nudiy, steroids, and feminism

So these thoughts have been orbiting about my space for two weeks now. And finally I’m sitting down to do what I should have done when they first wrapped around me: voice them and bring them to rest.

Disclaimer: If you have sensitive viewpoints or a sensitive stomach, read no further because this will offend you. If you are male, married to secular culture and values, married to religious culture and values, anorexic, bulimic, on steroids, or obese, this rant will offend you. Read no further!

On my 30 minute train ride through hills carrying forests atop their backs and through the disturbing charm of Philadelphia ghettos, I was talking to my mom on the phone, telling her I was on my way to see a fringe performance of Pig Iron Theater’s Isabella. (yes I admit it, sometimes I take on the role of that annoying person who talks on her cell while riding public transport---but in my defense I must say that a) I either cut my convo short or b) talk in hushed tones. So hey, at least I’m attempting to be considerate of my fellow passengers, and at least I don’t yell into my phone as if it were a hard of hearing chunk of plastic-- as I’ve witnessed many others do). Anyways, I was describing the play to my mom and I mentioned that there was going to be full frontal male and female nudity.

“Oh Rachel, be sure to close your eyes.” Was her immediate, expected I might add, response.

At first I was thinking yea, yea, she’s such a mom--This nudity thing would have been a bigger deal for me three years ago, when I was still living under the protective shade of the rural cornfields of Illinois and the “thou shalt nots” of my conservative upbringing. Now that I’ve spent the past 2 ½ years in Philly and the last six months abroad in my dear, sweet London, I’ve come to recognize nudity as a powerful tool (when used correctly) in art and art/theater’s mission to voice social and political justice.

And right then and there, as trees and concrete slabs flew by, the thought slapped me in the face: both seemingly opposing ideologies of the religious right (I know this term co notates Christianity but really I mean all androcentric dominant world religions ie: Islam, Judaism, etc) and of western secularism, view the human body solely as a sexual object. One exploits this exaggerated sexuality while the other represses it. But they both place the body on a sexual pedestal: one of pleasure vs. one of evil. They both view the body’s function/worth in a sexually lit background. This is degrading on so many levels! The goals of procreation, preservation of sexual purity, exploitation and manipulation of the body for pleasure’s sake, have come to dominate the universal viewpoint of the human body. Yet the body should mean and represent so much more! The body is a source of mobility; it allows us to function in this world--literally. It is a tool and a gift that can be glorified and used in athletics, art, etc. It is a canvas and instrument that can be used to communicate the thoughts, beauty, and feelings of humanity, along with demands for social and political justice. Utilizing the body in this manner brings about change that alters day to day reality and lives!

Yet there is no respect for the body in western culture and the catastrophic symptoms are everywhere. Anorexia/Bulimia: conscious neglect and destruction of bodily health for culture’s sake, Abuse of Steroids: forsaking the body’s health in order to economically and socially succeed in contemporary culture, Obesity: out right lack of respect for the body and its role in life. We need to look at where our priorities are because are bodies aren’t one of them. And why?!? When the body is degraded and defaced in such a way as western culture has sought and achieved to do, when the body is stripped of its true value and true roles in human existence, how can we expect it to be treated as something of value and worth. This is a deep rooted illness, and what makes this malady so potent and destructive is that it has easily morphed into the core values of almost all of the powerful social/religious movements that dominate western culture.

The body is not something to be ashamed of, it is not something to be hidden, it is not something to be sexually exploited or shown off. If we view the body in this manner, we are viewing it and its worth in a sexual light, when it is supposed to represent soooooooo much more.

Who suffers the most from this unhealthy viewpoint? Who is given the most rules and guidelines to follow in relation to their body and how they present it? Of course, WOMEN. Women are constantly receiving messages from the right and the left that conflict and disagree on every point except that a woman is judged and valued by her outer appearance. Some say “cover up! It’s a sin to tempt man” (notice how everything is for the sake of men?). Sexually charged advertisements say “we won’t notice you or like you unless you show us your sexuality. You’re here for our viewing pleasure.” Women are forced into this impossible limbo that is degrading and unhealthy. This balancing act is destructive because it leaves all women with crystal clear message that their bodies are sexual objects meant for the consumption of men. Who do you think made all these rules? I can’t hear a woman saying, “Preserve your sexual purity because we don’t want something that’s been used, be sexually available to us other wise we won’t give you the time of day and no one wants to end up an old prudish, spinster. Tease us with your mini skirts and bikinis but don’t you dare act on our sexual desires or yours because then we’ll have to call you a whore (and no one likes a whore) or worse, rape or take advantage of you because you put yourself in a compromising position (therefore your fault).

All of these conflicting messages flow through the same sexist, androcentric vein. And there comes a time when a woman has to say, “My body and how I choose to use it and present it, is none of your damn business! If you look at this myriad of skin, hair, blood, and bones and just see sex, that’s your problem, not mine!”

I know this rant carries a bitter tone, but I’m not a bitter person—just frustrated.