The Effect of Patriarchy on the Female Body

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses the effect of patriarchy on the female body based on Foucault's theories stating that the emergence of a new "counter" discipline against the body corresponds with the emergence of society's increased political liberty. The author points out that, although women have historically existed within a state of permanent visibility, the new age of bodily discipline introduces a more oppressive set of patriarchal values, which, upon internalization, intensified the effects of permanent visibility on women. The paper states that shame and self-hatred prevent a woman from finding self-confidence and becoming more than the ideal, and thus she is forever subjected to patriarchal definitions and masculine domination.

From the Paper:

"If the images of women presented through the mass media are indicative of ideology, then the current patriarchal ideal of
feminine beauty is quite specific. To be beautiful, a woman's body must be thin. Models today weigh on average twenty-five percent less than the weight of the "average" woman. The ideal feminine body is also usually white. Women are more often than not taut, with "no wobbly bits", but cannot possess noticeable muscle bulk as this would counteract the feminine beauty ideal of vulnerability and weakness."

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