The Stepford Wives

Stepford Wives is a film about a community, Stepford, where the men, unbeknownst to the outside world, technologically alter their wives to make them the perfect, subservient housewife. The film deals with the relationship between the body and technology especially concerning control over other bodies and loss of power. The film, made in 1975, plays with the ideas of gender roles which were prevalent at the time because women were just recently gaining more and more equality. The misuse of technology puts fear into the audience that the increasing technology in our world could some day help to make possible the faulty ideals of some.

Prompt 11

The film, The Stepford Wives, explores not only the idea of technology and the body but also how people can use technology to take power and control over others. The film, made in 1975, is based around the ideas of male dominance and gender roles. While during this time period, women were gaining rights and independence slowly but surely after long struggles against male dominance, the film brings out a fear in the audience that one day technology could allow men to take control over women. The technology used actually transforms these women into the ideal stereotypical housewife. The fact that it is actually the men running this operation to change their wives, demonstrates how people can take advantage of technology and misuse its power. In this case, the men in Stepford use technology to take control of the women, taking it to the extent of almost manufacturing the women as if they were dolls or prototypes. Another question to think about is the extent in which technology played a role in this women dominance operation compared to the extent in which it was the ideals of society at the time which influenced the men's choices. Also, consider if it is the combination of the two that makes technology dangerous. Is it our faulty ideals as humans that make technology dangerous or technology itself that is dangerous. If technology weren't involved, would these men simply have found another way to achieve their goals?

Prompt 10

Throughout the novel, Case is constantly trying to escape his physical bounds by jacking into the matrix. However, he is still human so Gibson connects him to human impulses still. The two ways that Case connects to the physical body is through drugs and sex. He always has a girl around that fulfills his sexual needs. Also, in the beginning of the novel, he is restricted by his drug addiction. I found this to be an interesting connection between the "meat" and the mind. While AI's like Wintermute are simply mind and no meat and don't have the same needs, Case cannot escape his meat. While he tries to disregard his human instincts, there is still the theme of a need for sex and drugs in order to satisfy his physical needs. The sex itself, atleast in Case's case, is not influenced by technology and is simply physical pleasure.

Prompt 7

I believe that in theory both categories of body modifications, both normative and non-normative, have political implications. While they may stand for completely different things, they both are reinforcing ideals. The mainstream body modifications from straightening one's hair to plastic surgery both support this normative idealistic body type and image. Such modifications as straightening your hair may even be considered a simple part of grooming; however, it is to fit the norm and to look like other mainstream women. Plastic surgery has the political implications of reinforcing society's standards of the body. While many of the procedures for plastic surgery are often more gruesome than the procedures for such non-normative body modifications such as tattoos or peircings, plastic surgery is more acceptable in mainstream society because people encourage the idea of trying to fit into the norm.
However, non-normative body modifications such as tattoos are more visible and may be seen as more rebellious because they go against society's norm. They still are using the same act of modifying the body like plastic surgery, but sometimes their acts are seen as more political because they are clearly visible and stick out. I believe the idea that these practices are more radical is simply a mental idea. The actual process of these practices can be seen by some as far less radical than the insertion of silicon to enhance breasts or the surgery done on one's nose is a rinoplasty. In physical terms, some normative body modifications can be seen as far more radical. However, in the mindset of the average American, non-normative body modifications are more radical because the mental aspect of it has them believing it does not fit in with mainstream society.

Prompt 6

Writing standards in the University often demand a certain style of writing. You are taught this at a young age when you first begin to write. You are taught a five paragraph paper, proper formatting, how each sentence should be set up exactly. You are taught that each paragraph ought to have an opening sentence, provide evidence, explain and comment on that evidence, and repeat. This sort of writing is practiced in school and university settings along with professional settings. Even some of these habits start to affect more personal writings to friends and family. It is often a belief that while in an academic setting, everyone should meet a certain standard of writing. To let everyone develop their own style and format would take away that enforcement of structure and rules relevant to an academic setting.
Other ways of "writing" do not necessarily include a pen and paper. For many, writing can be done through act of the body or body modification. Body modifications such as tattoos literally write on the body, letting a person express themselves through the act of permanently marking their body. Tattoos can express various things, many tattoos have meaning behind them that could take up an entire 5 paragraph paper, but the person has chosen instead to express these feelings through a symbolic tattoo. This form of writing provides a lot more room for creativity because a person's body is their own and many see tattoos as something meaningful to themselves even if others don't understand. In this way, they are not, therefore, providing their bodies for grading or judgement by some authority figure whose standards they must live up to. Tattoos are also not the only form of "writing" through expression and bodies. Any act of the body, including hair styles and color, choice of clothing, piercings, and many more, are trying to say something about the body and about the person. More groomed and naturally colored hair, for instance, would say that that particular person is more put together, responsible, and maintain a mainstream acceptable lifestyle. Unnatural hair colors such as purple or pink and non-normative styles, however, would also have a lot to say about a person. By "writing" these expressions for others to read through their bodies, people find ways to express themselves.
The ideas of authorship and control of the body result from body modifiers getting modifications in order to claim their bodies and write on their bodies. They want to be the author of what their body has to say. While modifications and body choices will always create authorship, I don't believe they always create control over the body. Yes, each person has authorship of their body because they are the ones living in their body and making the choices of what their body should look like and represent. However, many of these choices are influenced by mainstream norms, whether someone chooses to live up to these norms or purposely reject them. So while no two bodies will be exactly the same in terms of looks and expression, that does not necessarily mean one has complete control over the body in the way they have complete authorship. There is no way to avoid the norms and pressures of our society, any action made is somewhat sculpted by our society. Even actions done specifically in a rebellious manner, represent the fact that the act or expression is not mainstream and may even only be done because of that fact. So there are limits to control over the body, just like their are limits to control over one's writing. Writing is controlled by standards and formats demanded by teachers and professors, but that does not mean one's writing is plagiarism. You still have complete authorship, as you do with your body.

Prompt 5

The National Geographic pictorial features tattoos from all around the world, including our own backyard. The beautiful photos are paired with descriptions on the cultural, historical, and symbolic meaning for the tattoos and modifications of the subject. The tattoos are viewed as non-normative and as having great meaning or significance to the person's life. Even the subjects from the western world, living in California, are pictured for their "tribal" tattoos and embracement of their Modern Primitivist way of life. This is shown through the picture as well by juxtaposing their half naked bodies covered in tribal tattoos and marking with the modernism of the Golden Gate Bridge. The body is seen as a means of expressing one's self, culture, ritual, and tradition.
The NPR program, Marketplace, however, approaches the tatooed body in a different way. They look to explain and understand how the tatooed body is becoming more domestic. The program argues that tattoos are becoming more mainstream and normative in the workforce as the younger generations are being employed. Bodies and modifications are not seen in the workforce as a symolic self-expression that is honored and ritualized, such as the bodies from National Geographic, but rather they are merely tolerated because of the need for skilled employees.
I agree with Marketplace in the idea that tattoos are becoming a more normative body modificiation. The broadcast states that the tattoos tolerated are still required to be discreet and tasteful. In this way, I believe the younger generations are normalizing tattoos and employers soon will have little choice but to provide leeway in this subject. While extreme body modification still is considered very non-normative and looked on as exotic, small body modifications are slowly making their way into normative society step by step.

Prompt 4

In the print adverisement used by Dove with the "oversized?" or "outstanding?" woman featured, Dove advertises that beautiful doesn't neccessarily have to be this image of the thin model that the media usually presents us with. In this way, they are defying the beauty norm in order to convince us that beauty isn't only one idea. The idea of beauty encompasses many characteristics, some not usually featured in beauty campaigns, such as this image of the oversized woman. On the other hand, Dove is reiterating the beauty norm by using a woman with a classicly beautiful face and symmetrical features. It seems that the only thing that could be considered not beautiful about her would be her weight, and so long as they convince the viewer that overweight can be beautiful too then everything else about this woman fits the beauty norm presented by other mainstream media.
Also, the video advertisement "Amy" used by the Dove campaign doesn't even feature an image of a female, in this case a young girl. The campaign makes its argument about beauty by using a pathos appeal to women. Every woman can sympathize with the idea of not liking their appearance, and by using a young girl for the ad, viewers feel bad that someone so young and innocent would be so self conscious. Their argument is also helped by the fact that the girl doesn't appear in the ad, so for that matter, there is no standard of beauty to which you have to relate or live up to.
I believe that the ethics of the campaign means well. While they obviously have to keep some standard of beauty in order to appeal to people, they are helping to broaden the idea of beauty even if only slightly. An ad with people on it who are not pleasant to look at would not be effective advertising, but by slowly broadening that notion of beauty, they are taking apart that norm. When such a high standard of beauty is built up over time and massive amounts of media, there is no way to completely destruct that norm by one campaign, but Dove is effectively doing their part to widen the idea of beauty.