Assignment

We often have difficulty understanding how our own customs and traditions could be viewed any way other than as right. In that regard, cultural relativism (viewing a custom from the other culture's perspective) is an important issue to emphasize.Socially constructed ideas about what is attractive are deeply gendered, change over time, and vary from place to place. One thing that seems to be consistent is that beauty is not natural, and must be achieved by doing body work.

1. Which of the body related cultural practices in the video stood out to you? What was your initial response when viewing it? Why do you think you reacted the way you did?

2. Describe and discuss a body related cultural practice (we have many) from the United States. Explain how others might view this as being just as heinous.

3. How do social pressures to look a certain way interact with the larger social structure (like economy: jobs, income, costs of consumer goods, for example? You might want to think intersectionally here and consider how age, gender, race/ethnicity, social class etc., matter.

video link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SuspvZRBQj8