and body piercings. However, the basis of her argument, for the chapter with Yvonne at least, is the unnecessary pressure placed on younger girls by media and other outlets.
Every generation has it's influences. Is it necessarily wrong for a young girl to see images in a magazine or on television, and decide that that's what they want to be? I've never been a young girl so I couldn't comment, but I would venture to say that the case of Yvonne is nothing that different from what millions of young girls throughout the past decades have felt. However, I do think it was a somewhat extreme case. I mean there's only so much blame that we can place in images. At some point, the responsibility must be placed on the individual. I can say that I would love to be the worlds strongest man, but I'm not going to go out and buy a thousand dollars worth of anabolic steroids and spend the next five years of myself trying to be the Incredible Hulk. Although it's sad to see stories such as this, and it is a shame that it happens, every teenager goes through years of angst and self-consciousness. It is no secret that as each new generation has emerged, different forms of expression have also emerged, often involving the body as the main canvas for expression. But I suppose the question I pose, which isn't really anything new is...When is it necessary to stop blaming pictures in magazines and on the t.v., and start focusing on the individual?
It is difficult to say that images in magazines and on TV do not have affect or influence on young woman or young men for that matter. Going through high school, the only thing that these young adults want to do is fit in, and even when you see the kids wearing the all black, they are still trying to fit in to a group. So in an effort to fit in, both men and women look to pop culture because these are supposed to be the “it” people with the coolest looks. Looking myself, I can see that all the women are skinny and are the men are either skinny or in shape. It is possible to avoid the stresses of trying to control your external appearance but I don’t believe it is likely in our culture.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Marcus one hundred percent. We need to stop blaming everyone else. If skinny is what sells, then it will continue selling. At one point we must look at the individual. When it comes down to it, it is the parents who are responsible for how a child turns out. Appearance is important, in every aspect of our lives. Our love life, work life, social life.... it is a fantasy to say that we can get rid of this stigma. However, maybe if we stop playing the blame game, we can go somewhere. Marcus is right, we need to focus on the individuals.
ReplyDeleteI understand your points about focusing on individuals, and particularly Logan's thoughts about the impact that parents can have on the ways in which girls understand themselves. Thinking along these lines, how do each of you encounter women/men engaged in body projects and how might you, on an individual level, help change their minds? By the same token, if women (and men, for that matter) are "sold" particular images and told that it is both "normal" and "ideal," what impact does that have on our ways of thinking and living?
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