Nike: a sportswear company that makes us not question what we do, rather we just do it.
So, an example of a body practice that I do in my ever day life is working out…and by “every day life” I really mean maybe three times a week, but who’s counting, right?
Coming to college I had heard and seen horror stories when it came to the dreaded “freshman 15” and all that goes along with it. Growing up I was a very active boy, I was involved in sports from elementary school to high school, lifting and working out all the way through. Sports were a way to stay in shape and have a good excuse for doing it, which was to get better at that sport. Now that I am at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities to be an athlete you actually have to be good so that is where my problem lies: how to stay in shape without being in sports.
The conventional power of being healthy has caste its shadow not only over me but also over a vast majority of people. Personally I want to stay in shape because I just want to. There is no final product because when it comes to staying in shape, the word “staying” is on going signifying that there is no end or beginning, it is an on going process with no certain final goal because once a goal is reached it needs to be maintained…it’s a vicious cycle. The docile body in every one who wants to stay in shape just does it (maybe here we can see how Nike has come to advertise its products by evoking the docile body with the “Just Do it” campaign.)
So when I look at the Nike add I see a statement, not questioning what I am going to do, but just saying what I’m going to do. I don’t need to think about working out or lifting weights I just need to do it.
I think that just wanting to do something has a greater meaning behind it. You said you want to stay in shape just because, but there is always a reason. You don't just put a lot of energy into something without hoping to get anything out of it. You cant just try to stay fit without it playing a role in your life. I believe we are always influenced by something around us whether it is our friends, our family, our environment, or just our knowledge. It's hard to say that we do things just because, for no apparent reason. When Bordo talks about women going anorexic it is because of the agency they are trying to obtain. By staying fit and in shape, you are trying to achieve a certain status in the environment you are in. That is my belief.
ReplyDeleteI'm with Joe here. When I was in college, nobody but the athletes worked out, and the 'intelligible body' was pretty thin and weak. So this practice has some recent history.
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