The Feminine body

A detailed Summary of The Feminine body

Bartky (p. ?) states that we are born male or female, but not masculine or feminine. Femininity

is an artifice, and achievement, "a mode of enacting and reenacting received gender norms which

surface as so many styles of the flesh.

In today's society there does seem to be a significant rise in disciplinary practices that produce a

body which in gesture and appearance is recognizably feminine (p. ?). However; the female figure

has changed over time and nowadays women are striving more for the look of slimness bordering

on emanciation (p. ?). But think back to the eighteenth century when the larger woman was

considered the norm of beauty, and now this massiveness, power, and abundance in a woman's

body is met with distaste. Thus, remaining a female preoccupation with appearance that is almost

I challenge every woman to ask themselves this question, "does having a beautiful of sexy body

really gain them any respect or social power?" Sure, they may use their bodies to attract male

attention, using this admiration to compensate for their inferior self- esteem, yet the sad irony is that

the more energy a woman expends focusing on her body as an object of admiration,

for any reassurance; my body image had already been formed. Thus began the rollercoaster of

My own experiences throughout my life thus far, perpetuate this very notion of wanting and

Women's preoccupation with appearance is psychologically damaging. But cultural ideas about

Until women discover the source of societies contempt, and work free of it, we will find ourselves unhappy in spite of the most brilliantly accomplished lives. Trying, through success, to attract the attention we so desperately require, will only keep us stuck on the performance pendulum. But admiration from others will never be enough to fulfill women. What women need is a genuine feeling of self- love. This feeling is not only permissible; it is crucial if we are ever to rise above the hidden feelings of inferiority that keep us down.

femininity make it extremely difficult to distinguish self affirming behavior from that which

point in my development being liked by my peers was my main focus, but I just didn't fit in because

Some common words found in the essay are:
Body Bartky, outer selves, attention desperately require, preoccupation appearance, desperately require, attention desperately,

Approximate Word count = 816
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Miscellaneous

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The Feminine body

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