Body Bind

Through running a marathon in 90 degree heat, taking a hard fall and scraping your knee, getting a horrible sunburn, or feeling full after a huge dinner, we are able to feel the physical link between our bodies and ourselves. But perhaps the connection between our spiritual self and our bodies is represented by that very word "connection", instead of an indistinguishable bond between the two. In Susan Bordo's, "The Body and Reproduction of femininity", the idea of the "docile body", and the constant shaping and constructing of our physical image, brings to light the psychological disconnection we have with our bodies. Bordo discusses the construction of body as something separate form our true self (ex: soul, mind, spirit). This separation causes people to constantly discipline and shape their bodies to try and reflect their inner self, which is entirely influenced by their culture. It can be described by saying that people treat their bodies as objects, being constantly subjected to reconstruction and change. This ties back to Bordo's overall theory that the body is a direct text and metaphor of culture. What we do on a day to day basis, what we believe in, what historical patterns have unconsciously inscribed in our psyche , these are all factors in our behavior, and therefore our bodies. An example of this is as easy as stepping back, looking at yourself, and questioning what makes you look and dress like you do? What motives and emotions drive you to take a position on what image of yourself you want to portray in the world. Where does your drive to morph yourself to look a certain way stem from? All these puzzling questions, although possibly unanswerable, tie to Bordo's idea of the body as a medium of culture.