ABSTRACT
The female body as politically mediated is the focus of Chapter 3. Here, the author examines how ideas about the female body affect women’s lives and how these ideas develop within the psyche of women and manifest themselves in destructive ways, namely through the development of psychological maladies such as anorexia. Touching upon the work of Michael Foucault on the “docile” body and Judith Butler’s theory on gender performativity, this chapter explores the notion that we are conditioned by our environments to perform according to a very narrow definition if we are to attain cultural legitimacy. Incorporating the work of Marion Woodman and her therapy work with patients suffering from eating disorders, the idea that “fat” equates to cultural illegitimacy and social exclusion is explored. The idea that women are engaged in a slender performance is suggested and unpacked. The final pages of this chapter reflect upon the notion of a ritual of transformation, setting the scene for exploring ritual as a mechanism within which we can rework these destructive performances into authentic and empowering acts. The Goddess as an empowering image for women is suggested when drawing upon the Goddess as a psychologically meaningful metaphor as developed within the work of Naomi Goldenberg.
