SOC 0851 Chapter Notes - Chapter 3: The Beauty Myth, Body Image
The Gender of Bodies and Health
•Brief History of Bodies
oMind-body dualism – a belief in a split between the physical
body and the nonmaterial entity we call mind (or spirit, thought,
soul, etc.), where the mind is perceived as superior in many
ways to the inferior body
oMind is associated with masculinity; it is rational, aspires to the
best efforts of the self, is closer to god, and is working toward
ultimate self-realization
oBody is feminine and is the heavy drag on all the higher
aspirations of the mind
oMind-body dualism can be traced to women’s primary
responsibility for taking care of human bodies as infants
oWomen came to represent “distraction from knowledge,
seduction away from God, capitulation to sexual desire,
violence, or aggression, failure of will, even death”
oBody image – perception and evaluation of one’s own bodily
appearance
oBody reflects status and used to project important identities
oConnection between our bodies, self-esteem, and our emotions
oSynergy between bodies and our image of ourselves has always
been true historically and across a wide range of cultures
oImpacts of the social norms about the bod were much greater
on women than they were on men
oThe body is one of the main methods used for controlling
women and maintaining male power
