Sunday, December 5, 2010
Bartky, pages 82-83
On pages 82-83 Bartky speaks of society's immense influence on a woman’s psyche in relation to her weight. She provides us with various examples, and it is doubtful to assume as a woman this is not something I am already familiar with. What I found interesting about this particular part of her writing is when she speaks of the “tyranny of slenderness.” I found myself reflecting back to Tocqueville and his idea of the problems posed by the “tyranny of the majority.” It seems Tocqueville’s idea of what could happen if the majority comes into power is exactly what is happening to women. Society, or the “majority” is feeding into the minds of females and what it means to be “beautiful.” The consequences, as Bartky points out are profound because not all girls can achieve society's “ideal.” Therefore, they take drastic measures in an attempt to achieve perfection.
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Kristy,
ReplyDeleteInteresting connection with Tocqueville and I like your focusing on the phrase "tyranny of slenderness." I think her point is different than Toc's, though, in the sense that she thinks ultimately the "tyranny of slenderness" is not so much about the power of the majority as the power of men (even though women now participate in their own oppression by buying into that tyranny).
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