I find the author’s analogy that the female body is like a text to be consistent with the contemporary weight-conscious culture. Distorted feelings of low “self-worth, self-entitlement, and self-nourishment” are shaped by the popular cultural discourse (Bordo, 1993, p. Given our patriarchal culture, I concur with Bordo’s (1993) sentiments that cultural definitions of the ideal female body are the forces that lead to the internalization of ‘disordered’ perceptions. An alternative cultural discourse is needed to change the current female body perceptions and neutralize oppressive influences. Eating disorders are a reflection of subconscious struggles against these aesthetic norms. The female body is like a blank slate that is subject to societal controls through cultural images related to diet, dressing, or beauty. Personal Reflection/Understanding of the MaterialĪfter reading the book, I understand contemporary femininity to be a cultural artifact.

Anorexia is a form of dissent against idealized notions of the female body.

Social adaptation of the body to the19 th century perfect figure indicates how women yield to sexualized ideals, often through hunger.

Cultural depictions of beauty, dressing, and diet are meant to control the expression of femininity.

The feminine body is a text shaped by Western philosophy – Plato and Descartes – and cultural perceptions of femininity.The key highlights in Bordo’s (1993) four essays are outlined below. Due to these dominant cultural influences, women and girls view themselves as imperfect and must adapt to ideal figures. She maintains that internalized liberal feminist ideologies lead to “uneasiness with our femaleness, shame over our bodies, and self-loathing” (Bordo, 1993, p. The crux of Bordo’s (1993) argument is that images of the modern female body in Western society are shaped by historical and socio-cultural constructions of ideal femininity. She explains how social prejudices, control, and misconceptions about women define the way they perceive themselves.

In her book, Susan Bordo explores contemporary perceptions, pathologies, and socialized images attached to the female body.

Unbearable Weight by Susan Bordo