https://padlet.com/rebeccawalker2010/regulation Surveillance, discipline and control of the body en-us 2018-07-10 06:10:07 UTC 2026-01-07 01:12:24 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/icons/Balance.png rebeccawalker2010 https://padlet.com/rebeccawalker2010/regulation/wish/279736475 This is a screenshot from the Instagram page of "fitspo" star, Kayla Itsines, who currently has 10.1 million followers.
The before-and-after photos are designed to demonstrate the effectiveness of Itsines' workout program, the 'Bikini Body Guide'. In the guide, Itsines encourages participants to take a "before" photo of their body, and to track their progress by taking weekly body photos. This is an example of self-surveillance, as well as public surveillance if participants post the body progress photos on social media for other people to view, critique or praise.

]]> 2018-09-11 07:53:44 UTC https://padlet.com/rebeccawalker2010/regulation/wish/279736475 rebeccawalker2010 https://padlet.com/rebeccawalker2010/regulation/wish/279755811 A proposal has been put forward to start weighing children at school as a strategy to reduce the incidence of childhood obesity. This is a method of surveillance of children's bodies.

"The proposal, made by the Global Obesity Centre (GLOBE) at Deakin University to a Senate committee examining the issue, argues the data could map childhood obesity around Australia to better target where the problem is at its worse."

]]> 2018-09-11 09:04:40 UTC https://padlet.com/rebeccawalker2010/regulation/wish/279755811 rebeccawalker2010 https://padlet.com/rebeccawalker2010/regulation/wish/279758205 The Wellness Industry has created an obsession with health. Where is the line between striving for physical health and obsessing over physical appearance?

Bordo (2012, 250) argues that the images used in fashion magazines (and on social media and wellness blogs) to sell a product or a lifestyle "are not only or primarily about the desirability or attractiveness of a certain body size and shape, but about how to become what the dominant culture admires, how to 'get it together', be safe from pain and hurt". The wellness industry promotes a lifestyle that will ward of illness, disease, and death, but these things are all ultimately unavoidable.]]> 2018-09-11 09:13:00 UTC https://padlet.com/rebeccawalker2010/regulation/wish/279758205 rebeccawalker2010 https://padlet.com/rebeccawalker2010/regulation/wish/279758913 Disabled bodies are excluded from the world of "wellness" because they can never achieve the level of perfect health that wellness gurus aspire to. Most (if not all) proponents of this type of wellness are thin, fit and able-bodied.]]> 2018-09-11 09:16:13 UTC https://padlet.com/rebeccawalker2010/regulation/wish/279758913 rebeccawalker2010 https://padlet.com/rebeccawalker2010/regulation/wish/279779048 Orthorexia is the name given to healthy eating that has become obsessive and destructive to a person's health. This article from the Dietitians Association of Australia describes orthorexia as the desire to eat in a "pure or perfect" way. It explores how the "clean eating" endorsed by the Wellness Industry equates food with morality. The article says that "eating healthily should have a positive effect on health", whereas for those suffering from orthorexia, the pressure to eat "perfectly" leads to mental, emotional and physical health issues.]]> 2018-09-11 10:41:18 UTC https://padlet.com/rebeccawalker2010/regulation/wish/279779048 rebeccawalker2010 https://padlet.com/rebeccawalker2010/regulation/wish/280161173 This article is a good example of the messaging and rhetoric that is often used when talking about fat bodies. Calling "obesity" "deeply unsexy" equates having a fat body with being unattractive and undesirable. This type of verbiage is shaming and ultimately unhelpful.]]> 2018-09-12 01:41:19 UTC https://padlet.com/rebeccawalker2010/regulation/wish/280161173 rebeccawalker2010 https://padlet.com/rebeccawalker2010/regulation/wish/280161457 Fat bodies are commonly discussed within the context of economics, due to the cultural belief that people who live in fat bodies are a drain on the economy. This article describes the "obesity epidemic" (and fat people as an extension) as a "huge societal and economic burden".
The photo used at the top of the article is an example of the "headless fatty" that is often used to accompany media stories about "obesity". Using a photo of fat people without their heads and faces is dehumanising and suggests that all fat bodies are the same.]]> 2018-09-12 01:43:15 UTC https://padlet.com/rebeccawalker2010/regulation/wish/280161457 rebeccawalker2010 https://padlet.com/rebeccawalker2010/regulation/wish/280162590 Series 3: Eating Disorders

Some quotes from the episode:
"You could look perfectly fine, but behind that there is so much going on in your head" - Kate

"If I can control what I eat for lunch then I can deal with all the other stuff in the world because I've got control over this small part of my life".

This episode shows eating disorder sufferers describing the self-regulation and thoughts of control that were pervasive throughout their illness.]]> 2018-09-12 01:49:58 UTC https://padlet.com/rebeccawalker2010/regulation/wish/280162590 rebeccawalker2010 https://padlet.com/rebeccawalker2010/regulation/wish/280230103 Jessica Sepel is said to be "living a healthy life". She is a thin, white, able-bodied, conventionally attractive woman. This is the image of good health that is put forward repeatedly by the wellness industry, and it is not inclusive of bodies that lie outside of these social boundaries.]]> 2018-09-12 08:08:30 UTC https://padlet.com/rebeccawalker2010/regulation/wish/280230103 rebeccawalker2010 https://padlet.com/rebeccawalker2010/regulation/wish/280230274 Sepel acknowledges her past experiences with disordered eating.]]> 2018-09-12 08:08:48 UTC https://padlet.com/rebeccawalker2010/regulation/wish/280230274 rebeccawalker2010 https://padlet.com/rebeccawalker2010/regulation/wish/280230345 In this portion of the article, Sepel states that it is the wellness industry's fault that many people are confused about what food to eat for good health.]]> 2018-09-12 08:09:07 UTC https://padlet.com/rebeccawalker2010/regulation/wish/280230345 rebeccawalker2010 https://padlet.com/rebeccawalker2010/regulation/wish/280230401 However, a recipe of Sepel's is included with the article for "Green Detox Soup", a soup made almost entirely of green vegetables, which is a typical example of "wellness food". The name of the "detox" soup invokes a message of control and self-regulation. This contradicts with the opinions expressed by Sepel in the body of the article.]]> 2018-09-12 08:09:24 UTC https://padlet.com/rebeccawalker2010/regulation/wish/280230401 rebeccawalker2010 https://padlet.com/rebeccawalker2010/regulation/wish/280233067 Sepel is a wellness blogger and nutritionist.]]> 2018-09-12 08:20:37 UTC https://padlet.com/rebeccawalker2010/regulation/wish/280233067 rebeccawalker2010 https://padlet.com/rebeccawalker2010/regulation/wish/280241066 An article about the cosmetic products and procedures that are safe for pregnancy.]]> 2018-09-12 08:48:21 UTC https://padlet.com/rebeccawalker2010/regulation/wish/280241066 rebeccawalker2010 https://padlet.com/rebeccawalker2010/regulation/wish/280241221 Alcohol labelling - "It is safest not to drink while pregnant" - is designed to encourage self-regulation of drinking behaviour by pregnant women. ]]> 2018-09-12 08:48:58 UTC https://padlet.com/rebeccawalker2010/regulation/wish/280241221 rebeccawalker2010 https://padlet.com/rebeccawalker2010/regulation/wish/280242172 This is an article in Pregnancy Life & Style magazine. It displays pictures of a baby in utero with accompanying text about the development of unborn babies. This type of article is included in every issue of this, and other, pregnancy magazines. Howson (2013) argues that "ultrasound technology displaces the source of women's knowledge about pregnancy from embodied or corporeal experience - what it actually feels like to be pregnant, for instance, nauseated, breast tenderness - to the expert". Including this type of article in pregnancy magazines has the effect of homogenising the pregnancy experience, and encourages pregnant women to observe themselves and to be hyper-aware of the changes happening to their bodies week by week.]]> 2018-09-12 08:52:03 UTC https://padlet.com/rebeccawalker2010/regulation/wish/280242172 rebeccawalker2010 https://padlet.com/rebeccawalker2010/regulation/wish/280242492 An advertisement for "Tummy Shield", an alternative seat belt that is designed for pregnant women. The image of the unborn baby superimposed onto the pregnant belly is highly emotive, and is an example of the way pregnant bodies are perceived as fragile and weak.]]> 2018-09-12 08:53:10 UTC https://padlet.com/rebeccawalker2010/regulation/wish/280242492 rebeccawalker2010 https://padlet.com/rebeccawalker2010/regulation/wish/280242569 An advertorial about gum disease in pregnant women. It states that half of the surveyed pregnant women "admit that they have ignored or dismissed the early signs" of gum disease.]]> 2018-09-12 08:53:29 UTC https://padlet.com/rebeccawalker2010/regulation/wish/280242569 rebeccawalker2010 https://padlet.com/rebeccawalker2010/regulation/wish/283740471 Bordo, Susan. 2012. "Beyond the Anorexic Paradigm: Re-Thinking 'Eating' Disorders." In Routledge Handbook of Body Studies, edited by Bryan S. Turner, 244-255. Florence: Routledge.

Howson, Alexandra. 2013. The Body in Society: An Introduction. Oxford: Polity Press.

]]> 2018-09-20 06:03:20 UTC https://padlet.com/rebeccawalker2010/regulation/wish/283740471 rebeccawalker2010 https://padlet.com/rebeccawalker2010/regulation/wish/283775516 Howson (2013) argues that "new technologies further define the pregnant body as a pathological body in need of medical supervision". The modern pregnant woman is bombarded with messages from medical professionals, the media, and friends and family about what they should and should not do with their bodies. They are told what food to avoid, how much exercise to do, to avoid alcohol and caffeine, to beware of many household drugs and chemicals, and much more. ]]> 2018-09-20 08:17:24 UTC https://padlet.com/rebeccawalker2010/regulation/wish/283775516