My feels of today go around the issue of visuality within our culture.
As human beings we have a set of different senses, such as hear, sight, smell, taste, touch and propioception.
Some would also add intuition.
Biologically we are prepared to face the environment with its nutrients and threats using those senses.
Though, culturally, we have constructed a civilisation where one sense is way over the others.
And that is the sight.
As there is nothing wrong with the sight itself, how is it used instead of other senses brings some negative repercussions.
What I mean specifically, and what actually brought me to share this thoughts, is reduction of a whole and integral human to how it looks like.
This is specially the case of women that historically, and recently more and more, are reduced to their appearance, but recently men are also subjugated to this process, as it gives possibility of generating more capital accumulation (that is: to sell more products).
Actually, there are theorists that understand "women" or "men" not as sex derived genders, but rather an artificial construction aiming at enabling power relations (repression and domination).
Still, there might be a need of looking nice that is healthy, but depending on it and thus on external validation, is a risky business.
How we feel about oneself can be also acquired from internal feeling/insight into the body we are.
How are my muscles? Tense or relaxed? Painful or gratifying?
How feels my skin? My breath?
As for my experience, bringing attention to this realm of my existence and dwelling there long enough lessens my need for external validation.
Also, sometimes I find strong negative feelings, such as anger, urge to destroy or self-hate.
But if instead of focusing on the thought-like aspect of those phenomena I rather observe them in the bodily way, they tend to loosen their grip.
I write that, as I think it is totally distinct to Instagram-based sense of identity, and so, it is an unpopular perspective nowadays.
I don't know how it feels/looks to you, I am eager to hearing from you. Please mail me if it resonates somehow with you.
