Physiology, family, society has a huge influence on our persona and the person we become today.
Body politics and disciplining gendered bodies were the first aspects that caught my eyes because I can relate to them so much. Stereotyping based on Physiology and body starts from birth until the adult’s life.
Perceptions of bodies and their reflection on our social image have become very important. Women need to have a slim proportional figure, small hands, neat fingernails, talk with a lower voice, skinny and soft legs that what’s called being feminine. I always remember being a little girl and my mom was always concern about my way of acting around people, I need to sit properly never crossing my legs, or sitting next to a male figure except for my dad, while my brothers were running all over the place showing their free spirit. At the end of any ceremony or event, I would get a pink doll and my brothers would get toy guns as a reward.
On the other hand, men need to show more masculinity by having big and strong body parts, muscles, loud voice. I wonder if women have strong muscle, loud voice if even she has a physiology of women would she still be looked at as a woman or as a man? or she will be rejected by society just because she not following the norms that another human lay down as a characteristic for being feminine.”People who identify as women are encouraged to be continually aware of their bodies as they prune, pose, provide sexual gratification, menstruate, give birth, and nurse children. People who identify as men tend to experience their bodies as a double bind: They dare not pay too much attention to their bodies for fear of appearing effeminate (Gill, Henwood, &McLean, 2005)”.
Another interesting aspect is objectification ”occurs when people are viewed as objects existing solely for the pleasure of the viewer, rather than as agents capable of action”. I believe most women are looked at an object on pleasure and need to look great all the time. every morning I spent around thirty minutes doing my hair and my make up to look decent while my husband takes Five minutes to get ready. It gets frustrating sometimes but I can’t help it because I have to look a certain way before leaving the house. I do feel that the forth aspect is Attractiveness, we are all attractive to specific body shapes, beautiful faces, muscular men, skinny and beautiful women. As described in the book ” normative physical appearance that is seen as pleasing, beautiful, and sexually appealing. The norm of attractiveness that merges beauty and sexuality “moves sexuality into the public realm . . . and thereby[makes it] amenable to inspection, definition, social monitoring, and control” (Travis et al., 2000, p. 239).
today’s market has put specific characters on how a beautiful woman should look like and therefore they spent a lot of money buying cosmetics and going through surgeries to fit and be beautiful.
why, can’t we all feel and look beautiful the way we were, and just embrace it? without trying to look like Angelina Jolie or Brad pit.
