Questions for a Second Reading – “Beauty (Re)discovers the Male Body,” by Susan Bordo

1. Bordos’ essay, “Beauty (Re)discovers the Male Body,” is definitely constructed from a different perspective than most other essays. She does seem to develop certain points more than others, but I feel that it allows her readers to understand her idea, as she follows up each of her points with strong details and support. It seemed, as a reader that her concepts of pleasure and work tied in together. She makes her point, which is work, and backs it up with sarcasm or humor, which is pleasure. She balances the two out equally, which makes her essay fun and easy to read, despite its length and depth. For example, while she does spend time deconstructing advertisements and the way that men are perceived in the media verses the way that women are perceived, she also balances out that argument with a personal fact. “No, I don’t think the business of beauty is without its pleasure. It offers a daily ritual of transformation, renewal. Of “putting oneself together” and walking out into the world, more confident than you were, anticipating attraction, flirtation, sexual play. I love shopping for makeup with my friends.” “Women bond over shared makeup, shared beauty tips. It’s fun. Too often, though, our bond is over shared pain . . .” Beauty and looks are, in general, a shared burden of expectations between men and women. I appreciate the way in which Bordo uses work and pleasure in constructing her essay, although I do not feel that that style made this essay any easier or harder to read than others. The pace of the essay moves slowly, but it is directed in a powerful and meaningful way.

2. “Beauty (Re)discovers the Male Body,” is organized into subsections to mark various stages in the presentation of Bordos argument. The sections are organized internally according to the advertisements she discusses or the movie scenes she analyzes. Each section has an italicized title pertaining to the topic, and she goes into great depth to deconstruct each section’s topic. Usually, the sections are about the way in which males are conveyed in advertisements verses the way women are, sex appeal, and the way men are perceived in the media. Having the text marked off in this way makes it easier to read, as having a break in the paragraph allows the reader to become more aware of new points Bordo introduces. The essay is structured so that her “loudest,” or strongest points are in the beginning, and her more general points come into play towards the end of the essay. I found the sections “Men on Display,” on page 168, and “Honey, What do I Wear?” on page 189, to be the most engaging. While these are spaced out in the essay, with “Men on Display,” being in the very beginning, and “Honey, What do I Wear?” to be towards the middle, both sections introduced and reinforced important points about Bordo’s overall thesis. I suppose that I have been an innocent onlooker all of these years and taken these advertisements for granted; I never considered their true meaning of sexism and the way in which men are perceived to the public through the media. It is ironic how used to seeing practically naked women the media the public has become. Decoding men in this light is eye opening, and it is interesting to consider the differences in advertising between men and women. Men have a very relaxed and casual aura about them, even while they are standing around in their underwear. Women, however, constantly need to look sexy and sophisticated. Women sell sex, men sell causality and confidence, and I like the way in which Bordo deconstructs this.

3. The “subject position” of people is something that Bordo calls upon often to support her points. She uses the subject position to define the “gaze” of another when one’s gaze is the source of definition. “We’ve all, male and female alike, felt the shame that another pair of eyes can bring.” “Until the eyes of another are upon us, “catching us” in the act, we can deceive ourselves pretend. Getting caught in moments of fantasy or vanity may be especially shameful.” The differences between how Bordo invokes or inhabits the “subject position” can be seen in the way she described her own personal experience, by being walked in on when her head was in the Chock Full O’Nuts can. I think that situations like this are something that all of her readers can relate to, as almost everyone has experienced this at some point in their lives. She uses this to transition into a discussion about stereotypes and how the “gaze” of others influences one’s “subject position.” I think this is a powerful argument, and she uses valid points to back up her idea. Practically all of the things that Bordo discusses are things that society has simply accepted. As a reader, I appreciate Bordo’s dive into the media in an effort to effectively deconstruct it for what it is trying to say, both at face value and beyond.