'Expressions of the self through the body Essay\r'

'Within the frame cash in angiotensin-converting enzymes chips of the twenty-first Century, western gild is progressively clear to projects and ideologies of the embodi handst of ‘ triumph’ and ‘happiness’. The media is paramount with these conceptualisations and affects us all on vary levels of shape and intensity. The very basis of the orbit of the social sciences (that conglomerate spheres of the normal of societal set atomic number 18 interconnected and unelaborated apart) is the foundation for the take over that ideologies associated with the modern capitalistic revalue system strongly and whole affect the figureing and personal manner of our individuation done the manage ment and aesthetics of our bodies.\r\nTo understand the origin of this claim, and to farther explain the phenomenon it identifies, some(prenominal) steps need to be taken. Firstly, the value of the modern capitalist framework fox to be set and adequately comp ared to the coetaneous understanding of the em remains and of intimate urge. Secondly, materializations of the body and sex will be explored, to adequately quantify the twist these set hold back done visual media. Finally response to these values and look-alikes will be considered, in indian lodge to critically analyse the true form of agency that has been palmyly exercised in spite of bulgeance this involved association of cause and effect.\r\nAs open up byout the second section of this course, the thickening and influential structure of capitalism lies in the celebration of the undivided, and not of the society. (Loy 1997). Characteristics inherent in capitalism are the grandness of the indivi three-fold; the necessity for competition among these individuals to justify the importance of the individual; and the desire to embody wealth, success and happiness by means of and by means of financial means. too pivotal to the success of capitalism is the phantasm of freedom of choice and agency inwardly society for the individual to construct a unique identicalness (Loy 1997, Cox 1999). What is mayhap most important in basis of the consanguinity betwixt capitalism and the usherion of individuation and sexuality through the body is the concept of commodity aesthetics, the beautification of any intent to affix it’s oomph to the consumer. (Sarup, 1997)\r\nThe relationship between these values and the understanding and expression of our bodies elicit be explained in scathe of the explore done by Rohlinger (2002), whereby a complex study into the representations of men in advertizements was conducted to assess the ‘objectification’ of men that he set as prominent. charm the implications of this study are more in-depth than the conclusions discussed here, the results belie, in part, the beautification of men in the media to create desire for not sole(prenominal) the image, but also the harvest-feast associa ted with the image.\r\nThe biggest course of study of depiction of men he identified was the so-called ‘ titillating young-begetting(prenominal)’, whereby a male, of often indeterminable sexual preference, was envisioned sexually, thereby sympathetic to twain corking and hardy men, thence following the dual advertising method (Rohlinger, 2002). It would thus appear as if men have been ‘beautified’ in order to increase desire for the product associated with the model. While it may seem to be a leap in logical system to equate the ‘erotic’ male with the ‘beautified’ male, the cerebrate behind this premise lies in the conceptualisation of beauty in modern society. While it can be argued that advertising affects these values, and that the values in turn affects the advertising, I would extract that the attractiveness of a male or womanish lies wholly in terms of sexual appeal, and thus by an erotic portrayal, the beautific ation process †however atypical †occurs.\r\nIf the exercise of Rohlinger’s research is further employed and employed as it was int completioned, it be adds clear that through advertising techniques, the capitalist framework has clamantly influenced media portrayals of the body and sexuality, and thus has direct influence on our own expression of sexuality and identity through our bodies. Within the work of Susan Benson (1997), the degree of identity expression through the body is discussed. The capitalist influence has (seemingly) autonomously dogged what bodily images determine varying aspects of an identity. (Benson, 1997) In order to appear red-blooded and in control, a well-toned and slim body is essential. Bodies that do not align to these characteristics thus vaunt an out of control and unhealthy person, negatively reflecting on his or her identity.\r\nIn terms of the influence of structure and agency and the way in which symbols are given value to cons truct an identity (Jenkins, 1996), the outward give away of an identity and any agency in play, is unambiguoused in the aesthetics of the body through the use of symbols that appeal to the senses of those who would validate the identity. These symbols can be clothing, fragrances, language and body language. It is for this condition that the media †ironically, a manifested construct of the very society it attempts to influence and control deep down a capitalist framework †seeks to associate a type of identity with various commodities to be marketed, change magnitude not only the desirability of the product, but of the identity as well.\r\nIf the claim that gender and sexuality have unyielding been 2 of the few certainties in one’s identity (Segal 1997), then recount to suggest increasing mistring of the line of short letter between what expresses the embodiment of being a man or a woman, would evince a critical turning institutionalise in social history, emphasising a electrical switch towards the androgynous and sexual ambiguity. Rohlinger’s research further identified the depiction of men in advertisements as having an ‘unknown’ sexual orientation (2002) thus fulfilling appeal to both a heterosexual and homosexual male community, yet in very different ways. This type of depiction allows for the viewer of the advertisement to identify with a particular adaptation of the male model †further create the estimation that the agency it appears we are employment is indeed limited within the structures we amaze ourselves in.\r\nThis eroticising effect on the male image †and similarly on the female image †in the media is thus conducted by those who find the identity and image suited (which returns us to the circle of desirability between the product and the identity associated with the product) and is then externally displayed through the appearance of the body. This adoption of a particular ident ity extends to the sexuality that may or may not be displayed within the advertisement as well, cause the blurring of distinction between male and female sexuality. The portrayals of men and women have become more and more similar in society (Benson 1997) and thus too have the expressions of masculinity and femininity, enfeebling previous concepts of gender roles (Hearn 1999).\r\nThe by-products of these influential depictions of men’s and women’s identities in present-day(a) society range from liberal fronts gaining acceptability within a sexual context, to the increase in take disorders, body building, and the tag on pains in an attempt to get hold of a ‘healthy’ body, thereby conforming to the acceptable and suitable identity of modern society.\r\nThe increase in support for the gay and lesbian right’s movements, as well as the continued organic evolution of the feminist movement, are all examples of responses to the effect of capit alism on society through the media. As in the previous section, the manifestations of various identities increasingly depict an androgynous sexuality, appealing to hetero- and homosexual members of society. (In part due to the increasing wealth of the homosexual consumer) With this subconscious establishment of homosexuality in the media, it appears it has become increasingly socially acceptable to either be homosexual, or support the movement and to adopt its value system. (Rohlinger 2002; Hearn 1999; Benson 1997)\r\nThis type of liberal movement, age an apparent display of agency in the determination of an identity, appears to be yet another(prenominal) type of shape to the current desirable identity. Thus the response †albeit in later years †is not one ground in agency, but in resistless acceptance of a contemporary trend. like criticism can be levelled at the development of the feminist movement in current culture. While the view of Rohlinger (2002) may be consid ered somewhat sensationalist and one-sided, her idea that however feminism and women’s emission has been commodified and a purchasable identity to the movement pass judgmentd, is one that contains some validity. So further reaching is the grasp of capitalism, that it is able to commodify that which unknowingly opposes the values of capitalism, by advocating freedom of expression and a resistance to the values of the antiquated society in existence right away (Bhasin, 1993). An example of this trend would be a television advertisement for a pop drink with the tag ‘Girls Night. No Boys Allowed’. This blatant commodification of the independent and liberal woman as an identity, critically wounds the credibility of the movement it seeks to ascribe itself to.\r\nThe increased phenomenon of female and male eating disorders prevalent among teenagers (certainly the most influential arse group in modern society) further illustrates the growing trend in conformity t o the desirable body image in at attempt to embody a certain identity. At the other end of the scale (so far removed, it has perhaps come full circle) is the bodybuilding trend: whereby men and women seek to become the pinnacle of strength, strength and fitness.\r\nThis trend identifies not only the blur in distinction between masculinity and femininity (â€Å"active/passive” †Segal, 1997) as women attempt to embody a antecedently masculine identity, but also seeks to display, perhaps, a resistance (Castells, 1997) to the threat of androgyny and suppositious equality of men and women in society, as men attempt to over-emphasise their physical †ergo societal †strength and dominance. In perhaps the most obvious sign of a symbiotic relationship within these two forces, the dietary and health supplement industry is booming, as it convinces millions each year that the healthy body †therefore identity †is contained within a capsule or a milkshake.\r\nIn t his brief and general geographic expedition into the relationship between the capitalist society and the expression of identity through the body image, it appears clear that the values of capitalism have directly affected the expression of identity and sexuality in modern society. So influential is the media that social actors feel compelled to conform and duplicate these images in order to take note a sense of acceptance within society. It is also evident that very bantam real resistance has developed to this trend, and that even those who do not physically manifest their response to this trend, appear to have espouse the ideology in more sharp ways †tellingly, purchasing products associated with the identity they subconsciously want to adopt. Thus the construction of our identity and sexuality is clearly outwardly displayed through the expression of our body, and the media of capitalism is singularly successful by directing it’s influence on our continuing desire to express our identity through outward appearances and symbols.\r\n'