Monday 3 April 2017

B = Body beautiful


I like to call this photo "Check out my chest"
Image credit: Wellcome Library
Body beautiful — we hear those words as a pair so often that their partnership has become a modern cliche. Yet for many of us (and I'm putting my hand up to be included here) they sit together more as an uncomfortable oxymoron than a cuddly duo. 

The pursuit of body beautiful powers the fitness industry, the fashion industry, the diet industry, the cosmetics industry, more than just a few bloody awful reality shows...and hordes of misguided hopefuls who suck in their guts for the camera like this dashing dude. 
Bless him.
Although I reckon he was probably going for the puffed pecs rather than the tummy tuck.

And yes, the pursuit of body beautiful also gives us the occasional media sweetheart, like Gok Wan. I'll truck no criticism of the lovely Aunty Gok — who is close to the top of my list of people I hope to see in full three-glorious-breathing-walking-talking-dimensions while I'm here in London... but I digress.


I Can't Help the Way I Feel 
British artist: John Isaacs, 2003
While body beauty may be deemed to be a matter of perception, surely even Aunty Gok would be challenged by John Isaacs's much larger than life headless, genderless sculpture in Wellcome's Medicine Now gallery
No amount of self-confidence, no quantity of glowing reassurance from strangers, no carefully posed photo shoot could make 'I' look good naked. 

The artist here represents what he calls 'the emotional landscape' of someone stigmatised by modern society's obsession with body beautiful and the obesity epidemic. 
And that someone may not be obese. That someone may just feel like the sculpture when they see themselves naked. 

Cleverly, the title applies to the viewer as much as the subject of the piece. Spend time in close proximity to this amorphous wax sculpture and you cannot help but feel. 
Disgust. Shame. Pity. Horror. Sorrow. Confusion. Guilt. Fascination. Revulsion. Any or all may surface.


Portrait of Daniel Lambert,  oil on canvas,
British, 19th Century
iPhone photo of painting displayed

In the 1820s, Englishman Daniel Lambert weighed over 50 stone/320kg, and measured 9 feet 4 inches/2.8m around the waist. 
He made his living by charging 1 shilling to view his bulk.
We don't have human sideshows anymore.
But have perceptions of body beautiful really changed that much?












During the month of April, I am participating in the Blogging from A–Z Challenge.

My posts will all feature images of and by the Wellcome Collection, Euston, London: the free destination for the incurably curious.

29 comments:

  1. very thought provoking post. I found the first photo equally disturbing as the sculpture because it seemed so contrived.

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    1. Poor fella... he probably thought he looked stunning. Equivalent to a vintage duck-faced selfie?

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  2. 'We don't have human sideshows anymore' but we do have Kardashians, and that is almost the same thing.

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    1. Dead right. I have to confess I am totally ignorant about the Kardashian circus, but people certainly pay more than a shilling to be in their presence, don't they.

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  3. I found the sculpture disturbing and yet fascinating at the same time. We have got to learn to ignore the media and accept ourselves for who we are, although that's often easier said than done
    Debbie

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    1. Whilst I can rationalise that you are completely right, Debbie, I confess to being one of those who see 'I' in the mirror daily.

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  4. I guess gross obesity still gets noticed (even after poor Daniel Lambert's day) because it's not the "norm" and anything outside our "norm" gets attention. At the same time I think we are far to fascinated with beautiful bodies and should instead be attracted to beautiful souls. BTW thanks for figuring out my Midlife Blogging "B" post :)
    Leanne | cresting the hill

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    1. Poor Norm. (Remember 'Life Be In It' Norm?)
      Somehow what we look at every day doesn't seem to support the notion that beauty is more than the visible, does it?

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  5. What a great series of posts this is turning out to be. "Curiouser and curiouser" Alice cried.
    My theme: Life on the farm in the 50s and 60s
    Carmel G from
    Earlier Years

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    1. Thank you, Carmel. And how perfect is your response! Having a cuppa now, and wishing I had one of those crunchy ginger bickies to go with it.

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  6. Thought provoking post. Honestly, I do not think it has changed much. I have been hard on myself and I'm still learning. But no, I still do not like my body much, however childish that may sound.
    Thailand Travel Stories at Kohl Eyed Me
    26 Indian Dishes at Something's Cooking

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    1. Not childish at all.
      In my view, just human.
      Looking forward to trying some of your dishes.

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  7. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  8. (Gad, I hate HTML sometimes...)

    This is the kind of question that makes you think hard - and then squirm at what you find out. Good stuff, thank you. :-)

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    1. I'm so glad you stuffed up that HTML thingy... makes me feel so much better about myself.
      And I didn't mean to make you squirm. Truly.

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  9. "But have perceptions of body beautiful really changed that much?" am afraid so.... that much and more!

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    1. Thanks for dropping by and leaving your point of view. But I do wish you'd told me a little more about in what ways you think perceptions have changed. I love hearing from people who visit me.

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  10. The obsession with the superficial has been around since the Garden of Eden. It's just another symptom of a sick world. The thing is, even if you try to resist, to live against the grain, it can be a real battle to resist such a pervasive negative. It upsets me to hear about people spending thousands of dollars on 'vanity' surgery, but I think we should do what we can to make ourselves look and therefore feel beautiful.
    btw I thought 'chest guy' looked pretty cool. I'm not sure why he needed to take his pants off to show off his chest though.

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    1. LOL... good point... maybe I should have called him Lost Pants Guy. One of my daughter's perfectly normal teenage friends is asking her parents for plastic surgery for her 18th birthday... sigh...
      ]It's tough out there.

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  11. This was fascinating! And you raise such intriguing questions too. So much to think about here. Thank you.

    B is for… beasts, blues and border control/Parenting in the Wilderness

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    1. It's an amazing inspirational museum. I'm enjoying myself and just hoping a ferw others will come along for the ride.
      thanks for taking the time to visit and comment.

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  12. I agree with the earlier comment, some of the reality shows seem like the modern version of human side shows.

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  13. When I read the phrase human side shows, I instantly thought of TV shows, especially reality shows. "I" is scary. And also, there's a weird fascination with the sight of anyone who isn't considered "normal" by general standards. I like how you've researched this, Wendy! I'd like to go to Wellcome!

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    1. I love a bit of research... and have been working as a museum curator for a couple of years, hence my new obsession.
      'normal' is scary too....

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  14. Love that sculpture. I work hard to push past my insecurities about my body, but I don't think they'll ever quite go away. Some days are worse than others though; some days I don't want to show myself to the world even fully clothed.
    http://bit.ly/2otsrej

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    1. I hear you. I have those days too.
      thanks for stopping by. I'm really pleased that other people are finding our journey through Wellcome interesting.

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  15. That bloke in the first photo looked odd sucking himself in like that and puffing out his chest. That sculpture was a bit odd, was it showing some sort of body dysmorphia or something as I could only make out the legs!!! (I am so rubbish at interpreting art)!

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