The feminist movement has closely mirrored social history, especially during the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. As Brumberg discusses, as one of a host of authors in this day in age, the female body has become a primary focus for American girls and women. The ideas of a few designers in the early 1900s changed the lives of females for all of time. In our society, it is not "PC" to go bra-less. Bustier girls appear more desirable in many settings. The activities of designers on a different continent have shaped feminist ideals in a sense. The story of Yvonne Blue should capture the attention of every American girl. The obsession with weight is at a severe peak today. The social realities faced in the 1920s and 30s for adolescent girls has not evolved very much. Brumberg's point about increased "mobility and autonomy" brings up the change in familial values and the technological age. Weight and overall body image still reflects the lives of young women, determining their success and value in the world. In reality, the "Victorian values" Brumberg speaks of brings to attention a time that was much different regarding body image and social relations. Every time period has flaws, but this is something new because of the "internalized" nature of the female body image. Objectifying the female body proves worth. With the emergence of the bra in the 1950s, doctors tried to justify the use of these devices in medical terms. This is not unlike Fausto-Sterling's discussion of the evolvement of the homosexual status. Women, for thousands of years, got by without use of the bra. However, with their introduction, medical reasoning seemed to legitimize the cultural phenomenon. This is a lot like normalizing homosexuality. Family and doctors made this phenomenon normal for adult females.
The body has become a business. Advertising and magazines play a central role in popular culture. Each and everyday, we are unconsciously exposed to thousands of advertisements. The efforts made by Ms. magazine to incorporate ads that aimed at a general audience, rather than a specific gender, has clearly faced many obstacles and hurdles because of what TRADITION has established. I think this is a critical word Steinem uses in her article in regard to "controlling the content of women's magazines." She provides numerous examples of stereotypical content for women's magazines. Granted, women and men do have different interests and aiming certain publications towards one gender or the other is not wrong. But when a magazine runs into that many hurdles because some companies only market their products to a male audience, the sirens go off. One example that particularly struck me was the beer and liquor ad quest. The beer industry still to this day clearly advertises to men. However, liquor does have more of a general market. However, as seen in my media culture project with Jim Beam, men are the primary targets of these ads. However, one must admire Michel Roux of Carillon Importers for having an open mind to the new market that Ms. magazine presents. The "institutional smile" of women's magazines needs to be overcome, integrated into the realm of other publications, and taken seriously as such.
On another note, again touching on Brumberg, eating disorders still run rampant in our society. I do not know if I completely agree with Brumberg in that girls today are going to the gym and looking to tone their bodies in order to lose weight. Cutting calories and skipping meals is certainly not something of the past, and a harsh reality that an astounding amount of girls still face today. However, when looking at advertisements in female magazines - this is the accepted societal norm. I can completely relate with the notion of visiting a department store dressing room for hours at a time with numerous pairs of jeans examining just the right fit in the right places. Even without a psychological disorder, girls constantly need to look good - and that "good" is not a personal definition, but rather, a societal one. Just because a girl doesn't have the boobs to back up her femininity, she should not be excluded from what is considered "sexy" and "beautiful."
As Brumberg explicitly states, and as Katie focuses on in her post, "In the twentieth century, the body has become the central personal project of American girls" (Brumberg 97). Brumberg presents an interesting examination of the female experience with the presentation of and personal sentiment towards the body. Brumberg likens the female body to a billboard that expresses to society just what a girl or woman is all about, especially her sexual value. Brumberg presents the interesting distinction between the mid-twentieth century, where many of the goals in presenting the body were to fit cookie cutter forms that attempted to standardize the feminine image, as opposed to the later decades of the twentieth century when self-expression arose. The standard set of bra sizes as opposed to homemade, specific fitting bras is the clearest indication of this attempt to fit the female body image into a specific mold, where if a girl did not fall within these stringent conditions there was something 'wrong' with her. However, in the 1990's when body piercing became more prevalent the goal was to distinguish oneself from everyone else. An interesting point that Brumberg highlights is that this point of distinction could be something that only the girl herself would know, or possibly a boyfriend, as with the case of genital piercings. These practices underscore the new approach and treatment of the female body as an independent entity belonging to the self rather than something destined for a predetermined position and image in society. I think this revolution in appreciation and self-treatment of the female body parallels ideas from Levy's analysis of Raunch Culture and the female possession of her own body. Brumbergs motto for this notion, "I-can-fuck-up-my-own-body-if-I-want-to!", is strikingly similar to many ideas presented in Levy professing the feminine right to flash their breasts on camera or engage in sexual acts on stage purely because it is their body and they have the right to do whatever they want with it. I think Brumberg's analysis of this transition of feminine body image and body treatment is one of the most interesting ideas presented in her text and is one that is easy to relate to due to its links to Levy's concepts on raunch culture that we have previously examined.
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ReplyDeleteWhile reading Brumberg’s article on “body projects,” I was particularly interested in her analysis of the relatively recent piercing phenomenon within our culture. In her analysis Brumberg contemplates the “changing nature of intimacy in American society, and the ways in which girl’s bodies express these changes” (135). As the author expands upon this subject she suggests that instead of wearing a boyfriend’s school ring on her finger, a girl today may have an intimate body part pierced instead. Brumberg seems to imply that this trend may be an attempt to reclaim some amount of privacy in an increasingly publicized culture. I find it interesting that Dave related this type of behavior to a girl flashing her breasts on Girls Gone Wild. As someone who previously had my tongue pierced, I disagree with Dave on his statement that piercings fall into the same “raunch culture” category described in Levy’s Female Chauvinist Pigs. Exposing oneself on camera is significantly different to what Brumberg describes in her article. When a girl intentionally flashes the camera for the sole purpose of getting a tee shirt or maybe even some publicity, she submits to the male-dominated society and culture in which we live. While some may claim they feel liberated in their free-spirited behavior and promiscuous ways, these women still objectify themselves in the process of doing so. It is obvious that the decision for getting a body piercing greatly varies between individuals, however this act generally does not require forfeiting one’s personal integrity somewhere along the way.
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