The Body Temple

In 1942 a major newspaper in Ohio, USA called the Plain Dealer, announced a contest on its front page for prize money of $100 in war bonds. It was about one month after the United States dropped bombs on Japan, eventually bringing World War II to a close. The headline of the story read “Are You Norma, Typical Woman?” The woman who submits body measurements that most closely matched “Norma’s physique” would win the contest.

The problem is Norma never existed. She was an alabaster model of “the ideal woman” designed by prominent gynecologist, Dr. Robert L Dickison, and sculpted by Abram Belskie, based on data collected and averaging the proportions from fifteen thousand young adult women. Yet, thousands of women rushed to see how they stacked up and mailed in their measurements helping Norma to become a sensational celebration of the model body in the mid-century. 

Norma “the perfect woman” was materialized as youthful, fit, white and reproductive.

She was also crafted in the image of the white male gaze and paraded through media to uphold relevance wreaking havoc on generations of women’s self-worth and men’s expectations. She is symbolized as the Hollywood actress splashed across every publication as substantial news, and mass produced as the original Barbie. She is a reminder of how much superficial value has been placed on the body – women are for reproduction and men are for labour. 

It's no wonder as a society we are so chronically sick.

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I have eased into the year at the pace my body has dictated I do so – slowly, intentionally, softly, generously – and it has gifted me some insight on the purpose of rest, which isn’t the opposite of productivity but the source of alignment. Sometimes we must slow down to speed up, and in the slowness is where we are presented with opportunity to explore the tensions between lived bodily experiences and the cultural meanings inscribed on the body.

Culturally we are pushing against currents to live up to outdated stereotypes. Regarding our bodies as ourselves, obsessing over its visual appeal; completely disconnected over its real function. 

The real function of your body is to be a vessel for the depths of your soul. But you can only know this, when you disconnect from our obsessive media culture of what is “perfect and worthy”.

You are not your body; you have a body. 

Your body is temporary; your mind is eternal.

Your body is uniquely designed to serve you. There is no need to be typical... average is in fact rather boring.

You cannot find your center if you are constantly spinning. 

You cannot actualize your power if you have not gathered your strength.

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The Norma experiment failed when only one percent of all contestants shared resemblance to Norma’s body. And in typical patriarchal fashion, the media, doctors and researchers refused to let go of this ideal and instead concluded that the problem was that American women were out of shape due to unhealthy lifestyle. They even suggested that high schools employ more physical fitness programs for female students to get them into shape like Norma…. a woman that never existed.

The hyper-policing of women’s bodies is and has always been detrimental to the health of our culture – more so than the foods we eat or the exercise we do or don’t do, because if you are at emotional ease, then you will experience less dis-ease.

The next time you find yourself concerned about your body, I want you to remember that your credentials are in your spirit. Cherish it from the inside out, not the outside in. The next time you are in dis-ease, I want you to go deep within to find what emotions you can release. The next time you feel not enough, I want you to remember that the “ideal man and woman” are figments of some old patriarchal bullshit.

And then I want you to embrace every inch of your body temple because it was given to you fully and completely whole.

Be well,Z.