Body Worlds and Material Girl

Body Worlds

Is an exhibit created by Gunther von Hagens that displays the human body, literally, from the skin to the nuro system. This exhibit features real humans who have died, and through technilogical advances their bodies have been presearved and have created a deeper insight into our bodies.

Material Girl

Looks at the postmodern view of feminity and the dualism between the body, and cultural normalization. Bordo opens by establishing the advancement of technology to create the perfect body through plastic surgery. She furthers her discussions by adding an in-depth look at the racial and historical (at least she states eras such as the 50s to the present) context to what the perfect body is to American culture, and that is of an Anglo saxon, blond hair blue eyed person. Through media advertisments, and culturally accepted 'norms' women have been brainwashed to believe that our bodies are not perfect the way they are made. Bordo takes examples from Foucault to explain the embalance of power among women, especially women of color. She ends by establishing that Madonna is not a postmodern Heroin, for, she too has succumed to the cultural normalization of the female body, and no matter how much she says to the contrary, her body is still on display.

Terms:

Concomitant: existing or occurring with something else, often in a lesser way; accompanying; concurrent: an event and its concomitant circumstances.
Homogenizing: to form by blending unlike elements; make homogeneous.
Vicissitudes: a change or variation occurring in the course of something
Pastiche: a literary, musical, or artistic piece consisting wholly or chiefly of motifs or techniques borrowed from one or more sources.
Jouissance: Jollity; merriment
Misogynist: hatred, dislike, or mistrust of women

Questions:
1. Could it be said that since the polly surgical addics keep coming back that ther is no perfect body?
2. Can make-up, changing hair color, over all look be a way for women to truely cover up who they are...the true self?
3. Do we generalize everythign in order to make the tough question fit in a neat little package that won't change the 'norm' when it comes to body image?
4. Can we change what our society veiws as the norm? Can that difference ever be accepted or will it forever to be shot down as we continue to age.
5. Foucault "emphasizes that resistance is perpetual and unpredictable, and hegemony precarious" (262). In our society today do we see hegomony as precarious or just minutely switching outter view points (to seem to include others) while holding the same core views?