The Objectified Body
The body is a subject as opposed to an object.
The body should not be conscious of its aesthetic but looking towards the future in motion- not the present.
What breaks the body's unity:
1)Ambiguous Intentionality: thinking of how to accomplish activity rather than just doing it. 'Ambiguous' in terms of being caught in the present rather than looking ahead at the prize. When unambiguous the body accomplishes the action and body is forgotten.
When you run, do you think about your body? Do you think about how one limb has to be set forth in front of the other? No, you just do it and yet so many of us are thinking of performing the 'doing' itself rather than performing the task.
2)Inhibited Intentionality: 'I cannot' vs. 'I can' thoughts conflict one another and prohibits us from doing. The mind alienates me from my body.
3)Discontinuous Unity From Surroundings: Environment seems to be broken and distant. It's like living in a bubble- there is my own space and whatever that is out there.
When we are self conscious it is as if we feel like a stranger is looking and judging us by appearance and action which leads to the alienation of the body.
Today I was walking to Best Buy to look for some better cell phone packages and I spotted two guys chilling on the side of a store front window. One of the greatest sins of men is passivity. Not far from me were three girls walking ahead with shoppings bags swinging by their sides. One of them seemed to be Hispanic- short, round and curvy and as she passed by talking to her companions, I watched as the two guys turned their heads to rest their eyes on something they should not be looking at. She was wearing jeans for pete's sake. And I was disgusted by them.
The body was created to be a subject yet women are viewed as objects. So there is a discord between the female and her body. While she wants to be a whole, culture has taught her to preen, trim, polish, pluck the body till it is up to standards and viewed for visual pleasure. And this vicious cycle goes- the girl is taught to be careful when she goes out to play and learns to tie her hair in a ponytail and she grows up to shave her legs, apply perfume on her neck and wear silk: and for what? For herself or for others? She is taught to be conscious about her every movement to the point that the mind is broken from the body. She is broken from her surroundings by her appearance- she cannot run for her heels abstain her from movement, her skirt too tight for her legs to stride- so she thinks about her every move and conscious of those who are watching around her. The female is an objectified body and not a subject of one's self- it is in chaos with the mind and with culture.
But this conflicts with what Eldredge said about the female's innate desire to be the beauty- not just inwardly but outwardly as well. So is it really culture or something she was designed to go after?
So I'm not sure anymore- I don't know how to answer that- do any of you know? Is it culture or God given or both or a misinterpretation?
It was a good lecture. I stayed awake for three quarters of it. It's interesting how a small phenomena of throwing a ball could spur such interesting thought. I think I'm going to get a ball one day and see how I throw and try and recreate the masculine way of throwing. What's even more interesting is that in tennis, my backhand is perfect because I'm forced to twist my torso to accomodate my two hand swing while my forehand is never consistent and my dad always tells me it's because I don't turn when I meet the ball. It never feels natural. I wonder if it's my consciousness of my body which results in my inability to actually follow through with the execution of the act.
I'm excited for the next few readings on marriage and love and sex however I think they're more of the secular view on the abolishment of marriage for love does not define such a union. As much as I'd like to counter the author's points, I usually don't even understand their point to make an argument. That's what happens usually when I debate over some religious/secular issue- I end up getting confused of what the other person is saying and too mixed up to be able to form my own thoughts.
Comments Noticed
Wow I just read up on comments that people posted at the end of my entries- many of them which I did not catch at all. I didn't respond because I didn't realize they were there until a month later and not because I was deliberately ignoring you. I appreciate all of them minus the ads.
Defiled Women
Why is that in so many war torn countries, that when attackers come to the house of an innocent family, they try to take and destroy what they hold dearest? And for women, why is that in the form of bodily invasion: rape? Is that the body objectified once again? Is that the most precious thing we have to offer? And rape is used to defile the woman or to humiliate her husband (in the cases of Rwanda).
China's Youth Culture and Its Loss
I was reading up articles to inspire me on my design thesis for Intro to Design and there was this particular article on China's rising youth- they will now save money to buy a pair of Nikes and eat instant noodles all day to obtain them. De Beers, a prominent diamond company in the States, has recently turned its head towards China for profit. But as you all probably (I hope) know, the Chinese give gifts of gold and jade- diamonds are not valued as highly as the former two are. In Western culture, with 'Breakfast and Tiffanys' where the motto is "Diamonds are a girl's best friend", these particular stones are placed at a high value. It's become a tradition to give a diamond as an engagement ring. So the company started to market diamonds to the Chinese public. As I mentioned earlier, in order to sell something you must create meaning and connection between the product and the consumer. In creating a link between the two, the customer feels like they need it and establish that relationship. De Beers has hosted weddings and hoisted a huge diamond image at the events. And as I read that article I got pretty depressed- is China the next America? I don't want that. If China is becoming more and more like the US, can we call that progress? I think not.
In ten years, China will be the number one consumer of luxury goods.
And companies and marketers think they can just barge in and put their Western values on a serving plate for the Chinese to lap up. Instill the desire for them to buy the product and you have the consumer for a lifetime and for generations to come:
Tiffanys has erected a huge turquoise box to promote their image (which essentially is the signature Tiffany blue) and Nike has been sponsoring many basketball teams because very few people play sports in China. Nike created a niche for their products to be sold. From only making $8 million in profits the first year, they've jumped to over $100 million. That's insane!
I feel like we're losing something that was uniquely defined as Chinese. And even as trivial as the traditional gold and jade ring for a diamond. Of course I am not the best definition of a 'Chinese person' but do love many aspects of our culture. Is it slowly dying out to be replaced by the 'American Dream'? Some girl in the article said she took up smoking because she saw Sarah Jessica Parker smoking in Sex and the City. -_- I guess the dumb ones were never meant to live- might as well kill themselves while they're alive. lol. jk.
Since I obtained a select collection of gold and jade jewelry from my mother who got them from my grandparents this past summer, I've always worn a circlet of gold and green on my finger as a representation of my acknowledgment to Chinese history, culture and arts. I know it sounds really cheesy and materialistic but since I am such a horrible example of a Chinese female- someone who can't even speak the language properly, can understand more than she can talk and can't even read or write (not even my name). Yet I express my love for this culture through art. If I had money, I would purchase and collect antique qi paos because I love material culture. Material culture is the study of history and society through artifacts (I got that from my reading). We cannot fully rely on written historical text because they can be biased while artifacts reveal what people in the past valued, cherished, and used. And to imagine how many hours it must have taken to embroider a single jacket by hand astounds me. If I could, I'd buy antique kimonos from the Edo period and store them in wood cases and hang one up. Because for me, examining every little stitch is like breathing in the life of the creator. It takes a year to make a kimono. I cannot imagine spending that much time making one thing. That would drive me nuts. And it's funny to hear my Japanese classmate say that she wants to sell her grandmother's kimono because she doesn't value them. Why not?? They're part of a rich cultural history. I don't understand people.
I wonder if I can go to Shanghai for my semester abroad.
Okay seriously I have to stop blogging because I have to think about my thesis. Crap and I have so much more to say. Tomorrow.
The body should not be conscious of its aesthetic but looking towards the future in motion- not the present.
What breaks the body's unity:
1)Ambiguous Intentionality: thinking of how to accomplish activity rather than just doing it. 'Ambiguous' in terms of being caught in the present rather than looking ahead at the prize. When unambiguous the body accomplishes the action and body is forgotten.
When you run, do you think about your body? Do you think about how one limb has to be set forth in front of the other? No, you just do it and yet so many of us are thinking of performing the 'doing' itself rather than performing the task.
2)Inhibited Intentionality: 'I cannot' vs. 'I can' thoughts conflict one another and prohibits us from doing. The mind alienates me from my body.
3)Discontinuous Unity From Surroundings: Environment seems to be broken and distant. It's like living in a bubble- there is my own space and whatever that is out there.
When we are self conscious it is as if we feel like a stranger is looking and judging us by appearance and action which leads to the alienation of the body.
Today I was walking to Best Buy to look for some better cell phone packages and I spotted two guys chilling on the side of a store front window. One of the greatest sins of men is passivity. Not far from me were three girls walking ahead with shoppings bags swinging by their sides. One of them seemed to be Hispanic- short, round and curvy and as she passed by talking to her companions, I watched as the two guys turned their heads to rest their eyes on something they should not be looking at. She was wearing jeans for pete's sake. And I was disgusted by them.
The body was created to be a subject yet women are viewed as objects. So there is a discord between the female and her body. While she wants to be a whole, culture has taught her to preen, trim, polish, pluck the body till it is up to standards and viewed for visual pleasure. And this vicious cycle goes- the girl is taught to be careful when she goes out to play and learns to tie her hair in a ponytail and she grows up to shave her legs, apply perfume on her neck and wear silk: and for what? For herself or for others? She is taught to be conscious about her every movement to the point that the mind is broken from the body. She is broken from her surroundings by her appearance- she cannot run for her heels abstain her from movement, her skirt too tight for her legs to stride- so she thinks about her every move and conscious of those who are watching around her. The female is an objectified body and not a subject of one's self- it is in chaos with the mind and with culture.
But this conflicts with what Eldredge said about the female's innate desire to be the beauty- not just inwardly but outwardly as well. So is it really culture or something she was designed to go after?
So I'm not sure anymore- I don't know how to answer that- do any of you know? Is it culture or God given or both or a misinterpretation?
It was a good lecture. I stayed awake for three quarters of it. It's interesting how a small phenomena of throwing a ball could spur such interesting thought. I think I'm going to get a ball one day and see how I throw and try and recreate the masculine way of throwing. What's even more interesting is that in tennis, my backhand is perfect because I'm forced to twist my torso to accomodate my two hand swing while my forehand is never consistent and my dad always tells me it's because I don't turn when I meet the ball. It never feels natural. I wonder if it's my consciousness of my body which results in my inability to actually follow through with the execution of the act.
I'm excited for the next few readings on marriage and love and sex however I think they're more of the secular view on the abolishment of marriage for love does not define such a union. As much as I'd like to counter the author's points, I usually don't even understand their point to make an argument. That's what happens usually when I debate over some religious/secular issue- I end up getting confused of what the other person is saying and too mixed up to be able to form my own thoughts.
Comments Noticed
Wow I just read up on comments that people posted at the end of my entries- many of them which I did not catch at all. I didn't respond because I didn't realize they were there until a month later and not because I was deliberately ignoring you. I appreciate all of them minus the ads.
Defiled Women
Why is that in so many war torn countries, that when attackers come to the house of an innocent family, they try to take and destroy what they hold dearest? And for women, why is that in the form of bodily invasion: rape? Is that the body objectified once again? Is that the most precious thing we have to offer? And rape is used to defile the woman or to humiliate her husband (in the cases of Rwanda).
China's Youth Culture and Its Loss
I was reading up articles to inspire me on my design thesis for Intro to Design and there was this particular article on China's rising youth- they will now save money to buy a pair of Nikes and eat instant noodles all day to obtain them. De Beers, a prominent diamond company in the States, has recently turned its head towards China for profit. But as you all probably (I hope) know, the Chinese give gifts of gold and jade- diamonds are not valued as highly as the former two are. In Western culture, with 'Breakfast and Tiffanys' where the motto is "Diamonds are a girl's best friend", these particular stones are placed at a high value. It's become a tradition to give a diamond as an engagement ring. So the company started to market diamonds to the Chinese public. As I mentioned earlier, in order to sell something you must create meaning and connection between the product and the consumer. In creating a link between the two, the customer feels like they need it and establish that relationship. De Beers has hosted weddings and hoisted a huge diamond image at the events. And as I read that article I got pretty depressed- is China the next America? I don't want that. If China is becoming more and more like the US, can we call that progress? I think not.
In ten years, China will be the number one consumer of luxury goods.
And companies and marketers think they can just barge in and put their Western values on a serving plate for the Chinese to lap up. Instill the desire for them to buy the product and you have the consumer for a lifetime and for generations to come:
Tiffanys has erected a huge turquoise box to promote their image (which essentially is the signature Tiffany blue) and Nike has been sponsoring many basketball teams because very few people play sports in China. Nike created a niche for their products to be sold. From only making $8 million in profits the first year, they've jumped to over $100 million. That's insane!
I feel like we're losing something that was uniquely defined as Chinese. And even as trivial as the traditional gold and jade ring for a diamond. Of course I am not the best definition of a 'Chinese person' but do love many aspects of our culture. Is it slowly dying out to be replaced by the 'American Dream'? Some girl in the article said she took up smoking because she saw Sarah Jessica Parker smoking in Sex and the City. -_- I guess the dumb ones were never meant to live- might as well kill themselves while they're alive. lol. jk.
Since I obtained a select collection of gold and jade jewelry from my mother who got them from my grandparents this past summer, I've always worn a circlet of gold and green on my finger as a representation of my acknowledgment to Chinese history, culture and arts. I know it sounds really cheesy and materialistic but since I am such a horrible example of a Chinese female- someone who can't even speak the language properly, can understand more than she can talk and can't even read or write (not even my name). Yet I express my love for this culture through art. If I had money, I would purchase and collect antique qi paos because I love material culture. Material culture is the study of history and society through artifacts (I got that from my reading). We cannot fully rely on written historical text because they can be biased while artifacts reveal what people in the past valued, cherished, and used. And to imagine how many hours it must have taken to embroider a single jacket by hand astounds me. If I could, I'd buy antique kimonos from the Edo period and store them in wood cases and hang one up. Because for me, examining every little stitch is like breathing in the life of the creator. It takes a year to make a kimono. I cannot imagine spending that much time making one thing. That would drive me nuts. And it's funny to hear my Japanese classmate say that she wants to sell her grandmother's kimono because she doesn't value them. Why not?? They're part of a rich cultural history. I don't understand people.
I wonder if I can go to Shanghai for my semester abroad.
Okay seriously I have to stop blogging because I have to think about my thesis. Crap and I have so much more to say. Tomorrow.
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