Caraga state university

Ampayon, Butuan City 8600, Philippines

URL: www.carsu.edu.ph

The Physical Self

Rex Bersabal Makinano
Assistant Professor IV
Department of Sociology
College of Humanities and Social Sciences

Week 9.1 Understanding the Self 1

 Learning Objectives
At the end of the lesson, you will be able to:

1. examine the concept of self as impacted by the

body;
2. identify various body modifications as self-
expressions across one’s culture; and
3. show appreciation of one’s body image through a
reflective writing activity

Week 9.1 Understanding the Self 2

 The Concept of Physical Self

The tangible
The concrete
The body aspect of
dimension
every person

Complex, Directly
marvelous observed and
container examined

Week 9.1 Understanding the Self 3

 The Concept of Physical Self

the body is the initial

source of sensation and
necessary for the origin
and maintenance of
personality.
(William James)

Week 9.1 Understanding the Self 4

 The Concept of Physical Self

For James, the body is a

constituent part for cleansing the
spirit that is considered to be of
supreme importance.

Week 9.1 Understanding the Self 5

 The Concept of Physical Self

The development of both

physical and intellectual
skills helps determine
whether the individual will
The role of the bodily achieve a sense of
competence and ability to
organ is especially
handle multiple and
important in the early demanding roles in a
developmental stages of a complex society.
person’s life.
Week 9.1 Understanding the Self 6
 The Concept of Physical Self

• The Indian tradition looks growth and

enlightenment as the whole-body event,
which is not possible until one has a pure
and strong body. There is an entire
discipline devoted to physical self (i.e.,
Hath-yoga, or the Yoga of the body).

Week 9.1 Understanding the Self 7

 The Concept of Physical Self

Biological Identity Social Identity

it is the most visible

body performs a way of showing and
distinct function expressing one’s
identity.

Week 9.1 Understanding the Self 8

 Standards of Beauty?

is defined not with

proportions, but
rather with the
Symmetry similarity between
the left and right
sides of the face.

Week 9.1 Understanding the Self 9

 There are no standards!

•standards of beauty are

arbitrary
•they vary hugely both
from one culture to
another and over time.
Week 9.1 Understanding the Self 10
 Beauty and Self-expressions
across cultures
Since birth, the
socialized body Across cultures,
is subjected to beauty and self-
cultural norms. expression are
directed towards
different kinds of
body modifications.

Week 9.1 Understanding the Self 11

 Lip Plate

The lip plate, also termed as lip

disc or lip plug, is a body
modification in which
increasingly large circular discs
made of wood or clay are
inserted into a pierced hole in
either the lower or upper lip or
both, thus, stretching the lips.

Week 9.1 Understanding the Self 12

 Lip Plate

• Although labial plates were also

traditionally worn by Suya men of Brazil,
Sara women of Chad, the Makonde of
Mozambique, and the Botocudo of coastal
Brazil, the only tribes that still follow this
tradition are the Mursi and Suri tribes of
Ethiopia.

Week 9.1 Understanding the Self 13

 Lip Plate
best seen as an expression of female maturity, social
adulthood, and reproductive potential and readiness

main visible distinguishing characteristic of the Mursi

and made them a prime attraction for tourists

symbolizes a link between the individual and society

- between the ‘biological self’ and the ‘social self’.

Week 9.1 14
Understanding the Self
 Neck Rings

A form of body
modification in which
rings are put on the neck
in order to lengthen it
without using any
surgical cosmetic
procedures.

Week 9.1 Understanding the Self 15

 What’s behind the rings?
• villagers wore them as a defense against tiger attacks,
which were most likely to be directed at the neck

• was to protect women from being taken by men of rival

tribes by giving them a less-appealing look

• the look is considered to be beautiful and elegant.

Week 9.1 16
Understanding the Self
 Foot Binding

to restrict their normal

growth and make their feet as
small as possible

to distinguish girls of the upper

Tang Dynasty China class from everyone else, and later
as a way for the lower classes to
improve their life chances or social
an attractive quality
prospects.
Week 9.1 Understanding the Self 17
 Foot Binding
they were known
to have feet no as jinlian - “Golden Lotus”
longer than 3-4 or “Lotus” feet after the
inches central life symbol
of Buddhism

The smaller the feet, the more attractive they

were, even erotic for some, and it became a
distinct mark of elegance.

Week 9.1 Understanding the Self 18

 Scarification

The practice of engraving or

incising the skin, in which
the shape and design of the
scar tissue on various parts
of the body are controlled.

Through the use of sharp objects such as a stone, glass,

knife, or coconut shell.
Week 9.1 Understanding the Self 19
 Scarification
a gash is made in the skin
with a sharp instrument,
Cicatrisation
is a special and irritation of the skin
form of caused by applying caustic
scarification plant juices forms
permanent blisters.
found in the Congo Basin and neighboring regions,
and among the Akan people of West Africa.

Week 9.1 Understanding the Self 20

 What’s with scarification?

• distinguishes the person from anyone

else, tells the rank in society, family,
clan, and tribe
• it is like wearing your identity card on
your face.
• this is a mark of pride, not shame.

Week 9.1 Understanding the Self 21

 Facial Tattoos
women have their faces inscribed
with tattoos, to portray their
transition into adulthood

“marker of cultural
identity”- constant reminder
of the girl’s roots

Uiaku village somewhere in Papua New Guinea, there

live the Maisin women
Week 9.1 Understanding the Self 22
 Facial Tattoos: The Process
• 4 weeks and girls seclude and live with the tattooist without
being known
• Leave the house and must be covered
• Symbolic in appearance but has no meaning, just telling people
they are adults already.
• spontaneous designs that follow the shape of the girl’s face;
swirls on the cheeks and a ‘V’ pattern on their forehead.
• girls are forbidden from eating certain foods, which are thought
to bleach the skin, including whitefish and coconut

Week 9.1 23
Understanding the Self
 The Five Global Beauty
Archetypes

Social Butterflies

Powerful Comfortable
Peacocks Cats

Seductive Graceful Swans

Foxes

Week 9.1 Understanding the Self 24

 The Powerful Peacocks

• 15% of the population, are particularly

drawn to experimentation. They love the
dynamism in beauty, in part because they’re
looking to get ahead in a dynamic world.
Particularly present in rapidly growing
China, Powerful Peacocks associate beauty
with career success and power.

Week 9.1 Understanding the Self 25

 The Seductive Foxes

• 27% of the population, are the largest

group globally, love to use beauty
products to enhance their femininity.
Seductive Foxes associate beauty with
romantic and sexual prowess, and like
using cosmetics to feel sexy.
•
Week 9.1 Understanding the Self 26
 The Social Butterflies

• 16% of the population, love the beauty conversation.

They enjoy sharing tips with their friends, being
inspired by beautiful women, and the feeling of
contentment and success that comes with looking
beautiful. Particularly present in Latin America,
Social Butterflies have grown up buying beauty
products from their friends and neighbors who are
direct sellers.
•
Week 9.1 Understanding the Self 27
 The Graceful Swans

• 23% of the population, like the subtle

enhancements that come from using good beauty
products. For them, beauty leads to confidence
and contentment. Graceful Swans appear most
frequently in Europe and the US and like to focus
on improving their existing beauty.

Week 9.1 Understanding the Self 28

 The Comfortable Cats

• 19% of the population, are largely happy with

their natural beauty. While they do use some
beauty products, they are the least likely to hope
for or expect dramatic changes, More concentrated
in Europe and the US than emerging markets.
Comfortable Cats view a few staple beauty
products here and there as a means to feel even
more comfortable in their skin.

Week 9.1 Understanding the Self 29

 •Thank you for your time.

Week 9.1 Understanding the Self 30