So what does this tell us? I think this means that we are so quick to judge our bodies as "flawed" and look for cures and miracle pills, that drugs are on the market for conditions that do not even exist! I think if people (women especially) were more excepting of their bodies, with the natural hormone fluctuations and all, we could learn to accept that every "body" is different so we might not be so hard on our own bodies.
13 January 2009
The need to classify normal bodies as "flawed"
I found our class discussion today on the body, illness, and prescriptions very interesting. As a psychology major I encountered a very odd situation while taking abnormal psychology. I don't know how many of you have seen the commercials for the drugs that help PMDD (which stands for premenstrual dysphroic disorder) but they claim help women suffering from extreme PMS symptoms. What no one is telling people on these commercials is that PMDD is not even considered a "real" condition, it is still under review by the American Psychiatric Association, the drug companies made this condition up, and are now offering a pill that is the same SSRI used to treat depression.
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I agree.
ReplyDeleteI think we are under this misconception that for everything to be "normal", we must feel "good." Unfortunately, the human experience is one of suffering, both emotionally and physically. Why has that been forgotten?
We have a whole gamet of emotions, some of which can cause us physical pain. Our bodies encounter physical pain simply by growing and some normal body functions are inherently painful (a woman giving birth to a child is expected to feel pain, therefore, she is "normal".)
How do we reconcile this concept of assimilation (we should all feel the same, no extremes) in a world in which we celebrate our diversity, use our bodies to display our unique personalities (body art, piercings, hair colors)?
It's interesting to also (again? always?) consider the social constructions of these ideas. I'm recalling an old discussion of menstruation in Native American cultures. Where menstruation is revered and respected, women were found to report far less discomfort, cramps, and symptoms associated with PMS than women from cultures where menstruation is considered dirty, unpleasant, painful, disruptive, and so on and so forth. How we name something, how we describe and contextualize feelings, affects our experience of those feelings. Have you ever seen a small child fall or bump their head? Often, they look up to gauge the reaction of those around. If the adults freak out, the child cries. If the adults are calm, the child often does not cry at all.
ReplyDeleteI agree. I believe that if women would just stop trying to find one thing wrong with this and another wrong with that, we would all begin to be more accepting of ourselves. We should all try to focus more on a spirit of wholeness and combining of the mind and the body instead of picking out one thing or another to say it is flawed. Accepting each and every part of ourselves and just being an important contribution to our own oneness can create a much healthier self, physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually.
ReplyDeleteI agree also. I think our society and the media tries to drill in our heads that as women we ought to look like this and feel like that. I do agree that as humans put ourselves through unnecessary pain. Being that we are in a country that is developed, we feel that when the smallest things are wrong with us we have to be medically treated. When actually sometimes our body just gives off signals letting us know that we need to slow down or change some part of our lifestyle.
ReplyDeleteSpiritually speaking the body does not belong to us and should be treated as a temple. Although I myself have played in the part of the social norm by expressing myself, I have come to realize that this is only temporary. I love and appreciate myself even when nobody else does. I may not be acceptable to others but I am a phenomenal woman inside and out.
Interesting blog! I am not in the class but wanted to comment anyway. I think this same concept can apply to pregnancy and childbirth. In a hospital setting, women are often convinced that there is something about them which will make natural childbirth impossible. Even if you don't want interventions, it's tough to get through a hospital birth without some. Episiotomy because your skin isn't elastic enough. Pitocin because your body isn't progressing in labor. Vacuum deliveries and C-sections because you aren't strong enough to push your baby out. I think these experiences can lead to feelings of inadequacy which are responsible for some cases of postpartum depression. The idea that one's body is in some way not good enough, even if it's not outwardly apparent, can be hurtful. But what if the women are just fine in the majority of cases, and it's the way they are treated that's the problem? Thousands of women who do not birth in hospitals, or who find an OB who supports natural childbirth, have healthy, normal births. They are allowed to move around during labor, and aren't made to lie on their backs while pushing. A birth that shows a woman the amazing natural abilities of her body can be an empowering way to begin motherhood.
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