Hunger As Ideology Susan Bordo Summary

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Susan Bordo's, "Hunger as Ideology" claims food advertisements target women and their relationship with hunger in forming, and then reinforcing, harmful gender ideologies. This shapes woman's perception of themselves thus, furthering the division of gender roles. I agree with Bordo that food advertisers target women through subjectivity, consequently reinforcing the "unquestioned notions about gender" (Bordo, p. 134). Commercials are constructing femininity into being defined as being passive through women's relationship with hunger and food while also furthering the idea that masculinity means being untamed and autonomous, free to feed all desires.

Bordo begins with a FibreThin commercial that portrays the notion that a woman being slim means …show more content…

More noticeably, their desire for food. For example, Dexatrim portrays women as craving food once their appetite suppressant has worn off and Bordo exemplifies how this reminds woman dieters of the "power" hunger has over them (103), the power of "gratification" and that is must be "sanctioned." This can be further analyzed in that women begin to feel they need to always be in "control." Thus, a females role in society becomes one that needs to sanctioned, in contrast to men whose desires are seen as natural. Men's desires, lack of control and household role are the opposite of women's. The sense of control women need to have over themselves is being portrayed when Bordo discusses that men eat and women prepare. This notion that to gain self-worth a woman prepares for men creates the divide of roles as a man gets served on and feels satisfied but a woman can feel pride and transcendence through gratification given by man. Further allowing subordination of women from aspects such as the labour force, because through women preparing and men eating, the idea that women belong in the private sphere and men belong in the public sphere (119) is seen as normal. Men only belong in the kitchen or serve others only on occasion. Bordo discusses an ad for maple syrup in which the father makes pancakes but, only for a "special" (120) occasion. It is a "moment," not an everyday …show more content…

Woman's hunger being contrasted to a sexual appetite (110) that should be repressed. Women are not supposed to have wants. Bordo gives the example of jingles, "you butter me up, I can't resist, you leave me breathless" (111), in which Betty Crocker frosting is creating that metaphor between sexual desire and food for women. This idea of "I can't resist" is particularly important because it is reinforcing that women should be resisting both indulging in food and sexual pleasure. These powerful, albeit unjustified, beliefs about femininity and masculinity strengthen the justification of the oppression of

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