During class today, I found the topic of norm and ideal to be very interesting. Often times when we think about what is "normal" we tend to think about the average. I believe that I am a normal human because I am just your average person. However, I think it is important to remember that when it comes to society, the norm is seen as what is ideal. In or society we are constantly surrounded by mainstream media, that show us men and women who are seen as iconic figures. The media has a certain standard of people that they are constantly throwing at us (skinny, white, heterosexual, with the exception of a few celebrities), and we start to believe that everyone should look and act like they do. The topic of feminine deviance was discussed in one of the articles and in class. Along with what Erin stated in her blog, women are constantly being told to look a certain way. The creation of the Barbie as had a huge impact on how women are supposed to look. However, here are some facts about Barbie:
If Barbie was a real women she would have a 39 inch bust
Barbie would be 6 foot and only weigh 100 pounds
If Barbie was a real women her waist line would be 18 inches and she would be unable to menstruate.
Images like Barbie and extremely skinny models in the media give women an image of how the norm or ideal women should look. Society is immediately putting women under the category of deviant because no one can obtain the ideal female body. And yet, so many women are constantly straining themselves to achieve this unobtainable goal.
Here is a link that shows what a life size Barbie would look like:
Real Barbie
Shawna Racino
Shawna,
ReplyDeleteThe essential question you raise in this post is: Is to be a woman in our society to be considered "deviant"? Is the identity "woman" still considered to be a "deviant" identity in society today?