Hoffman 1
Abigail Hoffman
Philosophy of Food
Dr. Williams
December 8th, 2014
A Taste of Self-Perceived Beauty[U1]
Barbie does it best- "it" referring to making friends, dressing nicely, holding every job imaginable to a kindergartener, and every other aspect of life. At the same time however, she represents nearly impossible standards of beauty and unreasonable body proportions. The underlying message carried with this doll is that in order to have success in all the things Barbie seems to excel at, children must grow up to look and present themselves like Barbie. It is almost impossible to separate body image and society. In addition, the idea of beauty is closely tied to the food we eat and our perceptions of our bodies. There is no such thing as a natural body, because everything about our bodies is influenced by our culture. This theory is true for both genders, but more widely noticeably so and widely recognized for women. In this paper, I will further explore how societal standards and views affect women's bodies, particularly through the medium of eating disorders. The main way that culture influences women's bodies, which leads to all other issues associated, are the self-perceptions that it cultivates within the individual. These sensitivities then lead to the literal aspects of the body and consumption.
At the basis of women's insecurities lie gender stereotypes. Traditionally, men are thought of as strong, physically fit, rational, dominant- the assertive alpha-male. Inversely, women should be nurturing, domestic, innocent, graceful, and submissive to man and his patriarchal society. Along with this stereotype of "feminine qualities," there are certain expectations for how women should act, dress, groom themselves, and care for their body. Under these standards falls what we choose to eat. What we eat ultimately defines us. The reasons for eating, how and what to eat, and how these choices define one's lifestyle and self-identity are a debatable matter, which holds different resonance for each individual based upon his or her personal experiences.
One of the key aspects of understanding how food defines us and how this connection affects our self-perceptions is to understand our relationship to food. Deane Curtin categorizes, in "Food/Body/Person,"them into two distinct relationship types- objectified and participatory. To objectify food is separate from objectifying people. Objectifying people is the act of treating them the same as objects, or using them. Objectifying food is an autonomous way of viewing food as separate from the body, and as "other" (Curtin 11). Both manners of objectification are similar in that they use something, or someone, as merely a means to an end.
On the other hand, a participatory relationship with food is to define oneself by the food one eats. This food has substance and a deeper meaning. It is more than simplenutrition. The main difference between an objectified relationship and a participatory relationship is that the latter is a defining relation. Curtin writes, "We are defined by our relations to the food we eat. To account for our openness to food requires a relational understanding of self. We are what we eat" (Curtin 11). This definition of self is exemplified in three modes: literally, religiously, and socially. Literally, we eat food and absorb its nutrients, which become a part of the very fabric of being. Symbolically and spiritually, food is seen across many cultures as a means to purification or a higher state. Many Asian cultures abstain from eating certain meats (such as beef for Hindus), Orthodox Jews abide by the laws of Kosher, and Christians partake in communion of the symbolic body and blood of Christ through bread and wine. The social side of food relations can best be described as how your diet and way of eating affects how others view you in society. Most often, this is used in conjunction with demographic and gender stereotypes. For example, vegetarians as a whole are seen as weaker for not stuffing themselves with extra protein, although in actuality this description is false. Socially, this stigma is especially true for men, who are expected to eat meat in large quantities and are viewed as effeminate if the opposite occurs. As another, more positive example of how our diet influences our role in society and life, "foodie" culture is explicitly about being defined by food. These individuals do not have to be professional chefs or even know how to cook. A foodie is someone who simply has a passion for food, manifested most commonly through eating it. Not everyone embraces food in this social manner though, as I will soon discuss further.
There is a certain ideal beautyepitomized in magazines and by Hollywood: tall, blonde, and effortlessly graceful, with the legs of an angel. Basically, our society wants women to embody living Barbie dolls. Namely, a certain body type is favored: skinny. The National Institute on Media and the Family reported in a study that 53% of 13-year-old girls said they were "unhappy with their bodies." This number swelled to 78% unhappy by the time these girls reached age 17. Therefore, it should be no surprise that rates of eating disorders are so high. In the United States alone, eight million people have admitted to or been diagnosed with an eating disorder. Ninety percent of these individuals are women (National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders).
In the case of eating disorders, a person is defined by what they do not consume. These individuals define themselves by their way of eating, although they do not refer to it as a disorder or disease. Rather, these men and women claim that their eating choices are just that: a lifestyle choice. There are three [U2]main "axes" on which eating disorders reflect our cultural ills, as Susan Bordo claims, focusing specifically on the matter of Anorexia Nervosa: the Dualist axis, the Control axis, and the Gender/Power axis (Bordo, 1992). In the Dualist axis, Bordo draws upon the classical thinking- expressed by Plato, Augustine, Descartes, and many more philosophers- that the body is a foreign entity separate from the soul, which only weighs down the mind and its reasoning. The body represents certain physical limitations, such as the need for food to live. In the case of eating disorders, to give into hunger is to give in to the body. This desire can be a hunger for both food or for sex, which represents a complete release to human nature and its bodily urges. In many cases, anorexics will even describe their stomachs as separate from themselves, as in stating that their stomach is hungry but they are not, modeling an objectified relationship. There is a sense of willpower and endurance strived for in order to overcome these urges (32-35). This leads to the Control axis. Most every individual struggles with some aspect of life which is out of his or her control, with the most common being family, school, work, and the expectations and demands from all of these areas. For an anorexic, their body may be the only thing in their life in which they feel they have complete control over. Bordo quotes a [former] anorexic, Aimée Liu: "The sense of accomplishment exhilarates me, spurs me to continue on and on. It provides a sense of purpose and shapes my life with distractions from insecurity.... The constant downward trend [of the scale] somehow comforts me, gives me visible proof that I can exert control" (36). With extreme dieting, success can finally be achieved, although an anorexic's definition of success may be different from those around them(35-40). The third axis deals with gender and power. For every anorexic, there is a male and female side, of stereotypical characteristics reinforced by societal standards for genders. As described before, the male characteristics center around rational willpower and strength over the body. On the other hand, women are emotionally-controlled according to gender stereotypes, and therefore lack the discipline to control the body. These gender associations are connected to eating disorders in various ways. One way describes a "disdain for traditional female roles and social limitations," while the other is a fear of "'The Female,'" or "voracious hungers and sexual insatiability." Based on culture's influences on her self-perceptions, the anorexic fears seeming too needy and dependent on those around her, which increases her sense of need to control her body(41). These gender stereotypes also affirm contemporary beauty ideals, which individuals with eating disorders choose to shun in response. Thin, spry bodies and sharp angles embrace a boyish appearance and masculine stereotypes of bodily control and freedom over self.
Inversely, there are factions of Anorexics and their supporters that are open about the merits of Anorexia Nervosa. These individuals describe themselves by the friendly term "pro-Ana" (Richardson and Cherry, 2011). They claim that there is no problem whatsoever with Anorexia, because it is a "lifestyle choice rather than an illness" which they embrace (119). There are many anonymous blogs geared towards those who define themselves as "Anas," which strive to provide a safe and encouraging place. On such websites are entries about what and when to eat, how to fool doctors into thinking one is not underweight, and "trigger pictures." Trigger pictures are usually emaciated women parading around on runways, exuded self-confidence. On the other hand, some sites also include reverse triggers as a means of fat-shaming, or pictures of individuals that are obese, overweight, or even of a normal, healthy weight. Anas resist feminine body types, and go even further to resist society's- already slim- view of the ideal beauty, in favor of the extreme-thin. One goal is to drop so low in weight as to stop normal menstruation cycles, leaving another identifier of womanhood behind. In Girl Model, a 2013 movie on a young, Siberian teen who seeks a modeling career, this body type is described in terms of the modeling business. Thirteen-year-old Nadya is chosen to model in Japan because she is slim and "fresh-faced," meaning that she is young-looking, but is told to claim she is actually 15. Her flat-chested, boyish, prepubescent look is the favored one for models now. An older model in the documentary complains that as agencies and clients encourage booking younger and younger girls, her jobs decline because her slim figure is too developed and "womanly." This "older" model was only 23. In turn, prepubescent models create unrealistic standards for women who see these figures as models for how they should look, because these models are much younger than they claim to be. Pro-Ana blogs post pictures of these women as body and discipline goals to strive towards. Although, despite the negativity of these sites and the horror they strike in non-Anas' minds, the encouragement the blogs provide is positive. Because they are anonymous, these girls can share their fears and worries, more so than they feel they could in a doctor's office or to friends. While the health benefits are low, the community benefits are high.
I have described some of the identifying characteristics and mindsets of anorexics prior in this assessment of culture's influence on women's bodies. However, I'd like to add some personal worries. While reading through descriptions of how an anorexic's mind views various situations and their self-perceptions, I realized how similar some of my own views are. I too describe my stomach as a separate entity, on occasion saying that my stomach is too full, or that my stomach has a mind and voice of its own. Always aware of others' perceptions as well as her own self-perceptions, "'The anorexic is always convinced she is taking up too much space, eating too much, wanting food too much" (Bordo, 45). As well, I fear taking up too much space in groups, putting my comfort last to squeeze into smaller spaces and contortions when sitting to consume less room and appear less needy. I even avoid asking my boyfriend and friends for too many things or to do things my way so I don't appear needy and undesirable. One of the most scary connections I made with an anorexic mindset and my own was that of discipline. Normally, I can be found most often with a snack in hand. Eating is my go-to fix for boredom, made possible by an extremely high metabolism. While researching Anorexia though, I realized that all the times I have been depressed or upset, I have turned away food. At the time I may have been hungry, but claimed that while my brain said yes, my stomach was full. In truth, I realized it was the hunger pangs I wanted. They spoke of discipline and a constant in my life when other factors disappointed me. All of these characteristics point towards an eating disorder. In actuality, I eat like an animal, wish for even the hint of a womanly figure, and celebrate when I gain weight. All my life I've been classified as underweight and did not even get on the BMI chart until high school. But, as happy as I am with my body, I do not want to be underweight. In this way, I am not an anorexic. However, the lurking possibility is a worrying factor, that the slightest nudge from outside forces could tip someone towards an eating disorder.
This is where society enters. The beauty ideals and body-image propagated by the media and society could be that tipping factor. These standards influence the perceptions we hold of ourselves, which then affect the most basic aspects of our lives, in the way we eat or do not. I would invite a call to change, an embracing of all natural body types and a focus on personal health- of mind and body. The music industry has already made slight steps in this direction with the popularity of Meghan Trainor's "All About That Bass," which heralds encouragement to allwomen struggling with self-image in the face of society's standards. Another example is Nikolay Lamm'sdoll, which began as a social statement. While Barbie is tall and thin, Lammily is unique in that she was created to look like an actual girl. She has less makeup, a shorter torso and legs, wider hips, and feet not constantly poised on tiptoes. It is figures and values like this that should be modeled to our young girls and women to emphasizeself-confidence, and to boys and men to emphasis that beauty need not be defined by society's stereotypes and standards.
Works Cited
Bordo, Susan. "Anorexia Nervosa: Psychopathology as the Crystallization of Culture." Cooking, Eating, Thinking: Transformative Philosophies of Food. Ed. Deane W. Curtin and Lisa M. Heldke. Bloomington and Indianapolis: Indiana University Press, 1992. 28- 55. Print.
Curtin, Deane W. "Food/Body/Person." Cooking, Eating, Thinking: Transformative Philosophies of Food. Ed. Deane W. Curtin and Lisa M. Heldke. Bloomington and Indianapolis: Indiana University Press, 1992. 3-22. Print.
Richardson, Abigail and Elizabeth Cherry. ”Anorexia as a Choice: Constructing a New Community of Health and Beauty through Pro-Ana Websites." Embodied Resistance: Challenging the Norms, Breaking the Rules. Ed. Chris Bobel and Samantha Kwan. Nashville: Vanderbilt University Press, 2011. 119-129. Print.
[Second-grade class meets Lammily doll]
[U1]Grade: 90 didn’t see an objection…not clear if this was an argument or explanation. But she worked hard, put some thought into the project.
[U2]transition