THE EYES OF THE BEHOLDER

THE EYES OF THE BEHOLDER: HOW BEAUTY IS DEFINED AND HOW IT INFLUENCES BODY IMAGE AND SELF ESTEEM IN WOMEN
Instructors: Camille Kingsolver chk6@duke.edu
& Yasmine Tameze-Rivas
Wednesdays 7:00pm – 8:15pm

This course aims to explore the concept of beauty and how it is perceived differently in various facets of society. We will examine how beauty is portrayed in the media, how it is defined by different cultural groups and how beauty ideals have evolved over time. We will also analyze the influence of beauty ideals on female body image and self esteem, paying close attention to the relationship between body image and eating disorders. The goal of this course is to guide students in broadening their definitions of beauty through discussion and exploration. We hope that by the end of the course each student will have a personalized definition of beauty that is wholesome and dynamic. This course will emphasize positive action that each of us can take in society to promote healthy beauty ideals.

Assessment:
This will be a pass/fail class with required reading and required writing assignments every week. Reading assignments are expected to be completed before coming to class, along with a 250 word critique of the assigned chapters or articles, in order to facilitate meaningful discussion. A separate critique is not required for each article, but for each class. The critique should not be a summary of the reading but an analysis of the claims or ideas presented in the readings. Students are required to attend 11 of the 12 class meetings and are expected to be engaged participants in discussion and activities. Grades will be based on writing assignments and participation.

Class Structure:
We will begin each class with a short video clip to spark discussion of the day’s topic. After discussing the video and reading assignments we will end class with a short creative activity (arts and crafts, etc.) related to the topic.

Class 1: September 2 (Franca Alphin will be present)
Introduction to the concept of beauty
What does beauty mean to you? How does media shape our beauty ideals?

Class 2: September 9 (Franca Alphin will be present)
The concept of beauty across culture and time
Readings:
“Food, Bodies and Growing up Female: Childhood Lessons about Culture, Race and Class” Becky Thompson Feminist Perspectives (355-375)

“Body Projects” Joan J. Brumberg The Body Project (97-137)

Class 3: September 16
Beauty as we age
Readings:
“Introduction: First Person Sexual” Naomi Wolf Promiscuities (1-16)

“The Body’s New Timetable” Joan J. Brumberg The Body Project (3-55)


Class 4: September 23
Body Alterations: makeup, tattoos and plastic surgery
Readings:

“Changing Faces” Time. Cullen, Lisa Takeuchi. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,332097,00.html (approx. 3 pgs.)
“Does cosmetic surgery improve psychosocial wellbeing?” David J Castle, Roberta J Honigman and Katharine A Phillips (3 pgs.)
“The psychology of cosmetic surgery: a review and reconceptualization” Clinical Psychology Review. David B. Sarwer, Thomas A. Wadden, Michael J. Pertschuk and Linton A. Whitaker (Pages 1-22)
“The Relation between Self-Esteem, Sexual Activity, and Pregnancy.” Adolescence [0001-8449] Robinson (27 pgs.)


Class 5: September 30 (Franca Alphin will be present)
Eating Disorders
Readings:
“Hunger” Naomi Wolf Feminist Perspectives on Eating Disorders (94-110)

“The War Against Fat” Richard A. Gordon Eating Disorders: Anatomy of a Social Epidemic (146-151)
“Running Risks: Compulsive Exercise and Eating Disorders” Helen Jefferson Lensky Consuming Passions (91-108)

“Toward a New Model for the Prevention of Eating Disorders” Catherine M. Shisslak Feminist Perspectives on Eating Disorders (419-132)

Class 6: October 14 (Franca Alphin will be present)
Sports Ideals
Readings:
“The Female Athletic Triad: Disordered Eating, Amenorrhea, and Osteoporosis” Jeffrey M. Anderson, M.D. (647-652)
“Sports” Margo Maine Body Wars (1-17)

Class 7: October 21
Happy Bodies: how we celebrate our bodies
Readings:
“The Relationship of Yoga Body Awareness and Body Responsiveness to Self-Objectification and Disordered Eating” Jennifer J. Daubenmier (1-13)
Wanting to be Her: Body Image Secrets Victoria won’t Tell You. Michelle Graham. (entire book)
Class 8: October 28
Life at Duke: what does beauty mean on our campus?
Readings:
“Beauty as Status”. Murray Webster, Jr.; James E. Driskell, Jr. The American Journal of Sociology, Vol. 89, No. 1. (Jul., 1983), pp. 140-165. (25 pgs.)
“Gender Differences in Body Weight Perception and Weight-Loss Strategies of College Students .”
Contributors: Patricia Anne Connor-Greene PhD, Assistant Professor of Psychology, Department of Psychology, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, 29634-1511 (15 pgs.)

Class 9: November 4
Sex and Beauty
Readings:
“11 Reasons to Worship Your Body (and His)” Diane Ackerman (1-11)
“The Uses of the Erotic: The Erotic as Power” Audre Lorde (339-343)
“Swallowing Anger & Despair: the Impact of Physical and Sexual Abuse” Kathryn J. Zerbe The Body Betrayed (195-222)
Diann M. Ackard, Ann Kearney-Cooke, Carol B. Peterson. “Effect of body image and self-image on women's sexual behaviors.” International Journal of Eating Disorders VL: 28, NO: 4, 422-429. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. (8 pgs.)



Class 10: November 11
Religion, Body and Beauty
Readings:
“Starving for Salvation” Michelle Mary Lelwica (1-15) “Firm Believers? Religion, Body Weight, and Well-Being”. Kenneth F. Ferraro Review of Religious Research, Vol. 39, No. 3. (Mar., 1998), pp. 224-244. (21 pgs.)
“Religion and body weight.” K H Kim, J Sobal and E Wethington. Division of Nutritional Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA (9 pgs.)
Religion & health: a dose of spirituality can be good for your body - Spiritual Balance (3 pgs.)Vibrant Life, Jan-Feb, 2004 by Nellie Jones

Class 11: November 18
Characters: does Barbie make us feel fat?
Readings:
“Black Identity and Self-Esteem: A Review of Studies of Black Self-Concept” Annual Review of Sociology ¬(23 pgs.)
“Does Barbie make girls want to be thin? The effect of experimental exposure to images of dolls on the Body Image of 5- to 8-Year-Old Girls “ H Dittmar, E Halliwell, S Ive - Developmental Psychology, 2006 - science.uwe.ac.uk (10 pages)


Class 12: November 25 (Franca Alphin will be present)
Conclusions
What have we learned? On the last day of class each student will present their reflections. This presentation is open to interpretation; creative forms are encouraged.

Additional Reading:
Wasted: A Memoir of Anorexia and Bulimia. Marya Hornbacher.