#self-optimization

https://www.instagram.com/beyonce/?hl=enDavi Johnson Thornton’s piece on brain culture analyzes the various ways that the visualization of the brain has influenced how the brain is used and conceptualized. More specifically, Thornton focuses on the rhetoric that is born from these visuals and their implications on cultural life as a set of discourses rather than a material thing. For instance, Neuroscience and brain imaging are defining both personal improvement and public policy. The idea to consistently “work on your brain” for self optimization of various aspects of life is particularly interesting to me because of the dichotomy of determinism and agency being that the brain is responsible for what you do but you are responsible for taking action to guarantee brain health. This complexity of control but also lack of control is what makes games like “The Brain Age”, that Thornton touches on, so fascinating because it tells consumers that certain brain exercises can play a causal role in how active and functional your brain and therefore your life can be. This claim is supported by the visual images of an active brain. The rhetoric around this game is prevalent in the cover art of The Brain Age seen below.  As Thornton noted, connected nodes of energy illustrated in a person’s head represent activity. Similarly, on the cover of The Brain Age the yellow rays emanating from the head full of brain exercises represent the power of whatever is contained in the brain to affect the outside world. This form of advertising was influenced by the social contexts formed by persuasive brain images circulating the modern era.

Source of Image #1: https://cashinculture.3dcartstores.com/Brain-Age--Nintendo-DS-Video-Game_p_1423.html

Another notable piece of this argument is how discourses around psychiatric medicine and mental health has been influenced by brain imaging.  The growing trend of commodifying antidepressants and bringing the topic of mental health to the coffee tables is due to the fact that brain imaging is able to show the biological basis of such experiences. For example, there are scales and spectrums of colors or “hot spots” that can be seen in scans of the brain that show areas of action, inaction, development, or underdevelopment. Similar to Thornton’s discussion of mental health in regards to stress, depression, and self esteem, I found interesting information about how the brain reacts to the feeling of love. The image below of the 6 brain scans show the difference in “hot spots” of areas activated in the brain from subjects who are in love and subjects who are not. The fact that scientists found noticeable differences between the brains suggest that these instances can actually be tracked by neurological events depicted through visuals. A further description about what happens in the brain when someone is in love can be found in this video that dives into the changes in dopamine and cortisol levels. It is also important to note that the linked video is very visual and through these illustrations, the brain’s activity and functions are easily comprehended by the average viewer.

Source of Image #2: https://www.medicaldaily.com/what-love-mri-scan-reveals-what-stages-romantic-love-youre-brain-map-326080

Stabile’s piece about Fetal Photography also demonstrates how visuals can influence the social context and cultural implications of an issue. In Stabile’s discussion, she focuses on how the visuals of fetal autonomy have had the power to serve a certain political agenda. She also argues that through fetal visualization has come the erasure of women’s bodies. In other words, the maternal space has disappeared and is now only a place that the fetus occupies comfortably. This translates into the abortion debate through the argument that fetal rights are stronger than women’s rights. What I found the most frustrating in this article was how the magazines would show images of imperfect or dead babies that had been surgically removed to show “life” or showing pictures of embryos and fetuses at stages further along than what the corresponding description would indicate.

My main critique of this piece is that it is too critical because in my opinion, the tone implies that women do not want this system to happen inside of them but that is obviously not the case. Stabile uses a tone that assumes that the reproductive abilities of a female are a negative connotation and although I strongly agree that a woman shouldn't be reduced to only those capabilities as they have historically, the style of her argument implicates that this piece of womanhood is only a bear. Towards the end of the piece, the author starts to address the positive views from women toward pregnancy but the tone throughout the piece remains negative. For example, regarding the paragraph about the recommendations and restrictions given by doctors to keep a baby healthy, she claims this intervention is oppressing to the woman and uses words like “bombarding” and “scrutinizing”. Although I can understand the argument that the involvement of the woman can be wrongfully excluded from the experience, the tone is which this was written implies to me that interventions to keep a baby healthy through term is a negative bombardment of the woman’s autonomy.

Another notable aspect of this piece is the visualization of the pregnant woman. The general argument is that it is easy to show a fetus in utero through fetal photography but not to show a bare pregnant woman. The example Stabile uses is the Vanity Fair cover of a very pregnant Demi Moore. Although this picture and the reactions that followed its release deserves significant analysis, I think Beyonce’s photo when she was pregnant with twins really demonstrates Stabile’s point about the female being reduced to strictly a reproductive role. The picture Beyonce posted on Instagram is of herself wearing a veil surrounded by a halo of flowers, evidently representing the Virgin Mary. As stated in this Op-Ed article referring to the photo, “Beyonce’s beautiful re-appropriation of Virgin Mary iconography offers a biting critique of this supreme exemplar of feminine whiteness and the ideology that constructs and perpetuates it.” (Edwards, 2017) Not only is this an example of the oppositional gaze we discussed last week, it is also a example of feeding into the oppressive function that women are only reproductive beings since the Virgin Mary is first and foremost an icon of reproduction, praised for giving birth. However, in my opinion this is not necessarily negative especially since Beyonce, in her usual bad-ass fashion, also challenges other social contexts with this photo. For an interesting analysis of the pictures and how it stands against racial and sexual stereotypes, read the Op-Ed article linked above!

Source of Image #3: https://www.instagram.com/beyonce/?hl=en