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Destiny Aragon
Corrigan
FLMST 192B
6 June, 2013
Unveiling the Myth of Body Ideology and Display: The Body Image Project at the University of
California, Santa Barbara
Welcome to college town of Isla Vista. A community of youth, spectacle and overall
beaut; it is mirrored by the environmental features of oceanic atmosphere and gleaming
California sunshine. Shanty-like in its run down characteristics, this square-mile town pours its
culture directly into the heart of the University of California, Santa Barbara; a public institution
that stands bravely at its side. First glances deem this area a dream to any wide eyed college
student. Timeless stories of its party atmosphere and activities are enough to make the young
long for a taste of its culture, but as time creeps on, the realizations of its mythical ideologies
slowly begin to wear. From these environment based ideologies comes an underlying pressure
that many on this campus seem to fear: the idea of the not being in possession of popularized,
“perfect” body.
Ranked as one of “The 25 Healthiest Colleges in the U.S.,”i in 2012, the student
population of UCSB has created a set custom for itself. This standard is reflected in the top notch
facilities of the Recreation Center, the plethora of bikers and bike paths that interweave in and
out of campus and the endless possibilities for outdoor activity nestled between the Santa Ynez
Mountains and the Pacific coast. Though these factual characteristics may create a type of
positive aurora for the outsider, a deeper ideological meaning can be found on a more internal
level. Like on most college campuses, the adaptation to a new lifestyle and culture is a venture
most students can take pains to experience. However, with the added pressure of physical health
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constantly being placed at the forefront of UCSB’s reputation, a binary opposition of mental
unhealthiness could be considered to be in full-fledged formation.
Therefore, The Body Image Project was created as a way to reveal the pressures and
intimidations underlying the ideological practices of the Isla Vista community. By taking the
firsthand experiences of those belonging to the student population, in combination with a live
demonstration of imperfections in bodily display, an exhibition of the institution’s indirect
discourse suddenly seemed to surface. Behind the consistent physical health messages that
are readily associated with this specific space, a mentally unstable counter culture has
begun to form. Through juxtaposition of live demonstration and confidential feedback,
theories and ideas concerning abjection, mythical ideology and Western privilege can be
found in relation to the claustrophobic confines of Isla Vista’s body image culture.
When using Roland Barthes structuralist definition of the myth, the “system of
communication”ii that bodily perfection exerts can relate directly to the core issue at hand. Many
pressures concerning bodily health and physical beauty within the community creates a structure
of naturalization that is just below the surface of a seemingly blissful campus. From this
“natural” representation of “the good life,” the ideology of the beach body stems. The
biologically thin body becomes the objectified signifier, which is where the signified adheres to
become a specific correlation of “perfection” and “beauty”. As this system between signifier and
signified combines to create an established meaning, the sign is formed as in the symbolism of
Isla Vista’s cultural meaning; it is the beginnings of the “mythical signification”iii forming an
analogous relationship between the skinny or “fit” body and its permission to become the only
“true” exception of “naturalized” beauty.
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However, what does it mean for this type of beauty to be the only “truth” in what is
attractive? It is impossible for Isla Vista’s specific body ideology rules to be accepted as
universal truth. Example in popular culture can demonstrate this, as Frank Ocean’s song “Pink
Matter” sports an Andre 3000s’s line about how “if models were made for modelin’, then thick
girls were made for cuddlin’”iv or how Beyonce’s controversial anger towards her airbrushed
H&M ad downplaying her natural thick body.v Even the media can at times be favorable of the
curvaceous body, as a simple Google search of Mad Men’s Christina Hendricks shows the
media’s obsession with her curvaceous body.
As Michel Foucault clearly states, “’Truth’ is linked in a circular relation with systems of
power which produce and sustain it,”vi where the “political economy”vii that is in popular favor
may be assumed to be the majority. In regards to the UCSB campus, Budget and Planning
Office’s latest demographics at census date clearly depicts the white, privileged race as the
apparent majority. Caucasians are noted to be about 38% of the incoming student population,
where the minority races combined does not even surpass.viii Majority also falls within parental
income, as the number of students who fall under the category of those whose income is
$100,000 or higher produces the highest percentage.ix Within this factual knowledge lies the
critical response of the “Western gaze” in relation to “the other.” As the “deep structure of white
supremacy”x is found within the campus’s demographics, a defunct in the cultural meanings of
minority culture discourse is placed in relation to the flawed body’s possession of minority status
within the Isla Vista community.
Contained by this context of white, cultural structuration and privileged power, the
“truth” of the ideal body that Isla Vista and UCSB conveys can also be found within the
boundaries of the town itself. As much of the campus’s population lives within close proximity
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of one another, this densely populated environment can be seen to attribute to the quick spread of
“attractive” physicality and “correct” desires of ideology. With this natural culture prevailing
specifically in terms of Isla Vista’s “hook up culture, the pressures of sexual persuasion and wide
spread accessibility to specific, cultural rules of attraction prevails.xi In this space, the “fat” body
is suddenly correlated with the concept of laziness, which directly leads to belief that the targeted
individual is oft low economic stature and uncivilized or uncultured disposition.xii Anyone who
fits this undesirable demeanor is cast aside as someone who lacks the willingness to conform to
dominant ideology,xiii as is put to instant shame and slander. Therefore, if the majority of this
campus is mainly based in the white, privileged sectors of social mobility discourse, the “fat”
body moves to a place of undesirability that is associated with the abject.
Abjection, like myth, is also a topic that is “constructed in/through language,”xiv but it
is also a subject that threatens the ideology of the popular. To be abject is to be unwanted in all
senses of the word; it is a place that does not belong within the confines of the mainstream, but
consequently also becomes that which cannot be escaped. When the “fat” body is turned into the
“abject” body, the display of this flawed, physical form is taken in with grotesque fascination.
Fat is seen as a subject to be “propelled away from the body and deposited on the other side of
the imaginary border which separates the self from that which threatens the self.”xv As each
repulsive roll escapes the confines of the clothing meant to hide it, a fear and fascination with the
loss of the fantasized muscular body turns the symbol of “sexuality” into an “unwanted and
embarrassing display”.xvi
This is where the discourse of dieting and eating disorders surfaces, as the abjection of
“food loathing”xvii plays to the disturbance of what the body internally does to digested food. As
bodily wastes proceeds to make grotesque substances of “shit,” “piss” or “puke,” the biological
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expel by the body is associated with the moral need to be “pure,”xviii as the popular belief
speculates that the body cannot be “pure” if it holds these excrements in gluttonous excess. What
is ironic is that the body cannot survive without food. Nevertheless, the intrinsic ability for food
to turn into fat continues to create a faulty belief that the body can survive without it. As Susan
Bordo states how the “contemporary preoccupation with diet” has created a need for
overindulgence, our hunger for immediate gratification must be punished to keep straight the
moral implications of mainstream society.xix With this “double bind”xx displayed excessively in
all forms of popular media, the fear for what the collapse of this unhealthy contradiction could
“ideally” mean forces abjection upon the “fat body,” pushing it as far from the “healthy” self as
socially possible.
With these theories in mind, the interesting outcome of The Body Image Project
conveyed a puzzling juxtaposition of openly positive feedback towards the live demonstration, in
comparison to a consistent stream of negative commentary within the confidential space. On
May 29th, 2013, a group of six women that did not conform to the idealizations of Isla Vista
beauty standards stood on public campus space to create a negative display of abjection.
Interestingly enough, a positive energy surrounded the demonstration as many passerby’s
complimented, praised and gratefully acknowledged the rare display of the “flawed” female
body. Anonymous brochures asserted this appreciation as comments such as “Great idea, hope to
see more of this,” and “This is an incredible project, Thank you,” conveyed the appreciative
responses of those who participated. Even public recognition through media sources came about,
as a compliment on the Facebook interface anonymously stated, “This compliment goes out to
the girls who were standing outside today…You are all beautiful and I think you’re doing a
wonderful thing by encouraging healthy views of oneself.”xxi
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Though the positive feedback of the demonstration was exciting realization, the
underlying issues of unhealthy mental conditions was revisited with the responses in the
anonymous brochures and the intimate interviews held just two days later. Though our bodies
were praised as being “beautiful” and our demonstration as being “brave,” the reality of the body
dysmorphic tendencies still found its place in opposition to the display. Each of the forty-nine
responses received during the demonstration differed in their own, specific ways, but with each
new brochure opened, the responses began to blend into one negative reflection on Isla Vista’s
body ideology. Responses such as “People in my sorority do Herbal Life and Cleanses…and I
think people over exercise as well,” or “I’ve heard women saying how they wish they had “soand-so’s” legs, arms and body,” started to juxtapose themselves against the comments of praise.
The interviews alike also brought out similar commentary, as those who came in reflected on
their experiences concerning eating disorders, the intimidation of Isla Vista beauty standards and
the constant pressure of the male gaze. It was evident that each individual who was interviewed
came from a place of ease when discussing the topics in relation to their personal stories, but as
the actual reality of the meanings their experiences conveyed, a sense of saddening realization
took its place.
Although it is difficult to make a defining conclusion based solely on the small amount of
responses taken, the sore topic of body ideology issues at UCSB is resulting in a dangerous
mental health problem. As fat shaming of the female body is silently dealt with on a day to day
basis, the openness and security of our campus is clearly at stake. As the specificity of
environment and the power of demographics take its dominant stand, the voice of the minority is
suppressed, leading to an unsettling secrecy. By creating and taking part in this assignment, the
negative feedback at times was definitely difficult to hear, but with positive feedback that the
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demonstration displayed, the desire for change became a powerful revelation. Critical, cultural
topics that have no voice are the ones that matter most, as the fear of controversial discussion
hinders the growth of endless possibility. Even if this project only reached a small percent of the
student population, by openly displaying a “naturalized” ideology cultural flaws and faults, the
potential to stand for the greater good amounts to something better than the biological body that
stands alone.
i
Kelly Fitzpatrick, “The 25 Healthiest Colleges in the U.S., 2012,” last modified April 9 th, 2012,
http://greatist.com/health/healthiest-colleges-2012.
ii
Roland Barthes, “Myth Today”, Mythologies, (London: Jonathan Cape, 1973), 261.
iii
Barthes, “Myth Today”, 266.
iv
Andre 3000, Beaux and Ho, “Pink Matter,” Performed by Frank Ocean and Andre 3000, Channel Orange, 2012.
v
Tamara Abrahan and Jill Reilly, “Too bootylicious? How Beyoncé was 'furious' with H&M after it 'tried to
airbrush her curves' in new swimwear campaign,” last modified May 31, 2013,
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2333226/Beyonce-row-H-M-discovering-wanted-downsize-curvesswimwear-campaign.html#ixzz2VRPRUNIn.
vi
Michel Foucault, “Power/Knowledge”, Truth and Power, 132.
vii
Foucault, “Power/Knowledge,” 132.
viii
UCSB Budget and Planning Office, “New Freshman Profile,” last modified 2012,
http://bap.ucsb.edu/IR/New_Stud_Prof.html
ix
UCSB Budget and Planning Office, “New Freshman Profile,” http://bap.ucsb.edu/IR/New_Stud_Prof.html.
x
Bell Hooks, “Eating the Other: Desire and Resistance,” in Media and Cultural Studies: Keyworks, 2nd ed., ed. By
Meenakshi Durham and Douglas Kellner, New York:Wiley-Blackwell, 2005, 366.
xi
Rowland S. Miller and Daniel Perlman, “Attraction,” Intimate Relationships, New York City: McGraw-Hill,
2006, 87.
xii
Susan Bordo “Reading the Slender Body”, in Unbearable Weight: Feminism, Western Culture and the Body, Los
Angeles:University of California Press, 1993, 195.
xiii
Bordo, “Reading the Slender Body,” 195.
xiv
Barbara Creed, “Horror and the Monstrous-Feminine: An Imaginary Abjection,” Circa Art Magazine, 48.
xv
Creed, “Horror and the Monstrous-Feminine: An Imaginary Abjection,” 46.
xvi
Bordo, “Reading the Slender Body,” 195.
xvii
Creed, “Horror and the Monstrous-Feminine: An Imaginary Abjection,” 47.
xviii
Bordo, “Reading the Slender Body,” 198.
xix
Bordo, “Reading the Slender Body,” 199.
xx
Bordo, “Reading the Slender Body,” 199.
xxi
UCSB Compliments, Posted June 2nd, 2013 https://www.facebook.com/pages/UCSBCompliments/576520092360758?fref=ts
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Bibliography
Abraham, Tamara and Reilly, Jill. “Too bootylicious? How Beyoncé was 'furious' with H&M
after it 'tried to airbrush her curves' in new swimwear campaign.” last modified May 31,
2013, http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2333226/Beyonce-row-H-M-discoveringwanted-downsize-curves-swimwear-campaign.html#ixzz2VRPRUNIn.
Andre 3000, Beaux and Ho, “Pink Matter,” Performed by Frank Ocean and Andre 3000,
Channel Orange, 2012.
Barthes, Roland. “Myth Today”, Mythologies, (London: Jonathan Cape, 1973), 261-269.
Bordo, Susan “Reading the Slender Body.” in Unbearable Weight: Feminism, Western Culture
and the Body, (Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1993), 1-300.
Creed, Barbara. “Horror and the Monstrous-Feminine: An Imaginary Abjection,” Circa Art
Magazine, 44-70.
Fitzpatrick, Kelly. “The 25 Healthiest Colleges in the U.S., 2012.” Last modified April 9th,
2012, http://greatist.com/health/healthiest-colleges-2012.
Foucault, Michel. “Truth and Power”. Excerpt from Power/Knowledge, (New York City:
Pantheon, 1980), 130-133.
Hooks, Bell. “Eating the Other: Desire and Resistance.” in Media and Cultural Studies:
Keyworks, 2nd ed., edited by Meenakshi Durham and Douglas Kellner, (New York:
Wiley-Blackwell, 2005), 308-318.
Miller, Rowland, S. and Perlman, Daniel. “Attraction,” Intimate Relationships, New York City:
McGraw-Hill, 2006, 1-576.
UCSB Budget and Planning Office, “New Freshman Profile,” last modified 2012,
http://bap.ucsb.edu/IR/New_Stud_Prof.html.
UCSB Compliments. Facebook. Posted June 2nd, 2013,https://www.facebook.com/pages/UCSBCompliments/576520092360758?fref=ts.