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Full-Text Articles in Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
What's Feminism Got To Do With It? Examination Of Feminism In Women's Everyday Lives, Claire Carter
What's Feminism Got To Do With It? Examination Of Feminism In Women's Everyday Lives, Claire Carter
Journal of Feminist Scholarship
In recent decades there has been considerable debate about the role and meaning of feminism in younger women's lives. Feminism can be understood as an empowering discourse, fostering critical awareness and resistance to dominant social norms. However, it can also be experienced as regulatory and disciplinary, clearly defining who and what constitutes a "good" feminist. Utilizing Michel Foucault's principle of care of the self, this paper analyzes women's body practices in relation both to women's interpretation of feminism and to dominant feminist discourses. The complexities of negotiating diverse social identities, as well as women's desire for a happier life and …
Healthism And The Bodies Of Women: Pleasure And Discipline In The War Against Obesity, Talia L. Welsh
Healthism And The Bodies Of Women: Pleasure And Discipline In The War Against Obesity, Talia L. Welsh
Journal of Feminist Scholarship
This paper explores how the discipline required for good health influences female embodiment. It examines the justification in the United States for a war against obesity and the criticism of that war made by Health at Every Size (HAES) proponents. It finds that a "good-health imperative" operates within both the fight against obesity and the size-acceptance movement. I question how such an imperative curtails the range of possibilities for pleasure. The self-monitoring required in eating and exercising for health demands a constant reading of one's behavior as good/healthy or bad/unhealthy. In addition, attention to health achieved through behavior modification draws …