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The Body & Mind – Sociology & Deviance
Lecture Notes
Physical Characteristics of Deviance Appearance Obesity Trends in the U.S. Expression, fitness, and the body
Ask: Can undesirable physical characteristics be regarded as a form of deviance?
Most sociologists would argue that absolutely physical characteristics factor into being known as a deviant or not. There is an underlying principle that sociologists examine when looking at physical characteristics as holding a “right or wrong” quality. Within the framework of social stratification (layers) we find those qualities that society deems desirable and those qualities that society deems less desirable or even heinous.
Let us first examine Social Stratification- the creation of layers (strata) of a population, who possess unequal shares of scarce desirables, the most important of which are income, wealth, power and prestige.
Wealth - all the economic resources possessed by an individual or group.
Power - the ability to control the behavior of other’s even against their will.
Prestige - Social recognition, respect and admiration that a society attaches to a particular status.
Social Stratification is a “ranking system” Another text calls it “Structured Social Inequality” ---Draw Stratification Diagram on Board---
(Values) Social Worth
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Height Weight^ Limbs Hair
*or
lack
of
Eye
Color Face
Skin
Color Wakl
Disability **//// ////// ////// //// ////// ////// ////// //// //// OOOO OOOOOO OOOOOO OOOO OOOOOO OOOOOO OOOOOO OOOO OOOO XXXX XXXXXX XXXXXX XXXX XXXXXX XXXXXX XXXXXX XXXX XXXX
Invite students to describe attributes they think determine our “status” or “rank” by physical characteristics.
When students give a category briefly discuss what would be seen as a “positive/high” and “negative/low” form of that category.
As you can see, we often place a value (whether you feel it right or wrong) on the physical appearance that one another has. One sociologist who was most interested in this idea of presentation of self was Erving Goffman.
In 1963, Goffman wrote the book, Stigma – Notes on the Management of Spoiled Identity. Here he wrote a variety of ways we are graded.
Stigma: is the manifestation or outward appearance of an inner deficiency, one that either has been or may be noticed, which results or would result in infamy and dishonor.
Goffman argues that some who has been stigmatized is a blemished person, disqualified from full social acceptance. When this is an extreme blemish, it may even become the one single trait that defines how you know the person – a MASTER status.
Marilyn Monroe vs. Others now???
Children’s Appearance Study Physical appearance can then also be tied to a host of other deviance and labeling. A famous study on children’s misbehavior was conducted in 1972 where participants were shown various pictures of different children (some ugly and some pretty- by the standards then).
If the child’s behavior was mild, (stepping on a dog’s tail) the sample groups were not influenced by the children’s look.
But when the misbehavior was more serious (throwing stones at a dog, causing it to yelp and limp away) for the unattractive children, members of the sample regarded this as a serious character flaw; for the attractive children the sample of college students tended to be more lenient and indulgent, to give them the benefit of the doubt, passing off their misbehavior as trivila;.
Then they were asked to comment on the children, the ugly children were often regarded in a poor manner, while the attractive children were discussed in a positive light.
Workplace Ugly/Cute In the workplace, study after study, shows that often a more attractive person will be hired over one who is obese, has a deformity, etc.
Work done by less attractive people is evaluated more negatively than work done by more attractive people; people tend to work less hard for more unattractive people than for attractive people, and something that is lost is less likely to be returned to the owner if they are physically less attractive.
Physical Disabilities discussed Disability, like behavioral deviance, is socially constructed, produced, or created.
This does not mean that the physical conditions on which judgments of disability are based are created by the society. Rather, it does mean that the definition demarcating a given condition as a disablement, and judgment that a specific case or person belong so the general category of disablement are to some degree arbitrarily based on social and cultural criteria.
There are definitions that are socially constructed and then legally reinforced as well. If you are to obtain a disabled license plate or placard, who decides if you are disabled? -Doctor
Who tells the Doctor? -American Medical Association
Who tells the American Medical Association? -The public, the legislature, key policy makers
Many sociologists would argue that we often forget that we give things meaning, through our interactions. Famous to this argument is Berger and Luckmann who wrote the book, “The Social Construction of Reality”
***They were interested in how it is possible that subjective meanings become objective facticities. How is it that our words, our meaning that we assign to a disability then becomes a fact. Being “disabled” isn’t a hard objective fact, it can change, it can be redefined. 1- Externalization (we continue to produce it beyond us, through our everyday interactions) 2- Objectivation (we approach everyday life as ordered, prearranged reality, it appears to be set-up and in place, very matter of fact and routine, not something we change).
Obesity in America Obesity represents a prime example of an abomination of the body that Goffman spoke of, that violates aesthetic standards and if often perceived to be the “fault” of the person.
The majority of people who are not fat feel that the obese became fat because they are gluttonous and lazy- that is, because they eat too much and don’t exercise enough. Thus I would say, double layers of stigma- glutton and for aesthetics.
Today, being obese often carries a stigma and in fact can easily be a master status for someone who is far over standards of weight. Often this makes obese Americans the object of derision and harassment for their weight.
In spite of all the stigma and deviant labels on obesity, Americans are gaining weight over time, yet the irony is that we are a weight obsessed society. Let’s look at trends in obesity first, and then dive into the weight obsession end of the spectrum.
OBESITY IN AMERICA SLIDE DECK
Let’s also take a look at the focus on fitness. The standards and scale of desirability for females especially in the U.S. has been leaning more and more towards extremely thin figures.
Is a body builder who is too fit deviant?
A person that is too skinny?
Bogardus Social Distance Scale Activity With all the talk of society and those who are deviant. Let’s examine one last issue. The personal level of acceptance you have for particular groups of people.
