| ISBN |
9780241439043 (hardback) |
| Name |
Chambers, Clare, 1976- author. |
| Title |
Intact : a defence of the unmodified body / Clare Chambers. |
| Published |
[London] : Allen Lane, an imprint of Penguin Books, 2022. |
| ©2022 |
| Description |
v, 413 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm. |
| Notes |
Includes bibliographical references (pages 333-354) and index. |
| Contents |
Introduction : Your body is never good enough -- Part one : Natural -- Keeping things natural : bodybuilding and masculinity -- Nature, your frenemy : periods, hair, make-up and shametenance -- Killing the enemy : the feminist case against nature -- Weaving, binding, spinning : a feminist reclamation of nature Part two : Normal -- The normal body -- Disability, impairments, identity -- Choosing to be normal : reconstruction, objectification and the internal perspective -- Part three : Whole -- Deciding to modify : self-care, dysphoria and creativity -- Bodily integrity , intervention and resistance -- Coda. |
| Summary |
In an age of social media and selfies, of pixel-perfect pictures and surgically enhanced celebrities, the pressure to change our bodies can often seem overwhelming. We are told we should conceal the signs of ageing and get our bodies back after pregnancy. We ought to perfect our complexions, build our biceps, trim our waistlines, cure our disabilities, conceal our quirks. More than ever before, we should contort our physical selves to prejudiced standards of beauty and acceptability. In this thought-provoking work, acclaimed political philosopher Clare Chambers argues that the unmodified body is a key principle of equality. While defending the right of anyone to change their bodies, she argues that the social pressure to modify sends a powerful message- you are not good enough. The body becomes a site of political importance- a place where inequalities of sex, gender, race, disability, age and class are reinforced. Through a clear-sighted analysis of the power dynamics that structure our society, and with examples ranging widely from body-building to breast implants, make-up to male circumcision, Intact stresses that we must break away from the oppressive forces that demand we alter our bodies. Instead, it offers a vision of the human body that is equal without expectation- an unmodified body that is not an image of perfection or a goal to be attained, but a valued end in itself. |
| Subjects |
Body image -- Social aspects |
| Human body -- Social aspects |
| Mind and body |
| Links to Related Works |
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