The Body Described

“Ideals” and “Non-ideals” in Diet Articles

Abstract

Today, we have many various descriptions of what constitutes the “ideal body, ” particularly in terms of being “slender.” In this essay, I would like to explore the details of such descriptions as they appear in special “diet” magazine issues. I believe that, through the actions of a power apparatus, we become aware of our “non-ideal” bodies. Then the desire for an “ideal” body is born within us. Moreover, descriptions of an “ideal body” call to mind an “ideal world, ” and by conforming to the demands of the “ideal body, ” we think we can participate in this “ideal world.” The described “body” affects real bodies: the various descriptions of the “ideal body” work to eliminate the variety in actual bodies. However, the possibility for real bodies to influence the paradigm of the described “body” must also be remembered.