Body Police

We live in a world of patriarchal and misogynistic ideals. In my perspective, women’s bodies are policed by both men and women BECAUSE of sexist, misogynistic, conservative ideas of society. And by policing I don’t just mean what size a woman should be; I mean: whether she can have abortions or not, how she should wear her hair, what clothes she can or can’t wear, where she can go, even the tone of her voice. Everything is under scrutiny by pretty much everyone in society and often these are double binding situations too.

Always measuring, comparing, judging our bodies

"The argument that the media causes eating disorders assume not merely that media representations misrepresent but that they also inscribe, directing woman to 'train, shape and modify their bodies to conform to what, very clearly are impossible ideals'” (Woodward, 1997: 141)

Thin and tall women are considered beautiful and sexy. This is because of the representation of women in media. Think: Victoria's Secret angels. There are countless workout routines floating around the internet that promise to give you their figure (link). However, when a woman is taller than her boyfriend or husband people make a mockery of it. If a man and woman, in a romantic relationship, are the same height the woman would be less likely to wear heels. This is not only because the man might ask the woman to not wear heels, it could also be because the woman herself feels uncomfortable about being taller than the man. Now the question is, where does this stem from? I think, this has to do with patriarchal ideals. Society perceives taller people as more dominant. Women are supposed to be docile, fragile, shriveled up little things that can be dominated.

Media, also, contributes heavily in policing women’s bodies. And they are able to do so because patriarchal, misogynistic ideas are ingrained in all of us. Women are raised to compare themselves to other women. But who do they compare themselves to? If they are comparing themselves to women why are these “other” women and not their own people? I believe, it is because the women they compare themselves to are women men find attractive. Men like “big booties?” Women will try to achieve that. Men like thigh gaps? Suddenly women are all about #thighgapthursday.

“What are the words you do not yet have? What do you need to save? What are the tyrannies you swallow day by day and attempt to make your own, until you’ll second and die of them, still in silence?” (Audre Lord, Silence Into Action 41)

Women police each others bodies too. They do so because women are taught to put each other down, they are taught that if they put other women down they’ll be the better women. And there’s no winning in this either. Women are so conditioned to this that they don’t speak up about it.  Most women do not have a deep understanding of why they tear each other down. What cannot even be recognized, cannot be addressed. And so, the policing of women’s bodies continues.