Unbearable Weight: Feminism, Western Culture, and the Body by Susan Bordo

Unbearable Weight: Feminism, Western Culture, and the Body by Susan Bordo

Greetings, Class Community. 

We explored the constructions of femininity through the theoretical ideas presented in the chapter, "The Body and the Reproduction of Femininity" by Susan Bordo.  We also discussed how the constructions of femininity operate in popular culture. Then, we discussed how the constructions of femininity and the ways the 'pretty patrol' is expressed in Morrison's The Bluest Eye. 

In the comments portion of this post, please write two responses of at least two or three sentences.

  

1. Please identify one or two ways femininity was constructed in Morrison's The Bluest Eye.

2. Please identify and write what the "ideal femininity" in American culture looks like. Then provide examples; describe how femininity is constructed and 'patrolled' in our society.   

Your working abstract/paper proposal should be emailed to me by Monday, March 3, 2014.  The abstract should be 250-300 words long and include a research question, research component (a description of the research method you would like to use) and a brief description of the longer paper. 

Yours truly, 

Dr. Hill 

The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison - Meet and Greet

Greetings, Class Community.

As a class, we are reading The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison.  There are a number of characters in the book that we will explore.  We will be considering the ways these characters interact with one another and their symbolism in a larger dialogue about Black women and beauty in American culture.  

Please describe 2 or more of the following characters when you reply to this post using 4 sentences or less.  Consider the following about each character. 

1. Her relationship to the other characters, particularly the protagonist Pecola Breedlove.

2. Her physical characteristics.

3. Her thoughts and actions.

List of Characters

Narrator, Claudia MacTeer

Frieda MacTeer

Mrs. MacTeer

Rosemary Villanucci

Pecola Breedlove

Maureen Peal

Geraldine

Pauline (Polly) Breedlove

China 

Poland 

Miss Marie
M'Dear
Darlene

REMEMBER:  Please use 4 sentences or less in your descriptions.  Please use a separate comment post for each character.

Yours truly,

Dr. Hill