March 12th

Sign in, deposit cards Finish Chasing Amy Discussion Lecture 6: The Gendered Body Film Clips:

“My Angry Vagina” “Private Dick”

Homework: Steinem, Gloria “If Men Could Menstruate” (CR)

http://www.haverford.edu/psych/ddavis/p109g/steinem.menstruate.html

Research project #2

Lecture 6

The Gendered Body

Constructing the Body

Bodies are not purely biological, but socially constructed The “ideal” male/female body

Culture affects how we understand our physical bodies and what we do to achieve the ideal form

Ancient Chinese Foot Binding

10th – 20th century

Young girls and women’s feet were bound to stop growth

4-5 “ in length

“Hourglass Figure”: Corset and Bustle

Gender, Culture, and the Body Female Circumcision or FGC

Clitoridotomy Clitoridectomy Infibulation

Breast Augmentation

American Gendered Body Vaginal Reconstructive Surgery

Vaginoplasty Labiaplasty Hymen repair

Penis Enlargement Procedures Self treatment Surgery

Is there a NORMAL or perfect penis/vagina…

Private Dick and Vagina Monologues

Bodies and Sexual Politics

The physical body is linked to power in our society We often view men as ‘more’ powerful because of their

physical strength The biological characteristics of those in power are valued

above those with less power

Several contexts in society in which those in power use women’s bodies to: Exclude them Justify inequality

Race, the Body, and Gender Politics The female body is politicized as a place where race

and gender are enacted Race, ethnicity, and class are important aspects of

American beauty ideals

Society has often judged all women using the white female body as the standard Hair? Body Type? Facial Features?

The Athletic Body: Reinforcing Standards?

Racialized Sexualities: Then

Hottentot Venus (Sarah Barttman) Brought to Europe in the

1800’s Represented ‘deviant

sexuality’ thru her body Died in 1815 and she

dissected and her genitalia and buttocks were on display till 1970’s

Racialized Sexualities: Now

How does this picture compare to the one of the Hottentot Venus? Reduced to her body

parts Animalistic Racial sexualization