Comments on: Embodying Social Meaning

By: bas40@duke.edu

bas40@duke.edu — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 14:38:41 +0000

I agreed with what Johnathan Aguirre had to say about tattoos. It is indeed interesting how people can be divided over such a simple issue. It was interesting to see the trend in the United States as tattoos became more and more popular. But as Sara Desen said in my graduation speech, I will always think about it for at least a year before I decide to get one.

By: bas40@duke.edu

bas40@duke.edu — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 14:36:41 +0000

I really liked what Dayoung Ko said about the popularization of cosmetic surgery in Korea and how it represents the trend of vain prioritization in cultures. I know that my friends and I joke that the Korean girl band SNSD is made of plastic and silicon, so I particularly recognized this topic.

By: bas40@duke.edu

bas40@duke.edu — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 14:35:02 +0000

I liked what Alex Sauciuc had to say about the idea of “healthy” in modern society. It is so true that most people judge health by how healthy a person LOOKS, not how they feel. And I quite often see examples of people eating poorly and then exercising excessively to compensate for their poor eating habits.

By: Christina Smith

Christina Smith — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 04:14:01 +0000

Jordan Fraser’s topic was really interesting. I feel like this is an issue many are subconsciously aware of, but it’s an issue that I’ve never seen talked about. I also really like the way you brought up the objectification of the male body. This is something I don’t think I’ve personally been aware of as much as I’m aware of how the female body is objectified. This is an overall really interesting topic that brings up a lot of issues that many times go unnoticed and even the title itself made me want to read your paper. Great job!

By: ara14@duke.edu

ara14@duke.edu — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 18:39:49 +0000

Thank, Beril. I appreciate your feedback. I’d like to clarify a few points:

It is indeed mentioned in my paper that the veil was only banned in government and educational buildings. Despite your valid claims that the veil could be used as a political tool, it’s banning is ultimately an issue of human rights, which, as far as I am concerned, should always transcend politics.

By: Beril Cummings

Beril Cummings — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 16:50:53 +0000

I was especialy intrigued by Andrew Karim’s topic. Though he emphasizes many good points about the veil, I think the comparison of the Turkish and Lebanese approaches does not reach it’s purpose. Karim seems to think that Turkey has tried to ban veiling altogether whereas the ban is only effective in governmental buildings. Considering the predispoition of the veil being used as a political tool to attract votes, this ban is necessary to promote Turkey’s ideal of a secular country. Seeing as the Turkish government already recieves much criticism for having ‘a secret religious agenda’ it seems counter-intuitive that such a government would support this ban.

By: Avery Rape

Avery Rape — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 02:34:52 +0000

I thought it was interesting that Alex Sauciuc compared the Duke student body to college students in general and how they do not separate themselves from the habits of popular culture. Duke students would rather eat poor food and over exercise compared to a balance of the two. Everyone is still obsessed with their body and the way they look, but they are not willing to make simple changes to their lifestyle. Everyone here lives on the go and at such a fast pace that they cannot slow down and focus on individual meals which would help save them time from over exercising at the gym.

By: Bay Nixon

Bay Nixon — Sun, 24 Apr 2011 17:00:30 +0000

I was really interested in what Jordan Fraser had to say about masculine appearances within the LGBT community. It had never crossed my mind that, since gay men are also being scrutinized by other men, they may have the same kind of esteem issues that many women face. It really makes me think about the stereotypes that we usually see in the media which suggest that gay men are trying to act more feminine, not more masculine. Very interesting topic.