The Wellness Syndrome

As stated in the “The Wellness Syndrome” written by Carl Cederström and André Spicer, dedication to wellness is in fact an indulgence on oneself.  What does this mean exactly? Well, between eating healthy, exercising, maintaining enough sleep and so on, "wellness" is not necessarily something that is easy to achieve.  The article refers to it as syndrome because as discussed in my last blog post, it has become a standard of society that must be met to fit in.  People are beginning to feel that wellness is an ideology, especially noticeable in “the prevailing attitudes towards those who fail to look after their bodies. These people are demonised as lazy, feeble or weak-willed. They are seen as obscene deviants, unlawfully and unabashedly enjoying what every sensible person should resist”.  Words such as lazy and weak-willed such not be used to describe those who are not choosing to dedicate their life to wellness. These words are so hypocritical because often people don't have time to make sure they are eating right, exercising, and getting enough sleep, yet their focus remains on other things. If you talk to any graduate student, they will tell you maintaining a state of wellness is almost impossible with their course load. For those who do try to pursue the standard of being well, it is all about time management; entailing set times to prepare healthy meals and eat and strict exercise and sleep schedules. This societal ideal has become known as the wellness syndrome because wellness is being treated like there's no way around it. Wellness should be something you are constantly striving for in life. This is absolutely not true because it's not like it will kill you if you don't eat right or exercise enough but it does lead to a somewhat better lifestyle with the energy it is capable of giving you. Wellness is not something worth getting caught up in to the extremes; just because it is being portrayed as the "social norm" doesn't mean that's what's best for you in particular.  Wellness can be considered an indulgence because of the effort it entails.  It is a lot of work living up to societies standards! This article considers it to be such a negative thing because it is becoming so normal to want to have this lifestyle that people are putting off other things important in life just to meet the standard. Many people in today's day and age actually keep this as their number one priority which is most definitely considered self-indulgence. The level of wellness they are trying to achieve can almost be considered obsessive.  Trying to maintain a nice body while doing so in a heathy manner requires a lot which is such a good argument made by the authors of this article.  Why be so obsessive about this level of wellness?  This was a very interesting read and there is a book mentioned that I feel would definitely be worth reading because it goes into depth on this subject and before this article, I have never really thought of the ideal “wellness” being a bad thing.

Confidence

In his article “Why Confidence Is So Important (and How to Improve Yours)”, Eric Ravenscraft says the two main benefits of confidence are “confidence can be more important romantically than physical attractiveness” and “confidence early in life can mean upwards mobility at work”.  It is obvious that both of these categories are two things that will influence the rest of your life so having confidence, especially in these areas, is extremely advantageous.  The article further goes on to show many different aspects of your life where an improvement in confidence is pliable.  Some options include working out, dressing better, learning how to power poses, practicing how to explain things well, competing in things you know you can succeed in, fixing things you don’t like about yourself and more.  Reading this article made the concept of confidence seem very easy but in my opinion, it is something that takes time and practice; the more you are able to develop your confidence, the more it will benefit you.  In Eric’s definition of confidence, he also includes that moderation is necessary. “Confidence is knowing what you're good at, the value you provide, and acting in a way that conveys that to others. Contrast this with arrogance which typically involves believing you are better in a particular area than you are, or low self-esteem which involves believing you're less valuable than you think. The closer your self-assessment is to that reality in the middle, and the more you behave accordingly, the closer you are to displaying healthy confidence”.

In today's society, confidence is especially important because the world we live in has become so fixated on the concept of social shaming.  Although it is slightly improving, the media has only portrayed one kind of "perfect". Most often, appearance has the largest effect on one's confidence. We have grown up knowing that skinny, tall, clear skin, long hair, makeup, large breasts, etc. are standards we must meet to fit in but this is not true!  Why so many young girls spend so much time trying to live up to these unrealistic attributions to their appearance can solely be blamed on models, actors, the music industry, magazines, and other means of physical displays. The industry has however started to realize this problem and has initiated a change by incorporating models with freckles, red hair, "bigger" bodies, down syndrome, and different races. Overtime I believe this will help to increase the confidence level of many, especially young girls who so heavily base their life off of what other people think. At such a young age, it doesn't seem like there is any other option so they get dragged into the world of what society thinks and therefore have a low confidence level.  Because of society’s standards, the rate at which people must see counselors and psychologists is at an all-time high and it is usually a result of a lack of confidence.  The judgement people receive for not reaching social standards is in direct relation to their confidence level which is even further portrayed in the outside world, thus effecting relationships and future jobs as Eric said.  Confidence impacts a chain of events which is why it is so important.  Any break in the chain impacts the entire rest of the chain, just as in life, any negative impact on one aspect of your life is able to destroy your confidence as a whole.

Post 2: Cutting Desire

In regards to a treatment for people with BIID, I would strongly have to agree with Dr. Ray Blanchard in saying that there isn’t currently a humane method to deal with this and probably never will be.  Although I’m sure people with this condition would not like this notion, the only other way around it would be to go through these under-the-table doctors around the world performing these surgeries.  “There isn’t a single one of us that enjoys having this. We’re all trying to figure out how we got it and how to get rid of it. It’s a mental torture. And the only way to get rid of it is by getting the surgery” Alex says when discussing his BIID.   If I were to propose anything, it would be for these patients to attend counseling sessions or some form of therapy to help them cope with their circumstance, as this is much more logical than a dangerous self-inflicted disability or a doctor illegally performing the removal for you. I understand that this may be a mental illness but unlike depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, dementia, schizophrenia and many others, there is no medication or cure to improve this condition. “But I think they would be treated the same way anybody with a mental health problem would be treated”, says senior vice president Nancy Starnes of the National Organization on Disability.  I believe this to be one of the strongest statements in the article because although she advocates for those born with disabilities, she still has the same respect for those who wish to inflict a disabilities upon themselves.  Feeling the need to make yourself disabled most certainly sounds wrong in my perspective and like the article said, this probably would be frowned upon by many but after Newsweek did their research, it was found that “the advocacy groups contacted were reluctant to pass judgment”.  This is truly surprising! I also find it very astonishing that BIID is currently being considered for significant research funds.  Before reading this article, I had not even heard of this condition and “Josh’s” story in the opening paragraph took me off guard as I did not know what this article was about.  I find this condition very odd because I’m unable to wrap my head around how it is possible for people to have such a strong desire to lose a limb when there are disabled people who would do anything to have one.   This also can be applied to any of the other mental illnesses mentioned above, as I do not know what it’s like to go through any of those but when explained by friends and family who have had experiences with mental illness, it’s definitely a reality that there’s no escaping.  I suppose this is just the counselor side of me talking but at Sunshine Campus in Rochester, NY where I work over the summer, every single camper has a disability whether it be physical or mental and some of these kids with dysfunctional limbs or no limbs at all who rely on prosthetics would be appalled at these people with BIID who go to the highest extremes to be rid of an extremity. My insight regarding this phenomenon is first-hand and very biased in a way but I have yet to meet or talk with someone who has BIID so until that day comes, I am convinced I won’t be able to understand or relate to anyone with this condition.  I’ve only been exposed to the opposite point of view and that is where I firmly stand.

excessive bodies rough draft

“Health” is in the eye of the beholder.  It cannot be specifically defined because of its’ extensive multiplicity of comprisal.  In my opinion, excessive bodies do challenge the notion of “health” because the human anatomy is physically not supposed to look like some of those in which we’ve touched upon in class.  If you exercise to a certain extent in a natural way, that is one thing, but I personally disagree with steroid use and bodybuilding because it is simply an unhealthy tangent of today’s society.  These unnatural drugs and the breakdown of muscle on purpose would appall those of an earlier time where they were so fit only because they were forced to hunt down their own food in order to survive.

Roxanne Edwards both uses steroids and body builds but does not feel she retains the ideal body just yet.  In her interview with S. Adrian Massey, she talks about this idea of being “peeled”, a level in which she has not achieved but is working towards.  Some, including myself, would even consider her current physique of “shredded” as being excessive but again, this level of “health” is quintessential to her.  “You can be displayed elegantly, all your power, all your dignity, all your strength, all your grace, all your spirit, all your risks, everything you’ve ever done shows up on your physique” (Massey, interview).  I strongly disagree with her words in this statement because it is all too vague.  From looking at the photos that accompanied this interview, I do not see her body as elegant or graceful by definition.  On the opposite hand, the fact that I am clearly not a bodybuilder does not mean that I personally lack all of these qualities at a first glance.

Although they have their similarities, Roxanne Edwards is much different than Heather Cassils.  I’m not so much going to focus on the statement Cassils is making about being transgender, but the message she is putting out to the body building community and to the rest of the world.  This initially started with a photography project in collaboration with Robin Black but it was also stated “I did this work to explore the social expectations of what a "woman's" body could be pushed to” (Cassils).  In this circumstance, I would like to specifically focus on her steroid use.  The example I’d like to emphasize is from the short film “A traditional sculpture (video)”, in the scene where H. Cassils is laying on the ground and it seems as if there is an endless profusion of pills falling into her mouth.  This is so significant because she clearly states “I minimized the risk of taking steroids. I got blood tests before and after and I took half of the lowest dose recommended” (Cassils).  Even so, the amount of pills dropped into her mouth truly emphasizes the impact steroids will implement on the human body.  She was not able to get nearly as big as Roxi was yet when speaking of others reactions in and outside of the gym, she declared “This anger was one of the true indicators of success for me. I had achieved a confusing body that ruptured expectation” (Cassils).  She had reached her ideal body yet to people including Roxi, this was not good enough; to those including me, she was way too big! Thus it is proven, the notion of “health” and what a body should look like has absolutely no standards.  It veritably depends on who you ask.

On a last point, again focusing on the bodybuilding aspect that I believe to be unhealthy, Kathy Acker in her article titled “Against Ordinary Language: The Language of the Body” provides factual evidence which when closely looked at deems the act of bodybuilding “unhealthy”.  “I want to break muscle so that it can grow back larger, but I do not want to destroy muscle so that growth is prevented” (Acker, 22).  “Destroy” is a very explicit term in this context.  In this single sentence, it is implied that by bodybuilding, your body is worked to its extreme and even by slightly overworking the intended muscle group, you are putting your body at great risk of very serious damage.  What could possibly be “healthy” about this?  “I want to shock by body into growth; I do not want to hurt it. Therefore, in bodybuilding, failure is always connected to counting” (Acker, 23).  How does one know their limits when on this artificial drug?  With this enhancement, you are in a state of unknowing. “It became difficult to sense my limits: what was too much weight? The muscles could handle it, but what about the stabilizing joints and tendons?” (Cassils).  As Heather Cassils had only been taking a half-dose of the steroids and had these concerns, Kathy Ackers’ potential risk was through the roof.

People were not meant to use steroids and muscles are not meant to be broken down and rebuilt in order to be “healthier”.  If anything, I believe all three of these women primarily try to make themselves bigger, not for the aspect of “health” but in order to look good, according to them. I honestly do not believe any of them to be healthy but that is simply my opinion.  These bodies are too excessive.  To be healthy is to exercise and to be fit to an extent without any artificial use of drugs or excessive time spent at the gym.  The notion contains balance. 

Post 1: Roxi Edwards

Roxanne Edwards is, in fact, a super human.  After giving in to temptation, I looked at the images of this woman before watching the interview to see what all the hype was about and she looked pretty similar to what I had expected.  In the very beginning of the interview, she revealed that she didn't start working out until she was 30 years old.  Even further into this interview, she states "what made me start working out, I wanted to look good naked".  While I don't agree with her starting intentions nor the extent to which she has taken her physical being, I do respect her attempt to empower others, specifically African American women.

In the article "Hard Bodies" written by Stuart Ewen, a quote that distinctively stood out to me was "Despite all efforts, photogenic majesty is elusive".  Elusive defined is "difficult to find, catch, or achieve".  In class, we listed qualities on the board, in both men and women, that today's society defines as "attractive" including abs, the classic hourglass shape, boobs, facial hair, and more.  All these features may contribute to what Ewen depicts as "photogenic majesty" but the reason why this is so hard to achieve is because you must be have the whole package, not just merely one of these features.

In a sense, I believe Roxi is working toward the level considered photogenic majesty.  In the interview she states that she considers herself to be "shredded" but is working to the next and highest level: "peeled" where you can see all the fibers through her skin.  As read in "Against Ordinary Language: The Language of the Body" by Kathy Acker, body building is the process of working muscle groups to the point of breakdown so that they are able to rebuild themselves bigger and better.  Although I personally do not find this practice healthy nor appealing, I again go back to where Roxi started from.  In today's day and age, it is a desired quality to be fit and she has taken this physique to a whole new level as well as the rest of society involved in the practice of body building.  Being an African American woman who seemed to be looking for some type of self-achievement and empowerment, she advanced in her athleticism to prove a point which I believe to have begun with herself but I do believe her success with her body helped her to realize this defined her as something more than she originally thought she was and she could help others to see this as well.

As for Roxis' race, she tells the interviewer "so if you are like myself, it's harder because of course, yes, I'm darker... and even in regular media my complexion isn't marketable".  She proceeds to say she uses bodybuilding "not to define me but to help me to get other things to show women that they can be defined any way they feel like being defined".  I have a lot of respect for Roxi in the way that she approaches this because she is not only accepting of this reality but she is trying to encourage others who may be struggling with similar cases, to overcome their issues.