Joan Jacobs Brumberg, the author of a book called
The Body Project is launching a play by the same name at Ithaca, New York's Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts. Ms. Brumberg hopes that her play will create dialogue about troubled eating behaviors among American women. The title of the book and play reflect the idea that American women are taught to be fundamentally dissatisfied with their natural physical appearance, and so almost every woman is constantly in the throes of some kind of project to change her body. The play was developed during intensive workshops with women of all ages.
During background research for the book and play, Ms. Brumberg discovered an interesting aspect of how the American female's social role has evolved during the last century. She examined the personal diaries of adolescent girls from the early 1900s until the present. She noted a significant transition from women being valued for their good works (then) to women being valued for their good looks (now). Brumberg commented:
"I think almost all of us women have some kind of bad body fever; some kind of angst about some part of our bodies that's less than perfect. ... Not everybody has eating disorders, but in a way we all have body projects. Every woman has to come to grips with what is a responsible and intelligent way of dealing with these pressures." (Source: www.theithacajournal.com)
Labels: pressures, influences, society
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