Background: Philosopher Michel Foucault wrote of one of the major mechanisms in society--the categorization of people into “normal” and “abnormal.” Foucault's emphasis is particularly relevant in addressing gender and the body in popular culture. There are numerous critical works on the subject of normalization, especially as it is manifested in the advertising industry. Susan Bordo (1997b) offers a critique of the codes of slenderness in the fashion industry, picking up on her stellar Unbearable Weight (1993). Normalization establishes a pathology of the body—quite simply, some bodies are identified as normal (typically, in popular culture these are “slender” bodies) and others are labeled as abnormal, pathological bodies in need of repair. Various industries of normalization are created to allow women to transform their bodies into the correct type. As Joan Jacobs Brumberg makes clear, “girls today make the body into an all-consuming project in ways young women of the past did not” (1997:xvii). These industries include weight loss products, dieting drugs, cosmetic surgery and various types of clothing. As can be seen on the Male Normalization page, normalization impacts both women and men.
Focus on the Ads: The following ads represent a varied representation of normalization in popular culture. Are you the least bit surprised given the number of ads presented on this page?
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