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Nazia Manzoor

Bidita Rahman

ENG 510

16 April 2015

Body as an object of culture: Self-debilitating female power through diet chart

Dieting is a special course of food to which one restricts oneself, either to lose weight or for

medical reasons. self -control is the main part of dieting. The medical institutions motivate

women to participate on the basis of health. The media institution does the same with the image

of an unreachable beauty. Media internalize multiple forces that surround the life of women.

Media do not repress any natural femininity but create an idea of femininity. Because this is a

construct, these forces have to find ways to maintain the ideal through reconstruction. Every

reconstruction of femininity has us focusing on women’s looks. This functions to support

hegemonic masculinity and a patriarchal culture because it keeps women from participating in

other activities. In this paper my endeavor is to analyze the gender inequality, celebrity diet

chart, harmful effect of anorexia of ‘size zero’ body, diet chart of upcoming marriage

particularly for women with the help of different feminist theories written by Susan bordo,

Gilbert and Gubar and Helene Cixous. Furthermore, the theme of appearance versus reality is

explored through various diet food and drinks such as dark chocolate, honey, lemon, green tea

incorporating with ideological conflict . We will realize that focusing entirely on looks is time-

consuming. If women consider their power to exist in how their body look and they respond to

the rewards of that position they add to their own oppression, even if does not feel like it. Not

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conforming to the expectations is difficult. The incorporation of rebellion by institutions through

the reconstruction of femininity makes it difficult to gain meaningful change.

Now-a-days food chart determines gender inequality. In the bangle magazine called

‘prescription’ written by Dr. Badrudduza Chowdhury deals with various health tips which are

essential for human body. The feature called nature care’ published on 07 February 2015 how to

cure renal stone without surgery. The article describes ten reasons of renal-stone. The one of the

reasons is to drink excessive coffee more than thrice in a day. In this case, the article published a

picture of a pretty young lady who drinks coffee holding a mug. As we know, coffee is a

popular drink, particularly in western world. Furthermore, it is a healthy drink for both adult

male and female for removing tiredness .But the image of a young lady indicates that women

drinks coffee more than men. In other words, It also indicates that drinking coffee excessively is

bad specially for women. The message which they try to convey that through image is not the

real cause of renal-stone. In this case, constructivist’s view can be applied which indicates that

culture determines gender. By doing so, the image of a young lady drinking a cup of coffee is

culturally constructed. On the other hand, Researchers found that men are more victimized than

women and the ratio is 3:1.After passing the age of forty, men can be attacked by renal-stone. In

case of women, the age limit is more than fifty years old. There is an inequality between the

researcher’s discovery and the image published on the magazine called ‘prescription.( The

prescription, 24-25).

The essay called “The Madwomen in the Attic” Gilbert and Gubar stated that “ Women in the

many ways are considered as inferiorized and the germ of a dis-ease or, at any rate, a

dissatisfaction , a disturbance, a distrust….”This theory is comparable with another article where

the researchers suggested that drinking excessive milk can be in increased the possibility of death

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of women. Therefore, women should not drink milk more than thrice in a day(Prescription , 41).

In other words, the researchers shows that women should not eat less to save her life rather than

men .Men do not need to care about their fitness because having excessive meal is not death

leading practice for them.

On the other hand, sometimes celebrities are criticized by their fatty figure. The famous actor

Bipasha Basu was not always conscious about what she eats and was called fatty in early years

but after realizing the importance of a fit and shapely body she changed her diet and workout

plans. She now follows a disciplined and simple five meals a day diet plan to stay energized and

healthy.

Bipasha Basu’s diet plan includes-

Her day starts with a glass of lukewarm water followed by a cup of tea and overnight

soaked almonds.

Bipasha likes 6 egg whites, fresh fruits and toast with porridge and a glass of skimmed

milk

For lunch she has grilled chicken, salad and 2 soya chapattis with a bowl of dal and

veggies.

For evening snack she has a cup of tea with digestive biscuits

For dinner she prefers grilled or steamed fish, green salad, dal and 2 chapattis with 3

veggies cooked in olive oil followed by a small desert

She avoids all kinds of junk food and rice

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She drinks a lot of water and coconut water throughout the day to keep her hydrated and

to keep her skin glowing .(

http://workoutinfoguru.com/bipasha-basu-workout/#ixzz3VDsZTPhP)

Bipasha eats chapattis instead of rice. She eats rice only on the day of her birthday which

indicates that she sacrifices her deshi food for the sake of maintaining her slim body as a famous

actress.Her desire to take sweet is strictly prohibited while controlling body weight. When my

body craves sugar I eat an apple. It’s like a quick fix. “When I eat wrong my trick is never to feel

guilty just go burn it! I love desserts but now I am not having any sweets for a month.” The

female terminology called ‘sweet sixteen’ is not matched with the practice of giving up

sweet(dessert).

According to Gilbert and Gubar, “Through childhood a young girl is educated may be sickening

in a specific way .Learning to become a beautiful object, the girl learns anxiety about- perhaps

even loathing of - her own flesh. Peering obsessively into the real as well as metaphorophic

looking glasses that surround her, she desires literally to ‘reduce’ her own body. In this case ,the

concept of ‘size zero’ figure emerged which is one can be called ‘obsession with thinness’.

Size zero means having a bust size of 31.5 inches, 23 inches waist and 32 inches hip. To get this

figure crash diet is a most common option among women but the best diet for size zero need not

be a no-diet food! Size zero diet plan has become a trend among women who want to look lean

and skinny. Kareena Kapoor's size zero made the term a famous one after she got this figure after

a diet plan for her role in Tashan.The dazzling heroine Kareena kapoor with her zero-size figure

since 2007 was not born like this. Before starting her career in Bollywood, Kareena used to be a

real chubby Punjabi girl.Under the supervision of popular dietician and nutritionist Rujuta

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Diwekar (Mumbai based celebrity nutritionist), Kareena followed a strict nutritional diet and

fitness programs to become slim and the result is not hidden to anyone. Within a year, she

became an epitome of fitness for millions of young people struggling to lose weight. Quitting

cheese, butter, paranthas, pasta and Thai and Chinese cuisines, which are her all-time favourite

food items, was in no way easy to her. But firmly determined to attain zero-size figure, she

substituted her favourite foods with nutritious foods like soups, salads, yogurt, vitamins, minerals

and low calorie food.

o Eat 500 calories and work out for 2 hours to reduce the twice amount of fat

consumed

o Prefer having water, coconut water and nuts for snacks and electoral to stay active

and hydrated. It is very important to stay well hydrated if you are following a size

zero diet chart.

o Green vegetables rich in Vitamins, proteins, minerals, magnesium, iron and

calcium constitute size zero diet chart. Green leafy vegetables like spinach,

broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, lettuce to name a few are healthy and nutritious.

Whole grains and cereals are recommended as they are less in calories and

fat. Whole grains like oats, barley flakes, wheat, whole wheat pasta etc are

preferable.

o Avoid rice. Have chapatis to avoid gaining unwanted fat. Include legumes, dals,

fish and sometimes egg in the size zero diet chart.

Avoid having junk, oily and fast made food items as they are not only

heavy on weight but also digestion. Go for low fat dairy products in size

zero diet chart to prevent putting on weight.

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Soups like cabbage soup and other vegetables soup are healthy. It fills our

stomach and is nutritious too.

Have salads and fresh fruits to get proper nutrition supply. Follow a

workout regime to help as a diet plan is not just enough to lose weight.

o Size zero diet chart excludes all the fat food which almost everyone loves like

chocolates, cakes, street chaats etc.

Through this ‘size zero’ diet chart carbohydrates and animal protein are excluded.Both

carbohydrates( rice, ruti ) and protein gives nutrition which provides energy to our

body.Ironically, this diet chart states that women do not need energy in order to fit herself.

Refraining from energetic diet women can hold their beauty as well as sexy skinny figure.

Energy and the essence of beauty are conflicted with each other.

By practicing this diet chart,women are suffer from self-destructive female disease of

‘anorexia.’ .In the essay called “The Body and the reproduction of Feminity” Susan bordo

argues that the bodies of women suffering from hysteria(extreme emotional excitability),

agoraphobia( inability to enter public places) , and anorexia( inability or refusal to eat)

demonstrate the feminine gender constructs of a certain period in time.The decline in hysteria

and the recent rise in anorexia point to changes in the cultural nexus within which bodies are

produced. “Bordo argues that the body does not have a fixed and enduring nature; bodies are

plastic and change in response to the social demands placed on them .”

According to Foucault, power does not work in a top down fashion. Power works in like a net in

society, and it is exercised through a set of practices. It not only inhibits, it also produces and

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reproduces. The idea of femininity is constantly transforming and power which comes in the

form of diagnosis targets the female body. It wants to improve and control the body. While our

culture is heavily shaped by images of thin and submissive women in the media, it only gives us

a visual representation of thinness. The media provides an image that supports what is

considered the ideal. When the image is applied to the body through dieting, it serves a function

in culture. The meaning behind the anorexia is a political one and a pathway to the feeling of

power. The anorectic wants to fit into another world not originally offered to her. In this world

she seeks an advantage. Therefore, When a woman controls her food in order to fit into a

standard of beauty, she may actually feel a sense of power. This power is actually privilege that

comes with the victory of suiting a normalized gender identity. So this so-called liberation is

only securing the binaries. The feeling of power is coming only from the praise of the patriarchal

institutions that surround her. The reality is that the institutions, in their ability to praise and

reward, have the power. At this point we can mention the point of Bordo by stating that

“Pathologies of resistance” mark the ways individual women both insert their bodies into the

network of practices, institutions, and technologies within which bodies are produced and

struggle against those very networks.”However, this contradictory mode of struggle denotes the

harmful effect of ‘size zero’ body which discovers that a woman stands between life and death

by following the ‘size zero’ diet.

The movement against ‘size zero movement occurred after the death of Luisel Ramos from

anorexia in August, 2006, Madrid Fashion Week banned size zero models the following month,

and the Milan fashion show took the same action shortly afterward, banning models with a body

mass index (BMI) of 18 or below. As a result, five models were banned from taking part. Italian

fashion labels Prada, Versace and Armani have agreed to ban size zero models from their

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catwalks. As of 2007, the British Fashion Council promoted the creation of a task force to

establish guidelines for the fashion industry. They also urged fashion designers to use healthy

models. An Italian inquiry reported in September 2007 that up to 40 percent of models could

have an eating disorder and made a number of suggestions to promote health, yet ruled out a ban

on size-zero models. Under the new self-regulation code drawn up in Italy by the government

and designers. all models in future shows will be "full bodied, healthy and radiant Mediterranean

types". Larger sizes 14 and 16 - would also be introduced into shows and all models under the

age of 16 would also be banned. Fashion designer Giorgio Armani has given support to the effort

to eliminate ultra-thin models. "The time has now come for clarity. We all need to work together

against anorexia."

In September 2010, Victoria Beckham banned size zero models from her New York Fashion

Week runway show. Herself a size two (UK size 6) at 36 years old, she reportedly barred 12

models from appearing in her show after deeming them "too skinny". Her fashions will be

modelled by "healthy girls who look 'realistic' to encourage a positive image to impressionable

teens."

Israel banned underweight models in March 2012. Their law stipulates that women and men

hired as models must be certified by a physician as having a body mass index (BMI) of no less

than 18.5. The legislation also requires the inclusion of an informational note in adverts using

photos manipulated to make models look thinner. There were divergent views on the ban within

the Israeli fashion industry. One modelling agent, who had helped promote the bill, suggested

that the fall in typical dress sizes for models in the preceding 15–20 years amounted to "the

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difference between death and life". However, another described the law as "arbitrary" and "not

appropriate for every model".

The society always pushes women to reduce wait through dieting, particularly for marriage. In

other words, beauty plays an important role regarding marriage. The researchers suggest a diet

chart for women who want to get married soon through case study. According to case study,

Rina (Pseudo name) wants to get married within one month. But she is tensed about her obesity.

Moreover, she wants to loose at least five kg within a month. In her case, The researchrs propose

a diet chart which is for upcoming marriage. They advise not to loose wait more than one pound

in a week. This diet chart incorporates with honey ,lemon, vegetable, black and green tea without

sugar, rice, ruti ,salad , daal and biscuit(vegetable crackers). This chart is made up without

animal protein, chicken and so on. As we know that it is a special diet chart for women for the

sake of taking preparation before marriage ,we never see any diet chart for men who want to get

married. It indicates that in case of marriage, physical beauty plays an important

role ,particularly for women .men do not need to be handsome while getting married. This diet

chart indicates that animal protein is strictly prohibited when women want to loose weight within

a very short period of time. On the other hand, milk, egg and chicken are the healthy source of

protein which provide proper nutrition. By avoiding these food, women might suffer from

various diseases anemia, calcium insufficientiancy and so on. Furthermore, this diet chart creates

an apparent ideology that women need less animal protein than men. Men have animalistic

attitude which refers power, authority and autonomy.

Like Foucault, “Bordo focuses on the discourses through which society produces ,understands,

defines and interprets the female body .Social codings of beauty, of motherhood, of sexual

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modesty or its opposite place the individual woman in relation to the prevailing images and

conventions.”The birth of a child is an incredible and joy-giving experience for women.

Throughout their life span ,they allow to gain weight during the time of pregnancy. Even the

celebrity can not escape from this norm which refers the universal truth of ‘motherhood’. It is

quite impossible to to forget the superbly curvaceous Shilpa Shetty from the ‘shut up and Bounce

Babe’ song of ‘Dostana’ movie .When she got pregnant she described herself as a small

elephant. She added whole milk and ghee to her food chart. Moreover ,she consumed about 2200

calories per day. The diet chart of post delivery is given below:

DIET POST DELIVERY :

Starting her day with a glass of amla juice and a plate of papaya empty stomach

Two whole eggs – omelette, boiled or scrambled after half an hour

Between lunch and breakfast, drink a glass of tender coconut water

Cut down rice intake from a large bowl to a small bowl, and instead of four rotis,eat

two

Lunch consists of brown rice or two quinoa rotis, daal, fish, a green vegetable and

egg burji

A glass of slim dahi buttermilk after two hours

Tea in the evening with brown sugar, walnuts and cashew, a slice of cheese and

Ryvita crisps

A lettuce salad filled with veggies, a turkey slice and olive oil for dinner / salmon

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As a result, her weight was 80 kg. According to Shilpa, “Nursing a baby allows the mother to

burn 500 calories per day .Crash dieting slows down the metabolism, affects the child’s health

and makes it more difficult to loose weight. It can also leave you irritable and lead to postpartum

depression. She concludes with an important message for all new moms “New moms feel that

they have let themselves go. I don’t see any reason to feel sad about your figure. Weight gain is a

natural process and you must take your time to nurse the baby. If your schedule doesn’t allow

you to exercise, it is still possible to lose 75 per cent of the baby weight just by eating a balanced

diet.” But aim for it only after the first four months.”So to speak, women are permitted to gain

weight when the give birth to new life. Getting weight for the sake of others is the one of ways of

decreasing their power as a superior group.

No one talk about the harmful effect of ‘obesity in pregnancy’. Sometimes gaining over weight

increases the possibility of diabetes in pregnancy. With few exceptions, women are expected to

gain weight during their pregnancy, because their bodies must be able to support a baby’s

growth. However, how much weight a woman should gain depends on her pre -pregnancy

weight. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists advises that overweight

women, or those with a BMI of 25 to 29.9, should gain around 10 pounds less than the average

woman, or between 15 and 25 pounds. In contrast, an obese woman with a BMI of over 30

should only gain between 11 and 20 pounds for her entire pregnancy.

There are various foods which indicate different ideology regarding the mode of feminism.

According to Cixous, “ Dark is dangerous .You can’t see anything in the dark”. Men always try

to put women into the darkness although they are afraid of dark African women. Darkness

creates two-fold struggles between ‘physical darkness’ and ‘mental darkness’. Men are afraid of

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physical darkness which determines that black is not beautiful. Furthermore, they want to see

women in a confine room where they secretly haunt since childhood. This mental darkness

refrains women to exercise their voice, power, autonomy, creativity in the society. However,

‘dark chocolate’ celebrates this literally mental darkness associating with women. The

researchers found that having ‘dark chocolate’ once in a day is helpful to reduce weight.It also

increases the intelligence of infant while staying in mother’s womb. Moreover, dark chocolate

looks jet black in the same way of looking like a African woman. But the difference is that

African dark women is not widely acceptable like ‘dark chocolate’ .So to speak, darkness is

inevitable part of analyzing the concept of feminism.

On the other hand, Honey with lemon can be considered as the relationship of siblings in the

domain of dieting.Honey is sweet in taste but it can help women to loose their weight.The lemon

is sour in taste but helpful to reduce weight. The ideology is that the sweet taste of honey can not

stand alone without the intervention of lemon which is sour in taste. In other words, The theme

of appearance versus reality is remarkably applicable while discussing the diet food and drinks.

Obsession with green tea is another kinds of drinks which helps women to control their weight is

bitter in taste. We come to the point that what we see in the women is not her original

identity .Women try to reshape their body by sacrificing foods and drinks which are not good in

taste. In other words, women can reconstruct their body , mind and life inhabiting with tasteless

stuff.

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Feminism needs to focus on the everyday practices associated with the body and use them in

resistance to gender constructions instead of seeking power in conforming to gender roles. .

Feminism would benefit from paying attention to the way they use their bodies in everyday life

since it conveys meaning with discipline, time, and transformation.