Bartky, MF and Patriarchal Power

Transcription

ChaPrer 5
he
?ower
Sandra Lee BartkY
Femininiry
Foucault,
andthe Modernization
Power
of Patriarchal
f powcr in disciplinary
rodv.She bcsins by card i s c i p l i n et h e i r b o d i e s
rake-rrp,and skin-care.
< oFinfcrioriry.Women
p to rrnattainableideals
rr vulncrableand childri-.ed posture.Despite
jrlrpt Fortheir van"docile
:n
anclcomplipiine and embracedirs
ratural.Thus, it creates
line entailsdisirvowing
tky mrrintainsthat the
br resistanceto it. She
is incompatible with
"radical
rr a
and as yet
-D.T.M.
In a striking critique of moclern society,Michel Foucault has argued rhat the rise oFparliamentary institutions and of new conceptions of polirical libeity was accompr.ri.i by
a d a r k e rc o u n t e r - m o v e m e n t ,b y t h e e m er g e n c eo f a n e w a n d u n p r e c e d e n r e di i r . i p l i n .
directed against the body. More is required of the body now rhan mere political
allegianceor the appropriation of the products of its labor: the new discipline invades
the
body and seeksto regulate its very forcesand operations, rhe economy and efficiency
of
ItSmovements.
The disciplinarypracticesFoucaultdescribesare tied to peculiarlymodern forms of the
army, the school, the hospital, the prison, and the *"nr.rf".tory; th. "i- of these
disciplines
is to increasethe utility of the body, ro augmenr its forces:
\7hat was then being formed was a policy of coercions that act upon the body,
a
calculatedmanipulation of its elemenrs,its gestures,irs behaviour.The human
body was entering a machinery of power rh"i explo.es it, breaksit down and rearrangesit. A "political anatomy", which was also a "mechanics of power", was
being born; ir defined how one may have a hold over others' bodies, not only so
that they may do what one wishes, but so rhat they may operare as one wishes,
with the techniques, rhe speedand the efficiency that one determines.Thus, discipline producessubjectedand practicedbodies,"docile,'bodies.l
6.ro'(tolqt;
S A N D R AL E E B A R T K Y
"docile
The production of
bodies" requiresthat an uninterrupted coercion be directed to the
"micro-physics
very processesof bodily activity, not just their result; this
of power" fragments and partitions the body'stime, its space,and irs movemenrs.2
The student, then, is enclosedwithin a classroomand assignedto a desk he cannot
leave;his ranking in the classcan be read off the position of his desk in the seriallyordered
"Jean-Baptisre
and segmentcdspaceof the classroomitself.Foucault tells us that
de la Salle
dreamt of a classroomin which the spatialdistribution might provide a whole seriesof distinctions at once,accordingto the pupil'sprogress,worth, character,application,cleanliness,
and parents'fortune."3The student must sit upright, feet upon the flooa headerect;he may
not slor.rch
or fidget; his animate body is brought into a fixed correlationwith the inanimate
desk.
The rninute breakdown of gesturesand movementsrequired of soldiersat drill is far
more relcntless:
F o u c a u l t ,F e m i n i n i
8:45 entranceof the moniror, 8:52 the monitork summons,B:56 entranceof the
children and prayer,9:00 the children go to their benches,9:04 first slate,9:08
e n d o f d i c t a t i o n ,g : 1 2 s e c o n ds l a t e ,e t c . 6
worker or a schoolb
his fellows but conr
mate a state of con,
ofpower"; eachbec
visibility" is a sign t
mind aswell. In th
"individualir
brated
times. For Foucault
ety: Is it surprising
resemble prisons?"9
Foucault'sacct
"docile
bodies"
the
accollntof the ways
torical detail. But Il
periencesof nren a
relationshipto the c
ciplinary practicest
bodiesof men? \Wo
Ilor-rcault
describes.
ment that is peculia
inine body is ro p
disciplineshave be<
cault'scriticlueof p
throughourWesterr
\fle are born n
an achievement,"a l
so many stylesof tf
that produce a bod'
threecategories
ofs'
eral configuration;
postures,and move
mented surface.I sl
by whom. I shall pr
and subjecriviry.In
understoodin rhe I
that unfolds historir
Control this rigid and precisecannot be maintainedwithout a minute and relentlesssurveillance.
Jeremy Bentham'sdesign for the Panopticon, a model prison, capruresfor Foucault
the essenceof the disciplinarysociew.At the periphery of the Panopricon,a circular structure; at the center,a tower u,ith wide windows that opens onto the inner side of the ring.
The structureon the periphery is divided into cells,eachwith rwo windows, one facing the
rn'indowsof the torver, the other facing the outside, allowing an effect of backlighting to
'AIl
make any figure visible within the cell
that is needed,then, is to ;rlacea supervisorin
a central tower and to shut up in each cell a madman, a patient, a condemned man, a
Srylesof the femal<
sions and preoccuI
power,or abundanr
is taut, small-breasr
silhouettethat seen
to an adult woman.
rnust of coursediet
Bring the weapon forward. In thrcc stages.Raisethe rifle with the right hancl,
bringing it closeto the body so asto hold it perpendicularwith the right knee,the
end of the barrelat eyelevel,graspingir by striking it with the right hand, the arm
held closeto the body at waist height. At the secondstage,bring the rifle in front
of you with the leFthand, the barrel in the middle berwcenthe two eyes,vertical,
the right hand graspingit at the srnallof the butt, the arm oursrrercl-rcd,
the trig,
gerguardresting or.rthe first finger, the lcft hand at the height of the notch, the
thunrb lying along the barrel againstthe moulding. At the rhird stage.. . .4
"body-object
T'hese
articulations"of the soldier and his weapon, the srudent and his desk,
"coercive
effecta
link with the apparatusof production." Ve arefar indeedfrom older fbrms
"demanded
of control that
of the body only signsor products,forms of expressior.r
or rhe result of labour."5
The body'stin're,in theseregimesof power, is as rigidly controlled as its space:thc fac,
tory whistle and the school bell mark a division of time into discreteand segmentedtrnits
that regulatethe variousactivitiesof dre day.The following timetable,similar in spirit to the
ordering of my glarnrnarschool classroom,was suggestedfor French "dcolesmutuelles"of
the early nineteenthcentury:
S A N D R AL E E B A R I ' K Y
Foucaulr,
rercion be directed to the
-.l.r,sics of power" fiaened to a desk he cannot
,skin the seriallyordered
"Jean-Baptiste
de la Salle
'ide a whole seriesof dis', application,cleanliness,
floor, head erect; he may
ation with the inanimate
I o F s o l d i e r sa t d r i l l i s f a r
,ith the right hand,
r the right knee, the
right hand, the arm
ing the rifle in fiont
e rwo eyes,vertical,
.tstretched,the trigrt ofthe notch,the
irdstage....4
h c s l t r . l c r rat n d h i s d e s k ,
;'"leed fiom older fbrrns
i-exprcssionor thc rcolled as its space:the fac' e r c. r n d s e g m c n r c .rl r n i t s
,le,similar in spirit to the
"dcoles
rch
mutuelles"of
i:56 entranceof the
r : 0 4 f i r s t s l a t e ,9 : 0 8
Lrteand relentlesssr-rrveiln, capturesfor Foucault
opticon, a circular strucr e i n n e r s i d eo f t h e r i n g .
windows, one facing the
effect of backlighting to
; t o p l a c ea s u p e r v i s o ri n
L t , a c o n d e m n e dm a n , a
Femininirv, and the Mode rnization of Patriarchal Power
v/orkeror a schoolbotl."7Each inmate is alone, shut off from effective communicarion with
constantly visible from the tower. The effect of this is "to induce in the inhis fellows but
consciousand permanent visibiliry that assuresthe automatic functioning
rrfltea stateof
"state
of consciousand permanent
of power":eachbecomesto himself his own jailer.SThis
a
sign
that
is
the
tight,
disciplinary
conrrol
of
the
body
has gotten a hold on rhe
v;siblliry"
In
the
perpetual
well.
self-surveillance
as
o[ the inmate lies the genesisof the celemind
"individualism"
and heightenedself-consciousness
which are hallmarks of modern
brared
dmes.For Foucault, the structure and effectsof the Panopriconresonarethroughout soci"prisons
resemblefacrories,schools,barracks,hospitalJ,which all
ery:Is it surprisingthat
,.sembl. Prisons?"9
Foucaultt account in Discipline and Punish of the disciplinary practices rhar produce
"docilebodies" of modernity
is a genuine tour deforce,incorporating a rich theoretical
the
ways
in
oFthe
which
instrumental
reasontakeshold of the body with a massof hisaccount
But
Foucault
detail.
treats
the body throughout a.siIit were one, as if rhe bodily extorical
periencesof men and women did not differ and as if men anc] women bore the same
institutionsof modern life. Where is the accountof the 4isrelationshipto the characteristic
"docile
that
practices
engender
the
ciplinary
bodies"of women, bodiesmore docile than the
bodiesof men? Women, like men, are subject to many oF rhe sarnedisciplinary practices
Foucaultdescribes.But he is blind to thosedisciplinesthat produce a mojality of embodiment that is peculiarlyFeminine.To overlookthe fbrms of subjectionrhar engenclerthe Feminine body is to perpettlate the silence and powerlessnes.s
of those trpon ,"vhom these
disciplineshave been imposed. Hence, even though a liberatory note is sounde4 in Foucault'scritique of power, hi.sanalysisas a wholc reproducesrhar sexismwhich is endemic
throughout \Testern political theory.
\7e are born male or female,but not masculineor feminine. Femininiry is an artifice,
"a
an achievement, mode of enactingand reenactingreceivecl
gcndernorms whiclr surfaceas
so many stylesoFthe flesh."t0 In what fbllows, I shall exan-rinerhosedisciplinarypractices
thatproduce a body which in gestureand appcaranceis recognizablyf-eminile. I consider
threecategories
of such practice.s:
thosethat aim to produce" budy of-acerrainsizeald generalconfiguration; those that bring forth from thi.sbody " ,p..ifi. repertoire
of g.rr.i...,
postures'and movements;and those directed toward the display of rhi, body
as fr-ro.n.,
mentedsurf:rce.I shall examine the nature of thesedisciplines,how they are
imposed,".r.1
bywhom. I shallprobe the effectsof the imposirion of such discipline
on f.-^1. identity
and.subjectivity.In the final section I shall argue that rhesediscipiinary
pracricesmusr be
understoodin the light oFthe modernization of patriarchaldo.nlr,"tion,
a modernizarion
that unfolds hisrorically acc.rdir.rgro rhe general p"rt"r., described
by lroucault.
II
S.ryles
of the female figure vary over time and acrosscultures: they reflecr cultural
obsesstonsand preoccuPationsin ways that are still
poorly understood. Today, massiveness,
powet' or abundancein a womant body is met with
distaste.The current body of fashion
is.taut,small-breasted,narrow-hipped, and of
a slimnessbordering on emaciation; it is a
silhouettethat seemsmore appropriate to an
adolescentboy or newly pubescenrgirl than
to an adult woman. Sinceordinary women have
normally quire different dimensio'ns,they
must of coursediet.
6.ro'{.ro.rq
Mass-circulationwomen's magazinesrun articleson dieting in virtually
everyissue.The
Ladies'HomeJourna/of February 1986 carriesa "Fat-Burning E"xercise
Guide,"
while Mademoiselleoffers to "Help Stamp Out Cellulire" with "Six SleJk-Down
Strategies.,,After the
diet-busting Christmas holidays and later, beforesummer bikini
season,the titles of thcse
fearuresbecome shriller and more arresting.The reader is now addressed
in the imperative
mode: Jump into shapefor summer! Shed ugly winter fat wirh the
all-new Grapef..rit Diet!
More women than men visit diet doctors, while women greatly ournumber
-.r, in self-help
groups such as weight Watchers and Overeat.rs Anonylous-in
the caseof the latter, by
well over 90 percent. I 1
Dieting disciplinesthe bodyt hungers:Appetite musr be monitored
at all times and
governed by an iron will. Since the innocent need of the organism for
food will not be denied' the body becomesone'.senemy, an alien being bent on-thwarting
the disciplinary project' Anorexia nervosa' which has now assumedepidemi.
proporrions, is to women of the
late nventieth century what hysteria was to women of an ea.lier day:
the crystallization in a
pathological-od" oi ^ widespreadcultural obsession.l2A surveyraken
recentlyat UCLA
i s a s t o u n d i n g : o f2 6 0 s t u d e n t s i n t e r v i e w e d , 2 T . 3 p e r c e n t o f t h e w o m e n b u t o n l y 5 . g p e r cent of men said they were "terrified" of gettin g fit; 28.7 percenr
of women ^nj only 7 .5
percent of men said they were obsessedor 'totally p..o..rrpi.d"
with food. The body i-"g.,
of women and men are strikinglv difierent "s *ell' 35 pe.i..,t of women
but only iz.S pircent of men said they felt fat though other people toli th.m rhey
were rhin. \7omen in the
surveywantld to weigh ten pounds lessthan their averageweight;
men felt they were withrn
a pound of rheir ideal weight. A rotal of 5.9 percentof *o-.i
and no men mer the psychi_
atric crireriafor anorexiaor bulimia. l3
Dieting is one discipline imposed upon a body subject ro rhe "ryranny
of slenderness";exerciseis another.l4 Since men as well as women exercise,
it is not alwayseasyin
the caseof women to distinguish what is done for rhe sake of
physical fitness f."- ",Alr't
done in obedienceto the requirementsof femininity. Men "r^rv.tt
as women lifr weights,
do yoga, calisthenics,and aerobics,though " jazzercise"is a largely
female p,rrr,_,it.i4.n
and women alike engagethemselveswith a variery of machines,
J".ir .t.rig.rei to call forrh
from the body a different exertion: there are Nautilus machines,
rowing machines,ordinary and motorized exercycles,portable hip and leg cycles,belt
massagers,trampolines,
treadmills, arm and leg pulleys. However, giv..r tlie widespread
female obsessionwith
weight,
suspectsthat many women are working or'r,*i,h rhese apparatuses
.one
in the
health club or at the gym with a different aim in mind and in quite
a diflerent soirit than
the men.
But there are classesof exercisesmeant forwomen alone, these
designednot ro firm
or to reduce the bodyt size overall, but to resculptureits various
p".r, on the current
model' M. J. Saffron, "international beauty .*p.r,j' assuresus rhar
his r*el.o. basic facial
exercisescan erasefrown lines, smooth the forehead,raisehollow
cheeks,banish crowt feet,
and tighten the musclesunder the chin. l5 There are exercisesto
build
the breastsand exercisesto banish "cellulite,'' said by "figure consulranrs"to be a
special
type of female fat
"spot-reducing,"
There is
an umbrella term that coversdozens#prrrr;rhl.rg exercisesdes.ignedto reduce "problem areas"like thick ankles or "saddlebag"il,igt
r. TIi. u..y idea of
'spot-reducing"
is both scientifically unsound and cruel, for it r"i-sesexpecrarions
in women
that can never be realized:The pattern in which fat is deposited or
removed is known to be
genetically determined.
-
F o u c a u l r ,F e m i n r r
It is not onlr,
women: the very r
fection. An expres
if women are unat
dency ofthe face r<
lem: a piece of tap
one frowns and ac
woman is home aL
There are significar
comPortment: wol
their lived spatialir
seemsto surround
manifestsitself bod
of matter in motior
con.strictedposture
bodily intentionalir
tioned and by whic
nessis manifest not
the free and eas'
In atr extrao,tlr
in the street,the Ge
ical masculineand I
the body, hands folc
and legs pressedtog
rou'and harmless;r
pand into the avail
distancefrom the b
'proffering
position,
ourward, often witb
spreadthigh.
In proportion t
more spring and rlr1,
a grearerdistancefro
in the direcrion he is
her sides;her walk is
high-heeledshoes,
h,
theseconditions
shor
But women,sm,
.
bodies,are rrained
tr
their eyesor casr
rhe
sovereignstatus
ofset
loose',woman
o
srnilemore
than rner
IDRA LEE BARTKY
ually every issue.The
'1e,"
a
while Made)"--iegies."After the
)n, the titles of these
;ed in the imperative
rew Grapefruit Dietl
rber men in self-help
caseof the latter, by
rred at all times and
food will not be dethe disciplinarypro, is to women of the
re crystallization in a
)n recently at UCLA
en but only 5.8 pervomen and only 7.5
od. The body images
'n but only 12.5 perthin. \7omen in the
f-eltthey were within
men met the psychi'tyranny
of slenderrt always easyin
^^theSS
from what is
women lift weights,
'emale
pursuit. Men
lesignedto call forth
,ing machines,ordisagers,trampolines,
n a l e o b s e s s i o nw i t h
r apparatusesin the
different spirit than
lesigned not to firm
)arts on the current
is twelve basic facial
.s,banish crowt feet,
the breastsand exerI rype of female fat.
rishing exercisesde;hs.The very idea of
)ectationsin women
oved is known to be
Foucault,Femininity, and the Modernizarion of Patriarchal Power
97
It is not only her natural appetiteor unreconstructedcontours rhat pose a danger to
women: the very expressionsof her face can subvert the disciplinary project of bodily perfection.An expressiveface lines and creasesmore readily than an inexpressiveo.re. Hen..,
if women are unable to suPPressstrong emotions, they can at leastlearn to inhibit the tendenry of the face to registerthem. Sophia Loren recommendsa unique solution to this problern: a piece of tape applied to the foreheador berween the brows will tug at the skin when
one frowns and act as a reminder to relax the face.16The tape is to be worn whenevera
woman is home alone.
III
There are significant gender differencesin gesture, posrure, movemenr, and generalbodily
comportment:women are more restrictedthan men in their manner of movement and in
their lived sPatialiry.In her classicpaper on the subject, Iris Young observesthat a space
seemsto surround women in imagination which they are hesitant ro move beyond. This
manifestsitself borh in a reluctanceto reach,stretch, and extend the bocly ro meer resistances
of matter in motion-as in sport or in the performance of phy.sical125[5-xnd in a typically
constrictedPostureand generalsryleof movement. Stromant spaccis not a field in which her
bodily intentionaliry can be freely realizedbut an enclosure in which she feelsherself posi"loo.se
tionedand by which she is confined.l7 The
woman" violatesrhe.se
norms: He. loosenot only in her morals, but in her manner of speech,and quite literallv in
nessis manif-e.st
the free and easyway she movcs.
In an extraordinaryseriesof over rvvothousandphotographs,many candid shorstaken
in the street,the Cerman photographerMarianne'Wex hasdocumcnted cliffercncesi.r
rypicalmasculineand fbminine body posture.\7omen sit waiting for rrainswith arms .1o.. io
the body, handsfolded togetherin their laps,toespointing srraightaheador turncclinward,
and legspressedtogether.l8 The women in thesephotographsmake themselvessmall, narrow and harmle.ss;
they seem tense;they take up little space.Men, on tlre other hand, expand into the availablespace;they sit with legs far apart and arms flung our ar some
distancefiom the body. Most common in thesesitting male figures is what Wex calls rhe
"proffering
po.sition":the men sit with legsthrown wide aparr,crotch visible,feet pointing
outward' often with an arm and casuallydangling hand resting comfortably o., "n op.n,
spreadthigh.
In proportion to toral body size,a man'sstride is longer than a womant. The man has
more spring and rhythm to his step;he walks with toespointed ourward, holds his arms ar
a greaterdistanceFrom his body, and swings them farther; he tends to point the whole hand
in the direction he is moving. The woman holds her arms closerto her body, palms against
her sides;her walk is circumspect.If she hassubjecredherselfro the aclditionalconstraintof
high-heeledshoes,her body is thrown forward and off-balance; the struggle to walk under
theseconditions shorrensher stride still more.lg
But women's movement is subjectedto a still finer discipline. Feminine faces,aswell as
bodies, are trained to the expressionof deference.Under male scrutiny, women will averr
their eyesor cast them downward; the female gaze is trained to aband.onits claim
to the
sovereignstatusof seer.The "nice" girl learnsto avoid the bold and unfettered staring
of the
"loose"
woman, who looks at -h"tev", and whomever she pleases.'Women are trained.to
smile more than men, too. In the economy of smiles,as elsewhere,there is
evidencerhat
women are exploited, for they give more than they receivein return; in a smile-elicitation
study, one researcherfound that the rate of smile return by women was 93 percent, by men
only 67 percent.20In many rypical women's jobs, graciousness,deference,and the readiness
to serve are part of the work; this requires the worker to fix a smile on her face for a good
part of the working day,whateverher inner state.2lThe economy of rouching is out of balance,too: men touch women more often and on more parts of the body than women touch
men: female secretaries,factory workers, and waitressesreport that such liberties are taken
routinely with their bodies.22
Feminine movement, gesture,and posture must exhibit not only constriction, but
graceaswell, and a certain eroticism restrainedby modesry: all three. Here is field for the operation for a whole new training: A woman must stand wirh sromachpulled in, shorrlders
thrown slightly back, and chest out, this to display her bosom to maximum advantage.
\Xll'rileshe must wa.lkin the confined fashion appropriateto women, her movemenrsrnusr,
at the sametime, be combined with a subde but ;rrovocativehip-roll. But too much display
is taboo; \/omen in short, low-cut dressesare told to avoid bending over ar all, but if the_v
must, great carentust be taken to avoid an unseemlydisplay of breastor rump. From tirne
to time, fashion magazinesoffer quite preciseinstructions on rhe proper way of getring in
and out of cars.'Iheseinstructionscombine all three imperarivcsof wornen'smoverncnt: a
woman must not allow her arms and legsto flail about in all directions;shemllsr rry ro manage her movcrnentswith the appcaranceof grace-no small accomplishmentwhen one is
climbing out of the back seatof a Fiat-and she is well-advisedro use the opportunity for a
certaindisplayof leg.
All the movements we have described so far are self-movements;they arise from
within thc woman's own body. But in a wav that normally goesunnoriced, males in couples may litcrally steera woman everlu,hereshe goes:down the street,around corners,into
elevators,through doorways,into her chair at the dinner rable,around the dancefloor. The
"is
rnan'smovcment
nor necessarilyheavy or pushy or physical in an ugly way; it is light
and gentle but firm ir.rtl-reway of the most confident equestrianswith the best trained
"23
horses.
IV
\7e haveexaminedsome of the disciplinarypracticesa woman musr masrerin pursuit of a
body of the right sizeand shapethat alsodisplaysthe proper srylesof feminine moriliry. But
womant body is an ornamented.surfacetoo, and there is much discipline involved in rhis
production as well. Here, especiallyin the application of make-up and the selectionof
clothes,art and disciplineconverg€,though, as I shall argue,rhere is lessart involved than
one might suppose.
A woman's skin must be soft, supple, hairless,and smooth; idealll', it should betray no
sign of wear, experience,age,or deep thought. Hair must be removed not only from the face
but from large surfacesof the body aswell, from legsand thighs, an operarion accomplished
by shaving, buffing with fine sandpaper,or foul-smelling depilatories.With the new highleg bathing suits and leotards,a substantialamounr of pubic hair must be removed roo.24
The removal of facial hair can be more specialized.Eyebrows are plucked our by the roots
with a rlveezer.Hot wax is sometimespoured onto the mustacheand cheeksand rhen ripped
away when it cools.The woman who wants a more permanent result may try electrolysis;
F o u c a u l t ,F e m i n i n i t
this involvesthe kil
which has been inse
The developm
not only attention tc
b
of facial exercises,
once
a
than
da
often
alkaline balance"),r
make-up removers,
ancers,body lotions
Provisionof the prol
masks for drv areas;
peeling masl<s;clear
women may wish to
just sloshedonto th,
gendy in movemenrr
ward directionsonly
straightdown the nr
The normalizin
gain credibiliry fbr it,
"ccllular
cel line of
tr
older skin behavear
counrerwill scle,
collagen"in its anti-l
therm" eye cream dr
ParkAvenue clinic o
pitals," offers nor on
"total
deep skin clear
Really good sk
steamers;faucet filre
the bedroom;electrir
blackheadremover.s.
or pedicure.
The ordinary ci
sKrn-careand requir
prepararions.Skin_c
what to do if she har
swimming in chlorir
sun, harsh wearher,r
stress.Like the schoo
a timetable:Georget
to the complexion at
vestmentof time, th
niques,and, again,tl
The crown ,nd
of the hair and
rl
lcure, and
pedicure
r
ANDRA LEEBARTKY
r; in a smile-elicitatioq
vas93 percent,by men
't
and the readiness
on-her face for a good
:touching is out of balody than women touch
such libertiesare taken
only constriction, but
Here is field for the opch pulled in, shoulders
marimum advlntage.
, h e r m o v e m e n r sm u s t r
L But too much display
I overat all, but if thev
rst or rump. From time
roper way of getting in
:women's movement:a
r s ;s h em u s t t r y t o m r n plishrnent when or.reis
;e the opportuniry for a
nents; they arise fiom
r n o t i c c d ,m a l c si r r c o r r :t. around corners,into
"fhc
!
le dance f'loor.
an ugly way; it is light
s with the be.sttrainecl
it masterin ptrrsuit of a
{:feminine motiliry. But
cipline involveclin this
r p a n d t h e s e l e c t i o no f
is lessart involved than
ally, it should betray no
I not only from the face
)peration accomplished
e s .W i r h t h e n e w h i g h nust be removed too.24
lucked out by the roots
cheeksand then ripped
ulr mly try electrolysis;
f
patriarchal power
F o u c a u l t ,F e m i n i n i r y , a n d t h e M o d e r n i z a t i o n o f
fiis involves the killing of a hair root by the passageof an electric current down a needle
which has been inserted into its base.The procedure is painful and expensive.
"beauty
"good
The developmentof what one
experr" calls
skin-carehabirs" requires
not onlv attention to health, the avoidanceof strong facial expressions,and rh. per[o.m"nce
of facialexercises,but the regular use of skin-care prepararions, many to be applied more
"upsers
often than once a day: cieansinglotions (ordinary soapand warer
the skin'sacid and
alkalinebalance"),wash-off cleansers(milder than cleansinglotions), astringenrs,roners,
make-upremovers,night creams,nourishing creams,eye creams,moisturizers,skin bal_
ancers'bodv lotions, hand creams,lip pomades,sunran lotions, sunscreens,facial masks.
Provisionof the proper facialmask is complex: therearesulfur masksfor pimples; hot or oil
masksfor drv areas;also cold masksfor dry areas;tightening masks;conditioning masks;
peelingmasks;cleansingmasks made oFherbs, cornmeal, or almonds; m,rd p".ks. Black
"fade
"even
creams"to
women mavwish to use
skin tone." Skin-carepreparationsare never
just sloshedonto the skin, but applied according to preciserules: eye cream is dabbed on
gently.in movements toward, never away from, the nose; cleansingcream is applied in outward directions only, straight acrossthe forehead, the upper lip, and the chin, n.,r., ,rp br.,t
straightdown the noseand up and our on the cheeks.25
The normalizingdiscourseoFmodern medicineis enlistedby the cosmeticsindu.stryto
gaincredibiliryfor its claims.Dr. ChristiaanBarnardlendshis enormousprestigeto the Glycelline o["cellular treatmentactivators";thesecontain "glycosphingolipids"tliat can "make
older skin behavcand look likc younger skin." The Clinique computer ar any Clinique
counterwill selecta combination of preparations.iust
right for you. Ultirna ll contains"pro"provides
"demoralizing
"biocollagen"in its anti-aging eyecream that
hydrarion" to
line.s."
"biomechanical
therm' evc cream dramaticallyimprovesthe
propertiesof rhe skin."26The
ParkAvenueclinic of Dr. Zizmor, "chicf of dermatologyar one of New York'sleading hospitals,"oflers not only medical treatmentssuch as dermabrasionand chemicalpeelirigbut
"total
deepskin cleaning"as well.27
Really good skin-care habits reqrrire the use of a variety of aids and devices:facial
steamers;
faucetfilters to collect impluritiesin the water; borax to sofrer-r
it; a humidifier for
the bedroom;electricmassagers;
backbrushes;complexion brushes,looFahs;pumice srones;
blackheadremovers.I will not detail the implements or techniquesinvolved in the manicure
or pedicure.
The ordinary circumst:rnces
oFlife aswcll as a wide varieryoFactiviricscausea crisisin
.
skin-care:rnd recluirea stepping up of the regimen as well as an additional laying
on of
Skin-carediscipline requiresa specializedknowledge: a woman musr know
PreParations.
what to do if she h:r.sbeen skiing, taking medication, doingvigoious exercise,
boating, or
swimming in chlorin:rtedpools; if she has been exposedto pollution,
heated.ooms, Jold,
sun, harshweather,rhe pressurizedcabinson airplanes,,"r.,,, or sream
rooms, fatigue,or
stress.Like the schoolchild or prisoner, the woman ma.stering
good skin-carehabits ir!.,t on
a timetable:GeorgetteKlinger requiresthat a shorte, o. lo.,g..
period of attenrion be paid
to the complexion at leastfour times a day.28Hair care,like
iki., ."r., requiresa similar investmentoF time, the use of a wide variery of preparations,
the rn"rr.ry of a set of techniquejl and, again, the acquisition of a specializedkno*ledge.
crown_andpinnacleof good hair careand skin ..ie ir, of course,the arrangement
, Ih..
ot" the
hair and the applicationof cosmetics.Here the regimen of hair care,skin.^.., -"ntcure' and pedicure is recapitulatedin another
mode. A woman musr learn the proper
100
manipulation of a largenumber of devices-the blow dryer, styling brush, curling iron, hot
curlers,wire curlers, eyeliner,lipliner, lipstick brush, eyelashcurler, mascarabrush-and the
cortect manner of application of a wide variery of products-foundarion, roner, coverins
stick, mascara,eye shadow eye gloss,blusher,lipsrick, rouge, lip gloss,hair dye, hair rinsi
"rclaxet"
hair lightener,hair
erc.
In the ianguageof fashion magazinesand cosmeticads, making up is typically portrayed as an aestheticactivity in which a woman can expressher individualiry. In ..^ti,y,
while cosmeticsryleschangeeverydecadeor so and while somevariation in make-up is permitted dependingon the-occasion,m:rking up rhe faceis, in fact, a highly srylizedactiviry
that giveslitde rcin to selflexpression.
Painting the {aceis not like painting , pi.,,r.., ar besr,
it might be describedaspainting the .sarne
picture over and over againwith minor variations.
Litde latitude is pern.rittedin what is consideredappropriatemake-up for the office and for
most social occa.sions;
indeed, the woman who usescosmeticsin a genuinely novel :rnd
imaginativeway is liable to be seennot as an artist but as an eccentric.Furthermore,sincea
properly made-up facc is, if not a card of entrde,at leasta badgeof acceptabilitvin m6sr
socialand professionalcontexts,the woman who choosesnor to wear cosmeticsat all faccs
sanctionsof a sort which will ncver bc applied to someonewho choosesnor ro
Daint a
watercolor.
Are we dealingin all this n.rerelywith sexualdffirence?Scarcely.
The disciplinarypractices
I.have describedare part of the processby which the ideal bo<jyof feminir,ity-.n1| h.,r..
t h e f e m i n i n e b o d y - s u b j e c r - i s c o n s r r u c t e d i;n d o i n g t h i s , t h e y p r o d u c ea , p r a c t i c e d a n d
subjected"body, i.e., a body on which an inferior statushas been inscribed.Awoman's face
must be made up, that is to say,made over, and so must her body: she is ren pounds overweight; her lips must be made more kissable;her complexion dewier; h.. .y.. rnore mys"art"
terious.The
olt make-up is the art of disguise,but this presupposesrhat a woman's
face' unpainted,is defective.Soapand water,a shave,and routine artention to hygienemav
be enough for him; for her they are not. The strategyof much beauty-relatedajvertising is
to suggestto women that their bodiesare deficient,but evenwithout much more o. 1.., .*plicit teaching,the media imagesof perfect femalebeaurywhich bombard us daily leaveno
doubt in the mind.sof most women that they fail to measureup. The technologiesof femininity are taken up and practiced by women againstrhe background of a pervasiuesense
of bodily deficiency: this accounts for what is often their compulsive or even ritualistic
cnaracter.
The disciplinaryproject of femininity is a "set-up":it requiressuch radicaland extensive measuresof bodily transformation that virtually every woman who givesherself to it is
destined in some degreeto fail. Thus, a measureof shame is added to a woman's sensethat
the body she inhabits is deficient: she ought to take berter careof herself;she might after all
havejoggedthat last mile. Many women arewithout the time or resourcesto rrrovidethemselveswith even the minimum of what such a regimen requires,e.g., a decentdier. Here is
an additional source of shame for poor women who must bear *hat our society regardsas
the more general shame of poverty. The burdens poor women bear in this regard-arenor
merely psychological,since conformiry to the prevailing standardsof bodily acJeptabiliryis
a known factor in economic mobiliry.
F o u c a u l rF, e m i n i n i
The larger dis,
means race- or clas:
women are in gene
more privileged sisr
localiry ethniciry o
scribed.The rising 1
while the counter-st
"upscale"health clu
II Home-C1,m adv
r e s utl. 2 9
In the regime
and prey" for the r
smooth.30In contet
ol
the conscior-rsness
ment.'Womanlives
"wor
often told that
one errgagedin a pr
it off? But \vomcn
w o m a n i s l i k e l i e rt r
older woman has a
"
selfgo.
Hereit mrity of the pcrformer
ple, depends on hi
dependencl'.While
down in a number
requisiteto ;rn artis
virtually everywom
which won.renare j
balancesir.rthe soci:
audiences.
An aesth
cular srrengthprod
the physicalabuse<
fitnessmovement h
than was heretoforr
media that seemro
more muscular stre
acrossrhe threshold
Under the cur
massive;they must
takeson as she matr
body by which a w<
to assumeis tire boc
stance,a body;- u,
qu.irementrha. N
inexperience,for an
, N D R AL E E B A R T K Y
rush, curling iron, hot
as.rra brush-and the
[,
, toner, covering
;s, hair dye, hair rinse,
rg up is typically porrdividuality.In reality,
,ion in make-up is perhighl), srylized activiry
xting a picture;at best,
with minor variations.
p for the office and fbr
r genuinely novel and
:. Furthermore, sincea
I acceptabiliwin most
rr cosmeticsat all ficcs
:hoosesnot to paint a
e disciplinarypractices
emininity-and hcnce
"practicecl
and
rduce a
6ril.sd.A woman'sface
,
.j ten pounclsoverer; her eyesmorc mysPPosesthat a woman's
may
tention to l.rygierte
.y-rclaredadvertising is
t much fflore or lcssexnbarclus deily leaveno
of femre techr.rolop;ies
nd of a pervasivescnse
l s i v eo r e v e n r i t u a l i s t i c
such radical :rnd extenvho givesherselfto it is
ro a woman'ssensethat
rselflshe might aFterall
)urce.sto provide them., a decentdiet. Here is
rt our sociery regardsas
r in this regard are not
f bodilv acceptabiliryis
Foucault, Femininirv, and rhe Mode rnization of patriarchal power
t0r
The larger disciplinesthat construct a "feminine" body out of a female one are
by no
rneansrace- or class-specific.There is little evidence thar women of color or workine-clars
women are in generallesscommitted to the incarnation of an ideal femininiry thari their
more privileged sisters.This is not to deny the many ways in which factors oi.".., .l"rr,
localiry,ethnicitv, or personal taste can be expressedwithin rhe kinds of practicesI have described.The risingyoung corporareexecurivemav buy her cosmericsar Bergdorf-Goodman
while rhe counter-serverat McDonaldt getshers at K-Mart; rhe one -ry
lJin an expensive
"upscale"h_ealth
club, while the other may have ro make do with rhe $9.49 GFX Boiy-Flex
II Home-Cym advertisedin the National Enquirer: Both are aiming at the same g..r.r"l
r
lQ
result. '
In the regime of institutionalized heterosexualirywoman must make herself "object
and prey" For the man: it is for him that these eyesare limpid pools, this .h."k b"bysmooth.30In contemporarypatriarchalculture,a panopticalmai. connoisseurresideswithin
of most women: they stand perpetually before his gaze and,underhis judgthe consciousness
ment. \roman livesher body as seenby another, by an anonymous patriarchal Other. W. "i.
"women
dressfor other women." There is some tr.rtir in thi.s:\X/ho but someoften told that
one engagedin a project similar to my own can appreciarerhe panachewith which I bring
it of? Bur women know for whom this game is played: They kno* that a pretty young
woman is likelier to become a flight attendant than a plain one and that " *.ll-pr.r.r.'r.d
olderwoman has:r better chanceoFholding on to her husband than one who has "ler herselfgo."
Here it might be objectedthat performancefor anorher in no w:ry signalsthe ilfbrioriry of the performer to the one for whom the performanceis intendecl.The acror,for
example, dependson his audicnce but is in no way inFeriorto it; he i.snot clemeanedby
his
dependency.While Femininiry i.ssurely something enacred,the analogy ro rhear€r
br."k.
d o w n i n a n u m b e r o F w a y s .F i r s t ,a s I a r g u e de a r l i c r ,t h e s e l F d e t e r m i n a r i o w
n e rhinkof as
requisiteto an artistic careeris lacking here: femininity as spectacleis something
in which
virtuallyeverywoman is recluiredto participate.Second,the precisenarure
oFrhe"crireria
by
which women are judged, not only the inesc:rpabilityof judgment itsell, reflecrs
g.o5 i-balances
in the socialPowerof the sexesthat do not mark the ielationshipof artistslnd
their
audiences.
An aesthcticof-Femininity,for example,that mandatesfragiliryand a lack
of muscular-strengthproducesfbmalebodies that c"n ofler little ..rirt"rr.J
to physicalabuse,and
the physicalabu.seof women by men, as we know is widespread.
Ir is true rhat the currenr
fitnessmovement has permitted women to develop rno.. .r-r.,r.,rla.r
strength and endurance
than was heretoForeallowed; indeed, irnagesof *o-.n have
begun ro appearin the mass
mediathat seemto eroticizethis new rnusculariry.But a woman
-.y by .,o -""rm develop
more muscularstrer-rgththan her partner; the bride who
would t..rd..ly carry her grooacrossthe thresholdis a figure of comedy,nor romance.3t
Under the current "tyranny of slenderness"
women are forbidden to becomelarge or
massive;they must take up as little spaceas
possible.The very conrour' " *o-"r,,
6ody
takeson asshe matures-11-r. fuller breasts
and rounded hips-have become distasteful.The
body by which a woman feelsherselfjudged
and which by rigorousdisciplineshe must rry
to assumeis the body of early adolescence,
slight and ""fbimJ,
a body l"iki.,g flesh or s,rbstance'a body in whose very
contours the image of immaruriry has been inscribed. The requirement that a woman maintain
a smooth and hairlessskin carriesfurther the theme of
tnexperience'for an infantilized
face musr accompany her infantilized body, a face that never
q!lrrrol
r02
agesor furrows its brow in thought. The face of the ideally feminine woman musr never drsplay the marks of character,wisdom, and experiencethat we so admire in men.
To succeedin the provision of a beautiful or sexy body gains a woman arrenrion and
some admiration but little real respectand rarely any social power. A woman! effort to master feminine body discipline will lack importance just becauseshe does it; her activiry partakes of the general depreciation of everything female. In spite of unrelenting pr.rr,,*
,o
"make
the most of what they have," women are ridiculed and dismissedfor th! irivialiry of
"trivial"
their interest in such
things as clothes and make-up. Further, the narrow identification of woman with sexuality and the body in a socierythat has for cenruriesdisplayedprofound suspicion toward both does little to raise her srarus.Even the -ort "dor.j female
bodiescomplain routinely of their situation in ways that revealan implicit understanding
that there is something demeaningin the kind of attention they receive.Marilyn Monroe,
E'lizabethThylor' and Farrah Fawcett have all wanted passionatelyto become acrresses-artists
"sex
and not just
objects."
But it is perhaps in their more restrictedmotiliry and comporrmenr thar the inf'eriorization of women'sbodies is most evident: women'stypical body language,a language
of
relative tension and constriction, is understood ro be a languageof strbordinati,rnvJh.r,
it is enactedby men in male statushierarchies.In groups of m.r,, those with higher
status typically asstlmelooser and more relaxedposrures;the bosslounges .o-fo.Lbly
b.hind the deskwhile the applicant sits tenseand rigid on rhe edgeof his seat.Higher-status
individuals may touch their subordinatesmore than they themielvesg"t to,r.h.J; they initlate more eye contact and are smiled at by their inferiors more than they are observed
to
smile in return.32\X/'hatis announced in the comportmenr of superiorsis confidenceand
ease,especiallyeaseof accessto the Other. Femaleconsrrainrin postureand movemenr is
no doubt overdetermined:the fact that women tend to sir and stand with legs,feet,
and
kneescloseor touching may well be a coded declarationof sexualcircumspeciionin a society that still maintains a double standardor an effort, albeit unconscious,to guar4 the
genital area'In the latter case,a woman's tight and constrictedposturemust be ,..., ^, th.
expressionof her need to ward off real or symbolic sexualattack. Vhatever proporrions
must be assignedin the final display to fear or deference,one thing is clear:Womant
body
languagespeakseloquently, though silently, of her subordinate ,,"r,r, in a hierarchy
of
gender.
VI
If what we have described is a genuine discipline-a "system of micro-power rhar is
essentially non-egalitarian and asymmetrical"-who then are the disciplinarians?33
Who is the
top sergeantin the disciplinary regime of femininiry? Hisrorically, ihe law has
had some responsibiliqy for enforcement; in times gone by, for example, individuals who
appearedin
public in the clothes of the other sex could be arrested.Vhile cross-dressers
are still liable
to some harassment,the kind of discipline we are considering is not the
businessof the police or the courts' Parents and teachers,of course, have extirsive
influence, admonish'ing
girls to be demure and ladylike, to "smile pretry" to sit with their legs
together.The influl
ence of the media is pervasive,too, consrructing as it does "., i-"gif
ti'" f.-"1. body as
spectacle,nor can we ignore the role played bv "beaury experrs"
o"r by emble-"ti. putli.
personagessuch as
Jane Fonda and Lynn Redsrave.
F o u c a u l t ,F c m i n i n i t Y ,
But none of these
doesin fact wield the k
straightforwa rd discipli
the female body is ever
one in particular. W'om
admonishedto diet, sc
softenedby referencet,
saidthat I had a beauti
"people"-friend
Here,
of body size.
Foucaulttends to
tion of specificir-rstitutr
to overlook rhe extenr r
tionally bound.35The :
quenceswhich are cruc
absenceof a formal inr
carryout institutional c
either entirely voluntarr
t h e o n e h a n d .d i s c i p l i n
and asymmetrical" sysr<
d i s c i p l i n ei n t h i s s e n s e .
w h e na r ri n d i v i d u a l
c a n ,o f c o u r s e ,b e b o r h :
ing offered by the army
he and other members.
pline has this dual char,
end of a rifle, nor can lr
lesswomen in an attem
plinary practices of fem
they must be understoo
systemof sexualsuborc
compliant companions
soldiers.
Now the transforrr
t h e f o l l o w i n g :a r i t e o f p
aestheric;a way of annor
other women in the con
i n d u l g e n c eJ.0 T h e s o c i a
basediscipline,roo, and
fi able disciplinarians an<
to which the imperative
whichall .on.ur makin
innocent part of growinr
\W4ryarent all worr
t.
.
l,l. Uyfearof rera. r)
black.Nor will it suftlcc
\NDRA LEE BARTKY
rr'omanmusr neverdisire ;. men.
, a n a t t e n t i o na n d
woman s efforr to masoes it; her activiry parr n r e l e n t i n gp r e s s u r et o
;sed for the trivialiry of
, the narrow identificae n r u r i e sd i s p l a y e dp r o re most adored female
mplicit undersranding
e i v e .M a r i l y n M o n r o e ,
)ecomeactresses-artists
rtment thar the inferianguage,a language of
r f s u b o r d i n a t i o nw h e r r
t h o s ew i r h h i g h e r s r a u n g e sc o m f o r t a b l y b e '
[ r i ss c l r . H i g h e r - s t a t u s
s g e t t o u c h e d ;t h e y i n i Lnthey are observedto
riors is confidenceand
s t u r ea n d m o v c m e n t i s
r ' with legs, Feet,and
rr /mspection in a soonscious,to guard the
lre must be seenas the
W h a t e v e rp r o p o r t i o n s
i s c l c a r :W o m a n \ b o d y
L a t u si n a h i c r a r c h yo [
Foucault, Femininity, and the Modernizarion of patriarchal power
r03
But none of these individuals-the skin-care consuhanr, the parent,
the policemanin
does fact wield the kind of authoriry that is rypically invested in thor. *ho -"n"g. -or.
straightforwarddisciplinary institutions. The. disciplinary power that inscribesfemininity in
the female body is ever)'whereand it is nowhe.re;,h. dir.ipli.,arian is everyone ,nd y., ,,o
\women regarded
as overweight, for example, reporr that tirey "r. ,.g,rl"rly
one in particular'
admonished to diet, sometimes by people they scarcelyk'o*. 'ih.r. intrusions are often
softenedby referenceto^the natural prettinessjust waiting ro emerge: "people have always
saidthat I had a beautiful faceand'if youd only lose*eilhr youd"b. re"lly beautiful., .34
"people"-friends
and casualacquainrancesalike-act to enforce pr.*ili.rg
Here,
standards
ofbodY size.
Foucaulttend'sto.identifi' the imposition of disciplineupon the body
with the operaof
tion specificinstitutions, e.g.,theschool, the factory,rhe prison.'lo do this, howev.r,
is
to overlook the extent to which discipline can be instirutional ly unboundas well
as institudonallybound'35The anonymiry of disciplinarypower and its wide dispersionhave
consequenceswiich are crucial to a proper .r.rd...r".rJi.rg of the subordination of women.
Thc
absenceof a formal institutional structure and of authorities investedwith
the power ro
carryout institutional directivescreatesthe impressionthat the production of
femininiry is
eitherentirely voluntary or natural. The severalsensesof "discipline" are instructive
here. on
the one hand, discipline is something imposed on subject, of "r., "essenrially
inegalitarian
and asymmetrical"systemoFauthority.Schoolchildren,convicts,"nd d.afte.s
".. irbj..t to
disciplinein rhis sen.se.
Bur discipline can be
voluntarily as well, as, for .*"-p1",
:""q!,
whenan individual seeksinitiation into the spirirual
disciplineof ZenBuddhism. Dis.ipiin.
can,ofcourse,bc both at once: the volunteermay seekthe physicaland
occuparionaltr"ining offeredby the army without the armyt ceasingin any way ro be
the instrument by which
he and other membersof his classarekept in disciplinecl,,,bj..tio,-,.
Feminine bodiiy discipline has this dual character:on the one hand, no one is marched
oFf for electrolysisat rhe
end of a rifle, nor can we fail to appreciatethe initiative and
ingenuiry displayeclty.o.r.r,lesswomen in an attempt to master the riruals of beaury.N.,r.ith.l.rr,
insofar as the disciplinary practice's
of f-emininity produce a ".subjectedand practiced," an
inferiorized body,
theymust be understoodas aspectsof a far largerdisciplini,
an oppressiveand inegalitarian
systemof sexualsubordination' This system,,ims ^t
tr'r..ri.rg*o-.n
into the <iocileand
comPliantcompanionsof men just as surely as the
army aim'.sto rurn irs raw recruirsinto
soldlefs.
:ro-power that is esseninarians?33
\fho is the
re law has had some reduals who appeared in
;-dressersare still liable
the businessof the ponfluence,admonishing
rgs together.The influe of the female body as
by emblematic public
Now the transformationof oneselfinto a properly fbminine
body may be any or all of
the following: a rite of passage
into adulthood; ,n. "aoption and celebrationof a particular
aesthetic;a way of announcing one'seconomic
level anj social srarus;a way ro triumph over
otherwomen in the comp.titio., for men jobs;
or
or an opporruniry for massivenarcissistic
indulgence"l6The social construction
of th. f.mi.ri.,. biiy is all th.se things, but it is at
too' and.discipline of the inegalitarian sort. The absenceof
Formallyidentil:I^dl::*tt,le'
rlaDledlsclPlinarians
and oFa public scheduleof sanctionsservesonly to disguise
rh..*,.n,
the imperativeto bs"feminine" servesrhe interestof
domination.
This is a lie in
:",ylitl
which all concur: making up is
merely artful play; onek first pair of high-heeled shoesis an
innocentpart of growing
up and not,h. ^oi..n equivalentof foot-binding.
all.women feminists?In modern iniustrial socieries,women
are nor kept in
r,^" *Yl-tlent
rurc
Dy tear of retaliatory male violence;
rheir victimization is nor that of the South Afri."n
black'Nor will it suffice
to say that a falseconsciousness
engenderedin women by patriarchal
104
ideology is at the basisof female subordination. This is not to deny the fact that women are
often subject to grossmale violence or that women and men alike are ideologically mystified
by the dominant genderarrangements.'il/hat I wish to suggestinsteadis that an adequateunderstanding of womens oppression will require an appreciation of the extent to which not
only wornen'slives but also their very subjectivitiesare structured within an ensembleof systematically duplicitous practices.The feminine discipline of the body is a casein point: The
practiceswhich construct this body have an overt aim and characterfar removed, indeed radically distinct, fiorn their covert function. In this regard,the systemof gender subordination,
like the wage-bargainunder capitalism, illustratesin its own way the ancient tension between
what is and what appears:The phenomenalforms in which it is manifestedare often quite
different from the real relationswhich form its deeoerstructure.
V]I
'fhe
lack of fbrmal public sanctionsdoes not mean that a woman who is unable or unwilling to submit herselfto the appropriatebody clisciplinewill faceno sanctionsat all. On dre
contrary, she facesa very severesanction indeed in a world dominated by rnen: the refus:rlof
male patronage. For the heterosexualwoman, this rnay mean the loss of a badly needed intimacy; for both heterosexualwomen and lesbians,it may well mcan the refusalof a decent
liveliliood.
As noted earlier,women punish themselvestoo for the failure to conform. 1'he growing literaturc on womens body size is filled with wrcnching confessionsof shame fron.r the
overweight:
I felt clumsy and huge. I fclt that I would knock over furniture, bump into things,
tip over chairs,not fit into VW's, especiallywhen people were trying to crowd
into the back seat.I felt like I was taking over rhe whole room. . . . I felt disgusting and like a slob. In the summcr I felt hot and sweatyand I knew people saw my
sweat as evidencethat I was too fat.
I felt so terrible about the way I look that I cut offconnection with my body. I operate from the neck up. I do not look in mirrors. I do not wanr ro spend time
buying clothes.I do not want to spcnd time with make-up becauseits painful for
me to look at myself.37
I can no longer bear to look at myself. \Thenever I have to stand in front of a mirror to comb my hair I tie a large towel around my neck. Even at night I slip my
nightgown on before I take offmy blouse and pants. But all this has only made it
worse and worse. It's been so long since I've really looked at my bodv.38
The depth of thesewoment shame is a measureof the extent to which all women have internalized patriarchal standardsof bodily acceptabiliry.A fuller examination of what is
"internalization"
meant here by
may shed light on a question posed earlier: 'Why isn't everv
woman a feminist?
"internalized"
Something is
when it gets incorporated into the structure of the self. By
"structure
of the self" I refer to those modes of perception and of self-perceprionthat allow
Foucault,Femininitv
a selfto distinguishit
describedelsewhereI
nessofherselfasa bo'
of oneselfasa distincr
ceivedbr-rtalso to wh
"internal
izati
senseof
is
imP
it
whom
upon
is a certaincontradict
disciplinemaY bring
otherskilledindividu
cost to acquire them
havebeenbetteroffl
a genuinely
especially
male body, threatens
Beyondthis, it callsir
ment of a senseof co
Resistancefrom
compliance;furrher,
what they take to be
tle perhaps,but tied r
"ferninine"felt to be
most casescrucia'
only as male or fbma
body rnay also be ess<
Hence,any political
into a feminine one r
with desexualization,
T'he categoriesr
of personalidentities:
count to some degrer
revulsionfelt by man
muscularwoman car
The radicalfeminist
senseof her own iden
Of course,man
reform in the struggl
indeed, many orrho,
womant femininity
have rejected " nortraditional sexualdiv
of feminine body dis
hasarguedthat mode
for individuals consti
the realm of what is ,
we are invited t
ie
profound than hims
F.
iDRA LEE BARTKY
Foucault, Femininity, and rhe Modernizarion of patriarchal power
fact that women are
leologicallymystified
t an adequateunextent to which not
n an ensembleof syss a casein point: The
removed,indeed rad;endersubordination,
:ient tension between
f'estedare oFtenquite
r is unable or unwillnctions at all. C)n the
by men: the relusalof
of a badlv neededin.he refirsalof a decent
, conform. The growns o[shamefrom the
,'mp into things,
'ing to crowd
..Ifelrdisgustw peoplesaw my
h my body. I opI r r o s P e n dt i m e
rseit's painful fbr
in front of a mirLtnight I slip my
has only made it
bodv.Js
ch all women havein:aminationof wh:rt is
rarlier:'J7hyisn'teverY
rructureof the self.BY
-perceptionthat allow
:;
i'
'(:
i
:
l,
*l
105
a self to distinguish itself borh from other selvesand from things which are not selves.I have
describedelsewherehow a generalizedmale witness comes ,o ],.'.r.,,rr. womant consciousnessof herselfasa bodily being'39This, then, is one meaningof "inrernalization."The sense
of oneselfas a distinct and valuable individual is tied not only ,o the senseof how one is perceivedbut also to what one knows, especiallyto whar one knows how to do; this is a second
"internalization."'Whatever
senseof
irs ultimate eflbct, discipline can provide the individual
upon whom it is imposed with a senseof mastery as well as " r..,r.. senseof identiry. There
is a certain contradiction.here:While its imposirion may promote a larger dis.mpowerment,
discipline may bring with it a certain development of " p".ront powers. wo^en, then, like
other skilled individuals, have.a stakein-the perpetuation of thei. st ittr, whateverir may
have
cosr ro acquirethem and quite apart from the quesrion whether, as a gender,they would
havebeen better offhad they never had to acquire them in the first pl"..i H.rr.., f..r-ri.rir-,
a genuinelyradicalfeminism that questionsthe patriarchalconstruction
especially
of the fcmale body, threatenswomen with a certain de-skilling,something people normally
resist.
Beyond thi's,it calls into question that aspectof p..ro.,"l identiry th"i l, ii.d to the jevelopment of a senseof competence.
Resistancefrom this source may be joined by a reluctancero parr with
the rewards of
compliance;further, many women will resistthe abandonmenrof an aesrheric
that defines
what they take to be beautiful' But there is still another sourceof resistance,
one more subtle perhaps,but tied once againto questionsof identiry and internalizarion.'lo
6avea body
"fbminine"-a
felt to be
body sociallyconstructedthrough the appropriarepracrices-ir;
most casescrucial to a woman'.ssenseoFherselfas female"rd,.irr." persons
currently canbe
only as male or female, to her senseof herselfas an exisringindividual.
Tb por..r, such a
body may also be es.sentialto her senseof herself as " .r.*,'r"llid.siring
ancl derirable subject.
Hence,any political project that aims to dismantle the machinery
that rurns a fcmale body
into a feminine one rnay well be apprehendedby a woman ", somerhing
,tr", ,i,.."r.r,, 1.,
with desexualization,
if not outright annihilation.
The categoriesof masctrliniry"nd femininity do more than
assisrin the consrructiorr
of personalidentities:they arecriticalelementsin our informal
socialontology.This rnay account to some degreefor the otherwisepuzzling phenomenon
of homophol,i" ".rd fo. th.
revulsionfelt by many at the sight of female bolib.rild..s;
neither the homosexual nor the
muscularwoman can be assimilatedea.silyinto the
categoriesrhar srrucrureeverydaylife.
The radicalf'eministcriticlueof femininiry, then,
may pose a rhreat not only to a womant
senseof her own identity and desirabiliry but
also ro the^verysrrucrureof her social universe.
Of course,many women arefeminists,favoring " prog."of political and economic
_-r
In the strLrggleto gain eqLralirywith men.40But many "refo.in"
or liberal feminists,
ITtT
rndeed'
many orthodox Marxists, are commirred to rhe idea
that the pre.servationof a
femininiry is quite compatible with her srrugglefor
liberation.al These thinkers
Iot"T
ttave
re.;ected
a normative fimininiry basedupon the notion of "separate
spheres"and the
traditional sexualdivision of labor
*hil. ".."p,ing at the same rime convenrional standards
of feminine body display.
if my analysisis correct, such a feminism is incoherent. Foucault
uasarguedthat modern
bourgeoisdemocracy is deeply flawed in that it seekspolitical rights
for individuals constituted
"ri-,.,f.." by ",r"ri.ry of disciplinary micropowers rhar lie beyond
the realm of what
is ordinarily d.fi.r.d as the "political." "The man describedfor
us whom
we are invited ro free,".l:^r"y_r, "is
already in himself the effect of a subjection much more
profound than
himself."42 if, ^r I have ".g.,.a, female subjectiviry is constitured
in any
106
significant measurein and through the disciplinary practicesthat construct the feminine
"man"
"woman."
is perhapseven truer of
body, what Foucault sayshere of
Marxists have
.W'e
maintained from the first the inadequacyof a purely liberal feminism:
have reachedthe
same conclusion through a different route, casting doubt at the same time on the adequary
of traditional Marxist prescriptionsfor woment liberation as well. Liberals call for equal
rights for women, traditional Marxists for the entry of women into production on an equal
footing with men, the socializationof horrsework,and proletarianrevolution; neither calls
of masculiniryand femininiry.a.s
for the deconstructionof the categories
Femininiry as a cer"sryle
to
tain
of the flesh"will have be surpassedin the direction of somethingquite different, not masculinity,which is in many waysonly its mirror opposite,but a radicaland asyet
unimagined transformationof the femalebody.
VIII
Foucaulthas argued that the transition from traditional to moc{ernsocietieshas been char"a
acterizedby a profbund transformationin the excrciseoFpower,by what he calls reversal
of the political axis of individuation."44In older authoritariansystcms,power was embodied in the personof the monarch and exercisedupon a largelyanonymousbody of subjects;
violation of the lawwas seenas an insult to the royal individual. \y,/hilethe rnethodsemploved to enforce compliance in the past werc ofien quire brutal, involving gross:rssaults
againstthe body, power in such a systemoperatedin a haphazardand cliscontinuousfashion; much in the socialtotaliry lay beyond its reach.
By contrast, modern society has seenthe emergenceof increasinglyinvasiveapparatusesof power; these exercisea far more restrictive social and psychologicalcontrol than was
"circulate
heretoforepossible.In modern societies,efFectsof power
through progressively
finer channels,gaining accessto individualsthemselves,
to their bodies,their gesturesand ail
their daily actions."45Pou,ernow seeksto transform the minds of those individuals who
might be terlpted to resistit, not mcrely to punish or imprison thcir bodies.This requires
two things: a finer control of the bodys time and its movements-a control that cannot be
achievedwithout ceaseless
surveillanccand a better understandingof the specificperson,of'
"case."The
the genesisand natureof his
power thesenew apparatuses
seekto exercise
require
a new knowledge of the individual; modern psychologyand sociologyare born. 'Vhether the
new modesof control have chargeof correction,production, education,or the provisionof
welfare,they resembleone another; thelr exercisepower in a bureauclxli6m6ds-faceless,
centralized,and pervasive.A reversalhas occurred: po\\'er has now become anonymous,
while the project of corrtrolhas brought into being a new individualiry.In fact, Foucaultbelievesthat the operation of porverconstitutesthe very subjectiviryof the subject.Here, the
image of the Panopticon returns:knowing that he may be observedfrom the tower at any
time, the inmate takesover the job of policing himself.The gazewhich is inscribedin the
very structure of the disciplinary institution is internalized by the inmate; modern technologiesof behavior are thus oriented toward the production of isolatedand self-policing
subjects.a6
\7omen have their own experienceof the modernization of power, one which begins
later but follows in many respectsthe courseoutlined by Foucault. In important \.\'ays,a
woman's behavior is lessregulated now than it w.asin the past. She has more mobiiity and is
lessconfined to domesticspace.She enjovswhat to previousg€nerationswould have been
F o u c a u l t ,F e m i n i n i
an unimaginable se
creasingsecularizati
ily and' in sPite o
institutions was wie
archalauthoriry in I
tions if she disobev
that her desirebe al
her God's more sPe
at
and ecclesiastical
were charged with
failed to constrain.
By contrast,rh
a properly embodie
mally empowered t,
particular.This disr
public sanctions,nc
placeto place.For a
"a
machineryof pov
techniqucsthror-rgh
which is perpcruala
Posture,gestures,xr
ble parr.s.
As modern ind
triarchy, older fbrm
consolidated.S/omr
of acrivity to rhe l-ror
mativefemininiry is
tiesand obligarions
presumedhererosex
preoccuparionwith
societyincreasingly
might be venrured,
spreadof this discipl
\7hat was formerly ,
ot everywoman, be
To subjectoner
I have.argued,
ir is p
wtth the current nee
advancedcapitalism
ln the economyof er
and againstrheir orv
The woman wl
hascakedor her mar
looks frequenrly .o
s
Itors everythink j
policing subjeci,
a sr
f"'
\NDRA LEEBARTKY
Foucault, Femininiry, and the Modernizarion of parriarchal power
tonstruct the feminine
'o'- 'n." M.r*irt, h"u.
-'hrve reachedthe
,
an unimaginabie sexualliberry. Divorce, accessro paid work ourside the home, and the increasingsecularizationof modern life have loosenedthe hold over her of rhe traditional family and, in spite of the current fundamentalist revival, of the church. power in these
institutions was wielded by individuals known to her. Husbands and fathers enforced
patriarchalauthoriry in the family. As in the ancien rigime, a womant body was subject ,o ,",-,.tions if she disobeved.Not Foucaultt royal individual but the Divine Individual decreed
"unto
that her desirebe always
her husband,"while the personof the priest made known to
her God's more specificintentions concerning her placeand duties. In the dayswhen civil
authority were still conjoined, individuals formally i.,,r".t.i
and ecclesiastical
with power
were chargedwith the correction of recalcitranrwomen whom the flmily had someho*
failedto constrain.
By contrast,the disciplinarypower that is increasinglychargedwith the
production of
a properly embodied Femininiryis dispersed".rd "nonymour, ,li.r. are no individuals formally empoweredto wield it; it is, as we have seen,invesredin everyoneand in no one
in
Particular'This disciplinary power is peculiarly modern; it does nor rely upon violent or
public sanctions'nor does it seekto resrrainthe Freedomof the fbmalefroai t" move
from
placeto place.For all that' its invasionof the body is well-nigh total: the femalebody
enters
"a
machineryof power that exploresit, breaksit down "nd ..""rr"ngesir."47 fhe
disciplinary
"docile
techniquesthrough which the
bodies"oFwomen are consr;lcred aim "r " ..grrl"tio.
-a regulation of rhe bodyt sizeanci
which is perpetual and exh:rr,rstive
conrours, it, a"ppetite,
gestures'
and
general
comPortment in spaceand the appearanceof eachof its visiPosture'
bleparts.
As modern indusrial societieschangeand as women themselves
oflcr resistance
ro patriarchy,older forms of domination are erodecl.But new Form.sarise,
spread,and become
\Womenare no
consolidated'
longcr requiredto be cha.ste
or modest,ro restricttheir sphere
of activityto the home, or evenro realizetheir properly fiminine
destiny in marernity.Normativefemininiry is coming more and more to bc centeredon
*or,-r",-,'.,
body-not its dutiesand obligationsor evenits capaciq,to bear children, bur
irs sexualiry,more precisely,irs
-I'here
presumedheterosexirality
and its appearance.
is, of coursc,,.rorhi.,gncw in *o-..r,,
preoccupation
with youth and beaury.What is new is the growing po*"ioF,h.
irnagein a
to:i:ty. increasinglyoriented toward the visual media.
I-".g., of"norrrl.,iue feminiiiry it
might be ventured,have rep_laced
the religiouslyoriented t.I.r, .rf thc past. New too is the
disciplineto allclassesof **"n
and it,sdeploymentrhro,rghoutthe life cycle.
if;t*_:"1't
* * f o r m c | J yt l r es p e c i a l r yo F t h e , r r i s t o c r aorr c o u r r e s a n
i s n o w t h . r o u r i n eo b l i g a r i o n
: : . every
1:
or
woman, be she a grandmotheror a barelypubescent
girl.
* subiectoncselfrtothe new disciplinarypower is
to be up-to-d"re, to be..with-it,,;as
r,,-naveargued,it is presentedto us in
ways that are regularly disguisecl.It i.sfully compatible
with the current n...1 fb, woment
wage labor, th. .ult of youth"and fitness,and the need of
t o m a i n t a i nh i g h l e v e l so f c o n s u m p r i o n .F u r r h . r , i r r e p r e s e r r r s
a saving
l'rj : *trtc
: : *ecoflolrly
titalism
of enforcement:sinceit is women themselves
who practiceihis dlsciplineoi
and a-gainsttheir own
bodies, men ger off scot-free.
woman who checksh.. .,i"k.-,rp half a dozen
rimes a day to seeif her foundation
;.^. ^lh:
]'^ caxedor her mascararun, who worries that the wind or rain may spoil her hairdo,
who
lools frequently
ro seeif her srockings have b"gg.d at the ank1e,or who,
feeling far, monItorseverythins.he
ears,has becom"e,just as irrr.ly as rhe inmare of panopticon,
a selfpolicingsubjeci,
a self committed to a relentlessself-surveillance.
This self-surveillance
is a
r time on rhe adequacY
Liberals call for equal
)roduction on an equal
evolutionn
; e i t h e rc a l l s
" , . 4F
J e m i n i n i r ya sa c e r somerhing quite d i lferl n d a sy e t
bur a radicaa
societieshas been char"a
what he calls reversal
rms, power was embodFmousbody of strbiects;
While the methods eminvolving grossassaults
rnd discontinuousfash-
107
a.
t
t'
asingly invasiveaPPara- l:.
::
rlogicalcontrol than was
.- hrough progressivelY
. , their gesturesand all
,f those individuals who
t :
eir bodies.This requires
t';
-acontrol that cannot be
t
of the specificperson,of
,i,:
csseekto exerciseI'cquire
'Whether the
gy are born.
t
1tion, or the provisionof
li
i,:,
k:
rucratic mode-faceless,
n.
.
Fl
cw become anonymous, !i;
Yr:
Lliry.In fact, Foucatrlt be- 'e-:
of the subject.F{ere,the s,,.
g.ed fiom the tower at anY sF,.. u' '
which is inscribed in the
re inmate; modern tech5 s l f- P o l i c i n g
i s o l a t e d. , 6 6 1
power, one which begins
rlt. In important wavs'a
, has more mobiliw and is
erationswould have been
-*
{rorq11,v
S A N D R AL E E B A F . T K Y
F o u c a u l tF
, enrinini
form of obedience to patriarchy. It is also the reflection in woman's consciousnessof the
fact that rDeis under surveillancein ways that he is not, that whatever elseshe may become,
she is imporranrly a body designed to pleaseor to excite. There has been induced in many
"a
women, then, in Foucault'swords, state of consciousand permanent visibiliry that assuresrhe auromaric functioning of power."48Since the standardsof female bodily accePtabiliry are impossible fully to realize,requiring as they do a virtual transcendenceof nature,
a woman may live much of her life with a pervasivefeeling of bodily deficiency. Hence, a
tighter control of the body has gaineda new kind of hold over the mind.
Foucault often writes as if power constitutesthe very individuals upon whom it operates:
tion VII). In spite
pearedin recent Ye
lirtle concern for tt
iry. Women in radi
niniry and are stru
communitiesis the
male beauty and de
lines and greyinght
enhanceit. A popu
dve,like Kim Cher
cia Hutchinsont re
This literature refle
desperationto whi<
forget that a mass-t
a critical questionir
mains of life. \We w
readthe cultural me
when the masrery o
only women.
108
The individual is not to be conceived as a sort of elementary nucleus, a primitive
arom, a multiple and inert material on which power comes to fastenor against
which it happens to strike. . . . In fact, it is already one of the prime effects of
power that certain bodies, certain gestures,certain discourses,certain desires,
come to be identified and constitutedas individuals.4')
Nevertheless,if individuals were wholly constituted by the power/knowledge regime Foucault descries,it would make no senseto speakof resistanceto discipline at all. Foucault
seemssomerimeson the verge of depriving us of a vocabulary in which to concePtualizethe
narureand meaning of thoseperiodic refusalsof control which, just as much as the imposition of control, mark the course of human history' .
"libidinal
body," i.e., the body
PeterDews accusesFoucault of lacking a theory of the
upon which discipline is imposed and whose bedrock impulse toward spontaneity and
"libidinal"
bodies,
Do wome n's
pleasuremight perhapsbecome the locus of resistance.50
selfand
constant
tedium,
semistarvation,
constriction,
the
pain,
rebel
against
nor
rhen,
is
rebellion
do,
but
the
they
Certainly
surveillanceto which they are currently condemned?
put down every rime a woman picks up her eyebrow rweezersor embarks upon a new diet.
The harshnessof a regimen alone does not guaranteeits rejection, for hardshipscan be
endured if they ar€ thought to be necessaryor inevitable.
"libidinal"
"nature,"
body, may not be the origin of a revolt
\)Zhile
in the form of a
"culrure,"
domination and the disciplineit requiresare neverimposedwithout some
against
cost. Historically, the forms and occasionsof resistanceare manifold. Sometimes,instances
of resistanceappear to spring from the introduction of new and conflicting factors into the
lives of the dominated. The juxtaposition of old and new and the resulting incoherenceor
"contradiction"
may make submission to the old ways seemincreasinglyunnecessary.In the
present insrance,what may be a major factor in the relentlessand escalatingobjectification
of women's bodies-namely, women's growing independence-produces in many women a
senseof incoherencethat calls into question the meaning and necessiryof the current discipline. As women (albeit a small minority of women) begin to realizean unprecedentedpolitical, economic, and sexual self-determination, they fall ever more completely under the
"libidinal
body," that produces,
dominating gazeof patriarchy. It is this paradox, not the
here and there, pockets ofresistance'
In the current political climate, there is no reasonto anticipate either widespreadresisranceto currenrly fashionablemodes of feminine embodiment or joyous experimenta"styles
tion with new
of the flesh"; moreover, such novelties would face profound
opposition from material and psychological sourcesidentified earlier in this essay(seeSec-
I
NOTES
l. Michel Foucault,
2 . I b i d . ,p . 2 8 .
3 . I b i d .p, . 1 4 7 .
4. Ibid.,p. 153.Fou
vier1766...,ti
5. Ibid.,p. 153.
6. Ibid.,p. 150.
7. Ibid.,p. 200.
8 . I b i d .p, . 2 0 r .
9. Ibid.,p.228.
10.JudithButler,,,Er
p. I I, presented
t,
alsoButlert recer
York:Routledee,
I l. MarciaMillm]'n,
12. SusanBordo,,An,
icalForum,yol.X
Power:TheBodya
r:. USA roday,
May:
14. Phrasetaken
from
zrss(Newyork: H
earingdisorde. .r
15.M.J.Saffon,
- ,.
16. SophiaLoren,
Wo;
NDRA LEE BARTKY
consciousnessof the
"1 she may become,
rnduced in many
rent visibility that asf'emalebodily acceptnscendenceofnature,
g deficiency.Hence, a
rind.
pon whom it operates:
cleus,a primitive
fasten or against
prime effectsof
, certain desires,
rowledge regime Fou:ipline at all. Foucault
:h to conceptualize the
rs much as the imposiil body," i.e., the body
ward spontaneity and
"libidinal"
bodies,
:n's
and constant self, but the rebellion is
rarks r-rpona new diet.
, for hardships can be
: the origin of a revolt
imposedwithout some
. Sometimes,instances
ilicting factors into the
:sulting incoherenceor
gly unnecessary.In the
calating objectification
ucesin many women a
ity of the current discian unprecedentedpo: completely under the
body," that produces,
e either widespreadrerr joyous exPerimentawould face profound
:r in this essay(seeSec-
tr
?.
:.
Foucault, Femininity, and the Modernization of parriarchal power
109
tion VII)' In spite of this, a number of oppositional discoursesand pracriceshave ap"pumping
pearedin recenr rfarl, An increasingnumber of women are
iron," a few wiih
limle concern for the limits of body development imposed by .,r.re.rt canonsof femininiry. Vomen in radical lesbiancommunities have also rejectedhegemonic imagesof femininiry and are struggling to develop a new female aesrheric.Alrriking f."ti.. of such
cornmunities is the extent to which they have overcome the oppressiveidentification of fernalebeauty and desirabiliry with youth. Here, the physical f."iur., of aging-"character,,
linesand greying hair-not only do not diminish a woman'sattracti,renesr,ih.ymay even
enhanceit' A popular literature of resistanceis growing, some of ir analyticaland ..efl.ctive, like Kim Cherni n's The Obsession,
some oriented toward pracical ,.if-h.lp, like Marcia Hutchinson's recenr hansforming Body Image: Learning io Low the Bot/y you Haur.5r
This literature reflects a mood akin in some ways ro rhar oih.. "nd earlier rirood of quiet
desperationto which Betty Friedan gave voice in The Feminine Mlstique. Nor should -e
forget that a mass-basedwomen's movemenr is in place in this .ounriy which has begun
a critical questioning of the meaning of femininiry-if not yer in this, rhen in oth"riomainsof life.'Sf'ewomen cannot begin the re-vision of our own bodies until we learn to
readthe cultural messageswe inscribe upon them daily and unril we come ro seethar
even
when the masteryof the disciplinesof femininiry prodr-rcea rriumphant result,we are
still
only women.
NOTES
l. MichelFoucaulr,
Discipline
andpunish(Newyork:vintageBooks,r979),p. 13g.
2. Ibid.,p. 28.
3 . I b i d .p, . 1 4 7 .
4' Ibid''p'l53.Foucaultiscitinganeighteenth-cenrurymilitarymanual,"()rclonance
d. lerlanvier 1766. . . , titrc XI, article 2."
5. Ibid.,p. r53.
6. Ibid.,p. 150.
7. Ibid.,p.2a0.
8. Ibid.,p.201.
9. Ibid.,p.228.
l0' JudithButler,"Embodied
Identiryin De Beauvo
ir'sTheSecond
Sex,"
unpublished
manuscripr,
p' I I' presented
to AmericanPhilosophical
Association,
PacificDivision, March22,19g5.See
alsoButlert recent monograph GenderTiouble:leminism
ancl the Subuersionof ldentity (New
York:Routledge,I 990).
I l' MarciaMillman, sucha prenTFace-Being
Fat in America(Newyork: Norton, r 9g0) p. 46.
l2' SusanBordo,'AnorexiaNervosa:
Psy.hopathology
asthe Crystallizationof Culture,"philosophicalForum'vol. xvII, No. 2, winrer r9g5-g6,
pp.73*104. seealsoBordo,sFood,Fashionand
Bodyand TheReproduction
of Gender(forthcoming,
v. of california press).
,^
tJ. *:*'!e
urn toaay,May 30. I995.
14' Phrasetakenfrom
the title of Kim Chernin's Tbe obsession:
Reflections
on the Tyrannyof Slenderzen(NewYork:Harperand Row,
1981),an examinarionfrom a freministperspective
of woment
eatingdisordersand of the currenr
femalepreoccupation
with body size.
tf" n, Thet5-Minute-A-DayNatu)arFace (Newyork:
Lif
\farner tsooks,r981).
l2 roPhra
Y-{
'v'
Loren,Womenand Beauty(New york: William
Morrow, l9g4), p. 57.
110
17. Iris Young,
"Throwing
Like a Girl: A Phenomenologyo€Feminine Body Comportment, Moriliry and Spatialitv,"Human Studies,Vol. 3, (1980), pp. 137*15G.
18. Marianne Wex, Let's TizkeBach Our Space: "Female" and "Ma/e" Body Language as a Result of patriarchal Structures(Berlin: FrauenliteraturvelagHermine Fees,I 979). Wex claims thar
Japanese
women are still taught to position their feet so that the toes point inward, a traditional sign of
(p. 23).
submissiveness
"female
19. In heels,the
foot and leg are turned into ornamental objectsand the impractical shoe,
which offers little protection againstdust, rain and snow, induceshelplessness
and dependence.
. . . The extra wiggle in the hips, exaggeratinga slight narural tendency, is seen as sexually flirtatious while the smaller stepsand tentative, insecuretread suggestdaintiness,modesry and refinement. Finally, the overall hobbling effect with its sadomascl.ristic
tinge is suggestiveof the
restrainingleg irons and ankle chainsendured by capriveanimals,prisoncrsand slaveswho were
also festoonedwith dccorativesymbolsof their bondage."SusanBrownmlller, Feminini? (New
York: Sirnon ar.rdSchuster,1984), p. 184.
20. Nanry Henley, Body Politics(Englewood CliFfs,N.J.: Prentice-Hall,1977),p. 176.
21 . I;<';ran account of thc sometimesdcvastatingeffcctson workers, like tlight amendanrs,whose
conditior.rsof employment require the di.splayof a perpetualfriendliness,seeArlie Hochschild,
7'he Managed Hrart:'l-hc Commarcialization oJ'Human Iecling ([3erkclcy,Califl,: University o[
California Press,I 983).
22. Henlev, llody Politics,p. 108.
2 3 . I b i d . ,p . 1 4 9 .
24. Cllairolhasjust introduceda small elecrricshaver,the "Bikini," apparentlyintended for just such
25. Ceorsettc Klinger and lJarbaraRowes, GeorganeKlinger'sSkincare(New York: William Morrow,
1 9 7 8 ,p p . 1 0 2 , 1 0 5 , 1 5 i l , 1 8 8 ,a n d p a s s i m .
26. ChicagoMagazine,March I 986, pp. 43, 10, 18, and 62.
27. Essence,
April 1986, p.25.1am indebted to Laurie Shragefor calling rhis to my attention and for
proviclingmost of theseexanrples.
28. Klingca Skincare,p;>. 137-140.
2 9 . I n l i g h t o f t h i s ' o n e i s s u r p r i s e d t o s eaet w o - o u n c c j a r o f " s k i n R e g e n e r a t i o n F o r m u l a , " a " P r o tcolytic Enzyme Cream with Bromelain and Papain," selling for g23.95 in rhe tabloid Globe
(April 8' 1986, p. 29) and an unidentified amount of Tova Borgninek "amazing new formula
from Beverlv Hills" (otherwiseunnamed) going for $41 .75 in the National Enquirer (April 8,
I 986,p. I 5).
"lt
is requiredof woman that in order to realizeher femininiry she must make herselfobject and
30.
prey,which is to say that she must renounceher claims as sovereignsubject." SimoneDe Beauuoir The SecondSex(New York Bantam Books, I 9G8), p.642.
31' The film Pumping lron II portraysvery clearly the tension for female bodybuilders (a tension thar
entersinto formal judging in the sport) beween musculardevelopmentand a properly feminine
apPearance.
)2.
e?
J+.
Henley,BodyPolitics,
p. 101, 153,and passim.
Foucault,Disciplineand Punish,p. 222.
Millnran, Sucha PrettyFace,p. 80. Thesesorts of remarksare madeso commonly to heary
women that sociologist
Millman takesthe most clichddastirle oFherstudyof the livesof the
overwelgnt.
35. I am indebted to Nancy Fraserfor rhe formulation of rhis point.
Foucault,Femininitr
36. SeeChaPter3.
37. Mrllman, Sucha I
38. Chernin, TheObs,
39. SeeChapter3.
40. For a claim that th,
AinTIWoman:Bla,
thoritativegeneral
Natare(Totowa,N
N
41. See,for example,
enand Philosophy,,
1976,pp. 165-16(
42. Foucault,Disciplin
43. Someradicalfemir
dg, TheLesbianBt
45. Foucault,
Colin Gc
"Power
and Subjec
46. Dews,op. cit., p. 7
4 8 . I b i d .p, . 2 0 t .
49. Foucault,Pou,er/Kr
an excellent
disr
a consistent
setof'<
'Young
Conservari,
50. Dews,op. cit.,p. 9
51. SeeMarciaHutchi
mansburg,
N.Y.:C
theCrysrallization
JDRA LEE BARTKY
Comportment, Motile as a Resuh of Pa'ex
claims that Japanese
"d, a rraditional sign of
d the impracticalshoe,
;snessand dependence.
s seen as sexually flirtainess, modesry and rerge is suggestiveoF the
:rs and slaveswho were
niller, Fem in izi4r (New
7),p. 176.
ight attendants,
whose
;, seeArlie Hochschild,
:y,Calif.:Universiryof
y intcnded [or just such
York: William Morrow,
to my attention and for
rtion Forrnula,"a
"Pro-
)5 in the abloid Globe
"amez.ing
new formula
ronal Entluirer (April 8,
make herselIobjectand
lect." Simone De Beaurbuilders(a tensionthat
rnd a properly feminine
so commonly to heavy
;tudy of rhe lives of the
Foucault, Femininity, and the Modernization of parriarchal power
lll
36. SeeChapter3.
37. Millman, Sucha PrenyFace,pp.80 and 195.
p. 53.
38. Chernin, TheObsession,
Chapter
See
3.
39.
"mainsrream"
40. For a claimthat the projectof liberalor
feminismis coverrlyracisr,seeBell Hooks,
Ain't I woman:Blach.women
and Feminism(Boston:south End press,r 9g 1),chap. 4. For
an au_
rhoritativegeneralcritique of Iiberalfeminism,seeAiison
Feministpoliticsand Human
Jaggar,
Nature(Totowa'N.J.:RowmanandAllanherd,l9g3), chaps.3 and7.
for example,
see,
MihailoMarkovic,"'women's
41.
[.iberation
"nd Hu-rn Emancipation
,', in womenand Philosoph1,
ed.carol c. Gould and Marx w. wartofsky (New york: G. p putnam,s
sons,
r 9 7 6 ,p p . 1 6 5 - 1 6 6 .
42. Foucauh,Disciplineand Punish,p.30.
43' SomeradicalFeminists
havecalledfor just sucha deconstrucrion.
Seeespecially
Monique\Vittig' TheLesbianBody(Newyork: Avon Books,1976),and Btrrrer,GentJerTioubre.
44. Foucault,Disciplineand Punish,p. 44.
colin Gordon, ed-,power/Knowredge
4 ) . Foucaulr,
(Brigrrton,19g0),p. r 5l.
euoted in peterDews,
'Powe
r and.Subjectiviry
in Foucaur
r," New Lefi Reuiew,
No. l 44, March-April r9g4,p. 17.
op. crt..p. / /.
46. urJews,
47. Foucault,Disciplineand Punish,p. l3g.
48. I b i d . p, . 2 0 1 .
49. Foucault,I)ower/Knowledge,
p. 98. In fact,Foucaultis nor entirclyc.nsisrenron this point.
For
an excellent
discussion
o€contending
Foucaultinterpretations
and for the clifficulryof deriving
a consiste
..Michel
nt setoFclaimsfrom Foucaultls
work generaily,
seeNancy F.raser,
Foucault:A
'Young
Conservarivc'?"
Ethia,Vol. 9(?)Ocrober19g5,pp. 165_lg4.
50. Dews,op. cit.,p.92.
5 r.SeeMarcia Hutchin'son,Transforrning
BodyImage-[,earning to Louethe Bodyyou Haue(-frumansburg'N'Y': CrossingPress,1985).SeealsoBordo,"Anorexia
psychopathology
Nervosa:
as
the Crystall
iz.:rtion
of Culture."

Bartky, MF and Patriarchal Power

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