SOCI 1F90 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Hegemonic Masculinity, Plastic Surgery, The Birdcage
Document Summary
Gender, race, class, sexuality, age, ability all inscribed on our bodies. Wherever there is power relations, there is resistance always. State has control over her body, to protect the child. Body work - any practice that is undertaken to modify or maintain some aspect of the body, often linked to the appearance of the body (coffey) No neutral or universal truth what is beauty: what is the healthy body wait, product of our contemporary culture. Youth valued; aging needs to be hidden: industry tries to stop it/slow it down. Ideal body shapes unachievable: example: gi joe & barbie. 1964 original 6ft tall, 12. 2" biceps. Barbie = 16 waist, 32 bust & 29 hips: ruby anti barbie. Resistance can be co-opted: capitalists go after markets that are available to them. Social reaction to non-conformity; consequences can be significant. Body work for appropriate heterosexual femininity. She doesn"t appear" as the typical woman: hair isn"t perfect", lack of lady-like" manners, correcting walk.