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Normalization
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 <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.
More men, like women, are now feeling the pressure to conform to the
socially-accepted images of males and masculinity. Popular television
shows, like The Biggest Loser and Celebrity Fit Club, target
men and women equally.
Common Themes of Normalization
▪
The body is pathological—it
is diseased, sick, damaged, and in need of repair.
▪
The body is abnormal—certain bodies are considered in need of
correction, such as overweight ones, non-white ones, wrongly proportioned
ones.
▪
Certain bodies are normal—proportions,
size, placements, and the like are deemed by society to be the models that
all should replicate, follow, and mimic.
▪
The body is your enemy—people
are told that their bodies are out of control and in need of punishment;
the body is something that is to be feared.
▪
Technologies of correction are available—society
provides people the appropriate means to correct their bodies, including
cosmetics, surgery, dieting technologies, makeup, fashion, etc.
▪
Before and after—people
are told "success" stories of how a person went from a wrong body to a
right one; these stories are used to motivate people to act on their
abnormal bodies.
The
Ads:
The following ads represent a varied representation of normalization in
popular culture. As you review them, be sure to focus on the commonalities
of the ads. Questions: (1) In
what specific ways are women placed into categories of the "normal" and
the "abnormal"—what are the themes that are evident in the ads? (2) Are
specific parts of the body targeted by the industries of normalization,
which ones? (3) Do images of female normalization compare to those of male
normalization, if so how? >
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<presented by Scott A.
Lukas, Ph.D.>
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