The Internet Makes Me Feel Fat
Here in the body-obsessed online world, we're all more self-conscious than ever.
Here's my "big" problem with the "Matrix" franchise.
It's not the idea that the "reality" humankind perceives is actually an illusion created by intelligent machines as a means to keep us in a docile state of suspended animation while our bodies are harvested as a power source.
Nor does the beautiful man oft described as "our least talented A-list actor," portraying humanity's savior, prevent me from suspending the required disbelief.
This is what drives me nuts. If in the "Matrix," as in the virtual community "Second Life," you can dictate the appearance of your online representation, or "avatar," then why oh why does Morpheus choose to be … um … well … speaking colloquially … fat.
"Fat basher!" is the immediate response from Ree, my colleague in late night nerd proselytizing, whenever I start up this conversation. "Plus, he's hardly 'fat!'"
Ree (who takes pride in making her Wii Miis conform to the American body norm) is right. Morpheus (as portrayed by the iconic Laurence Fishburne) is probably within the high end of his BMI … but he sure ain't Cowboy Curtis. And in a reality where you could look like Keanu Reeves … why don't you? Why doesn't everyone? Men, women, tiny babies … everyone.
That is my big "Matrix" disconnect. In the Internet age with its endless playground for reinvention and resources for human understanding, it's painfully clear just how hung up we are on appearances. Even in a world — heck, especially in a world — where computers control our illusions, nobody wants to feel like — let alone be seen as — anything less than an "8." The deluge of cyberspace images and social cues is making us more self conscious than ever.
Take, for example, the popularity of sites that post before-and-after photos of airbrushed celebrities, such as this entry on the online community crazyGossip. Even more disturbing, there's the before and after photos on such sites as AwfulPlastic Surgery.com.
These are the Internet age versions of "Stars without makeup!" once the province of gossip rags. With the Internet, however, we don't have to wait until we hit the supermarket checkout to ponder these sights. We get a 24/7 barrage from our friends e-mailing the nasty little links, along with their comments and criticisms.
We non-famous people whose jobs don't revolve around our looks (flame author here) don't need to page Dr. Freud to understand we obsess on these sites to feel better about ourselves. When we unilaterally agree that a size 2 Jennifer Love Hewitt is a pig, including JLH who publicly announced her recent 18-pound weight loss, it's fairly obvious.
A recent entry in Salon.com's must-read feminist blog Broadsheet both called out and complimented Alessandra Stanley's New York Times story on weight-loss reality TV shows. The blog writer, body-acceptance activist Kate Harding, praised Stanley for acknowledging that "against a loop of talk shows and made-for-TV dramas about eating disorders, Americans are goaded into ever more drastic and extreme expectations of physical perfection."
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Member Comments
Posted By: Davincidoll @ 09/07/2008 4:53:05 AM
Comment: It's good that men and women are worried about their bodies. The internet gives and extreme impression of what is "normal", yes, but ignoring body image altogether to avoid guilt is not healthy either. Sure lets blame the internet. How about instead of focusing on not being "fat" we are more focused on being active and healthy? Because it's not cheap and it's not easy? In America weight is it one of our biggest concerns because it is leaning us towards obesity, diabetes, heart complications, etc. You know the whole song and dance. If you are on the computer all day obsessing then you get what you "paid" for.
Posted By: yourmomgoestocollege @ 09/07/2008 12:13:46 AM
Comment: Nerds: People who are looked down upon socially, but they just happen to be really smart and the ones you go to for help with your computer, homework - whenever you can't figure out something yourself.
Posted By: yourmomgoestocollege @ 09/07/2008 12:07:20 AM
Comment: When you think about it, a lot of the things in The Matrix is really kind of limited, not exactly the kind of thing you'd do if you "free your mind." Sure Neo can fly, (so can Superman, that's not exactly new) but that kind of "power" is based on or references the limitation of gravity, which is also limited to the idea of a body located in space for that matter. Even if you're going to do that, why not teleport?
So the freedom that comes with the online world is also one that references existing structures, the fact that we have a body, social needs and the like. Simply put, a lot of the influence with stuff like this is peer pressure, or at least peer influence. While social influence is powerful, it is by no means the only factor nor is it the most intelligent - but a lot of people seem to act like it is. If you follow the crowd you probably don't think for yourself, or just don't think period - and if the crowd largely consists of people like this it's no wonder it's not very smart. Rather than being a unique individual that contributes to the collective, people tend to try to fit in to the collective and be preoccupied with being accepted and liked - and a bunch of people looking to follow someone else isn't exactly a recipe for genius.
So to me this positive reinforcement from the virtual world is just the same crap turned upside down. For better or worse, it's all waiting for outside influence to change you, when it is questionable that you'd even want to be changed in that particular way. We can talk about how twisted our standards are, but why even identify with that at all? Outside of how we're hardwired biologically, standards as a psychosocial construct will only limit you. So the question is, do you really prefer being with the/a crowd over being free?