Hello Gribbski Readers! Today’s
post was inspired by the following article:
While we love this website and
really appreciate what this contributor and others have to say, we would like
to expand upon and clarify these ideas (which we do not totally disagree with
but feel need to be modified) in order to express why the physical body, which
is at the same time so much MORE than the physical body, is inextricably linked
to the body positive movement.
So first of all, let’s explain
what we mean by body.
For a lot of people with othered
bodies, the body has been something to fear.
We have been taught to believe that our bodies aren't good enough. Whether it was too fat, too thin, the wrong color,
the wrong shape, possessing not enough abilities, we have been told that our
bodies are the enemy. However, this
perception of the body is usually more about physicality than anything else (I
realize this isn't true for everyone, but please remember we speak from personal
experience). Through the BoPo Movement,
we've come to understand our bodies as beautiful and representative of our
whole, unified selves. So when we
discuss our bodies, we are not just focusing on the physical aspect, but also
the all-encompassing body that is a canvas for cultural codes, norms, and
social expectations as well as a representation of self-identification both
inside and out.
Here are Gribbski’s top reasons
why the Body, as defined above, is integral to the BoPo Movement:
1. Beauty IS Important; Let's Make it Inclusive:
As we mentioned before, people
with othered bodies are often made to feel like their bodies are not good
enough. This is not just something
applied to othered bodies, though. The
exclusive and near-impossible body standards affect almost everyone, including
people who may appear to fit them. The
damage caused by these impossible beauty standards includes, but is not limited
to, eating disorders, low self-esteem, feelings of worthlessness, and more. While eating disorders take an enormous
emotional, mental, and physical toll on a person, other damages may seem a lot
smaller, but are also very persistent and detrimental. For example, maybe a person with an othered
body doesn't have an eating disorder, but instead a lack of confidence in
themselves.
For most social problems, there
is not an easy fix. You have to do a lot
of deconstructing, which takes time and involvement and acceptance. We obviously can't prove this, but in theory,
this is one social issue that might actually be pretty easy to fix. All it takes is exposure. We don't need everyone to find every kind of
body attractive; instead, we need to make our current standards of beauty more
inclusive so that it actually becomes acceptable to either be or be attracted
to an othered body. This does not mean
that we eliminate the one beauty standard that we have now. This means that we toss in some other
beautiful bodies to get people used to the idea.
Something that the article from
Everyday Feminism seemed to focus on was the devaluing of physical beauty,
which we don't really agree with at all.
Instead, we think that a more inclusive idea of physical beauty will
lessen the strain that exists already.
For us, becoming our whole selves STARTED with the realization that our
physical bodies were beautiful. Wouldn't
it stand to reason, then, that if someday in the future, people don't have to
question or accept their physical beauty, they could be their whole selves
sooner?
More importantly, the physical
part of the Body should not be separated in order to be valued less in
comparison to the abstract parts of our whole selves, i.e. intelligence,
confidence, etc. That separation is a part
of the problem. If we devalue physical
beauty, we border on saying that physical bodies aren't important, even though
they absolutely are.
2. The Body is an Important Form
of Personal Expression:
The article we referenced at the
beginning of this post points out, with validity, that people put too much
focus on physical beauty and not enough on other indicators of value and worth,
such as intellect, personality, etc. While this is true to an extent, the
solution is not necessarily to put less focus and/or value on the body, but
instead reconstruct what we mean by body and acknowledge and appreciate what we
can communicate, achieve, and accomplish with our bodies. A simple example is
as follows: I (this is the BB, BTW!) am a huge fan (pun intended) of the show
Girls on HBO. For my birthday I received a t-shirt with a quote from the show
on it. I plan to wear this shirt not only because I enjoy the program, but also
because I hope others will see the shirt and start a conversation with me about
the humor, feminism, and life lessons abundant in the show. I am using my
physical body to express something that otherwise may not come up in casual
conversation; I am using my physical body to interact with people that have
shared interests with me; I am using my physical body as a signifier of my
personal interests, and I believe that we simply cannot place ENOUGH value on
that utility.
I (the WW now) also use my body
for personal expression, and I have a really great example for what that looks
like. I have been a queer ally since the
moment I knew what "gay" was, which was about third grade. This is something that actually brought the
BB and I together when we first met. For
my birthday this year, I got a tattoo (from my dad, by the way, so that's
pretty awesome! thanks, Dad!) of an ally symbol. I am literally using my body as a canvas for
something that is important to me in order to communicate that with other
people and I absolutely use it as a conversation starter. It has been an especially interesting one
with my students, one that brought up some thoughtful remarks.
Gender expression and identity is
another vital and valuable use of the body. As a cisgender Female, I enjoy
using my body for gender performance to express my thoughts on gender, beauty,
identity, and more. I enjoy wearing makeup and clothing that makes me feel
comfortable in a feminine gender identity (while others choose to wear no
makeup and traditionally non-feminine clothes and still feel feminine, which is
also awesome) because it validates who I feel I am internally while at the same
time it shows others what I believe about myself and what I want them to
believe about me. The body as a canvas for gender expression is also extremely
important for those who identify as a gender that does not “traditionally”
match up with the sex assigned at birth.
There are so many other examples
of how we use our bodies to connect with others and express ourselves, but the
main point here is that the body is the most visible and lucrative part of the whole
that we can use to portray ourselves to the world and connect with other human
beings. The problem here isn’t that we place too much value on bodies; it is
that we stereotype bodies instead of looking at the value of what they actually
say. The body is the first thing that others see when they encounter you (cyber
meetings excluded, obviously) so responsibility lies on both sides. Take
advantage of the body you have to express yourself to the world AND withhold
any snap judgments or negative comments/assumptions that you have about another
person’s body before you know them as a whole person.
Additionally, for people with
Othered bodies (let’s focus on fatties ‘cause that’s what I know) being proud
of one’s body and being able to call it beautiful is so empowering. The body is
an important part of a whole being and it should not be focused upon less
simply because people misinterpret, stereotype, judge, or otherwise misuse
their own and others’ beautiful canvases. Rather, we should reshape how we think
of bodies and why we value them rather than devaluing them in favor of
compartmentalizing our beings.
3. The Body is an Effective Tool
for Reconstructing Gaze (which we absolutely cannot eliminate):
In feminist theory the male gaze
refers to the fact that women are often objectified because they are meant to
be viewed by heterosexual men and are thus encouraged to dress, act, and
perform their gender and sexuality in ways that are traditionally pleasing to
this group. The BoPo Movement runs into issues with the male gaze because
othered bodies are not considered the typical beauties desired by this group.
This phenomenon is extremely limiting when it comes to self-expression, media,
entertainment, etc. Even women are taught to look at and criticize one another
in this way, and the male gaze certainly eliminates any discussion of how
people of genders beyond traditionally male or female look at one another.
No matter how much or how little
value we place on bodies, it still stands to reason that they are among the
first indicators of our inner selves that we show to others (again, cyber
personalities excluded…that’s another interesting conversation and certainly a
game-changer). As humans we place a lot of value in what we can see and how we
interpret it, and we also bring our own biases, judgments, and experiences into
that seeing and interpreting. By valuing the bodies involved in the BoPo
movement, we can manipulate that gaze to include othered bodies as valuable. We
can start to examine our own gaze and how we approach new people and
situations. We can change the lens from that which is pleasing to a
heterosexual male audience (stereotypically) to one that is inclusive of beauty
and wholeness. Women can use their bodies as self-expression as opposed to
visual stimuli for a certain audience.
A completely unbiased gaze is
arguably not achievable; gaze is destined to be influenced by cultural norms,
socialization, and personal experiences. However, valuing all body types and
valuing the body as an equally important part of a whole human being will help
us expand and manipulate the gaze to be more inclusive. We must examine how we
view others in addition to how we view and express ourselves.
Our central message is that the
body and conceptions of beauty are inextricably linked to inner and outer
qualities. We must look at each part of ourselves as equally valuable, and we
must look at those parts of others as unique, individual, and beautiful. If we are going to break the Fat Glass Ceiling and prove that all bodies are beautiful and that all bodies can be successful, we have to take every part of ourselves with us.
#BoPotipoftheweek: Check your own
bias. The next time you notice yourself making a snap judgment about someone’s
selfie on a social media site, check the bias in your gaze and try to consider
what that person wants to world to know about them through the beautiful canvas
that is their body.
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