Grace+D.

 Grace Dumesnil




 * Food Log:**

Tuesday 10/22:

Lunch: -pretzels and hummus -red peppers -kale chips -fried egg

Dinner: -pine nuts -sauteed broccoli -white rice with soy sauce

Wednesday 10/23

Breakfast: -apple -pistachios

Lunch: -pretzels and hummus -red peppers -kale chips -edamame -extra sharp cheddar cheese -pine nuts

Dinner: -zucchini and squash -homemade mac and cheese -white wine -power berries

Thursday 10/24

Breakfast: -apple -pistachios

Lunch: -Chipotle

Adolescence

** W : What you want to know (curiosities/inquiry questions) **
Group Category: Body Image/Nutrition

Inquiry Question: **How do women interpret their own body image in relation to sculptures of the female body?**

** Resource #1 **
Ceryl-Ann Webster started the Beautiful Women Project in an effort to prove that all body types are beautiful. Webster was inspired to create this project because she heard that one of her 13 year old daughter's friends was saving money so that she could get breast implants. The exhibition consisted of 120 sculptures made from molds of real women's bodies. Hundreds of women have participated in the Beautiful Women Project and Webster was impressed with the numerous women who were interested in supporting the project. While Webster created the molds, she questioned her models about why they were interested in being a part of the project. Each woman had a remarkable story to tell about their thoughts concerning their own beauty. Webster found a connection between body image and confidence in women. Webster then decorated each sculpture according to the model's story.
 * Read:**



Webster's work on the Beautiful Women Project is hugely inspiring to me. I found it interesting that some of the women who posed for Webster could not recognize their sculpture among the other ones. I also really like that Webster went the extra mile and incorporated these women's stories into their sculpture. I would love to learn more about the stories and the insecurities that these women have felt in the past. I have visited the museum twice so far and the most interesting data that I've collected came from two women (ages 50 and 52). Both, on their own, commented about the confidence of the women in the statues. Both interviewees said that the Degas dancer would be more confident in todays society than Eve. I will go into more detail about this in the free-write section, but there's a connection between my observations and Webster's findings. Webster was surprised to find that the women who volunteered to be models and were overall fairly confident in their own skin still had confidence issues with particular parts of their body.
 * Respond:**

Gordon, L. J. (2006). The Beautiful Women Project. Women & Environments International Magazine, (72/73), 48-50. http://search.proquest.com.proxy.libraries.uc.edu/docview/211598685/fulltext/$B/1?accountid=2909
 * APA Citation:**

This study used a sample of 144 female graduate students from the University of Australia to examine the effects of early childhood physical activity and media on the women's adult body type. Current activities of these females were also examined in the study. Slater is concentrating on the sociocultural effect on women in terms of body image. The results of Slater's study indicated that early understandings of the importance of physical activity and ideal body image impacted the adult body type of these women more than their current activities. Slater is most interested in uncovering the source of women's development of body-image concern. Women who spend time at the gym tend to be more obsessed with thinness. It is unclear as to whether this obsession begins with the gym environment or with media standards. The current activities of these females were not examined as throughly as the early childhood activities.
 * Read:**


 * Respond:**
 * [insert 1 paragraph response/reaction to what you read here]

Slater, A., Tiggemann, M. (2006). The Contribution of Physical Activity and Media Use during Childhood and Adolescence to Adult Women’s Body Image. // Journal of Health Psychology, Vol 11(4), // 553-565.
 * APA Citation:**

** Resource #3 **
This article addresses the controversies associated with sports magazine articles concerned with body image distortions. Markula analyzes three different magazine articles published in Self, Shape and the News Weekly. The goal of each of these articles is to persuade readers to be aware of their disproportionate thoughts in terms of body image, or, as Markula likes to refer to it, the //illness// of body image distortion. Markula draws attention to the hypocritical nature of these magazines. The articles are being published along with unrealistic images of women.
 * Read:**


 * Respond:**
 * [insert 1 paragraph response/reaction to what you read here]

Markula, Pirkko (2001). Beyond the Perfect Body: Women's Body Image Distortion in Fitness Magazine Discourse. //Journal of Sport and Social Issues, Vol 25// 158-179.
 * APA Citation:**

** Resource #4 **

 * Read:**
 * [insert 1 paragraph summarizing what you read here]


 * Respond:**
 * [insert 1 paragraph response/reaction to what you read here]


 * APA Citation:**
 * [insert APA citation]

** 5. Sexuality Activity **
This resource talks about GLSEN's first national PSA advertisement which addresses the continually high existence of bias remarks spoken about LGBTs. Such offensive remarks include "that's so gay", "you're so gay", "faggot", and "dyke". These advertisements aim to inform straight teens of how hurtful these words can be to LGBTs. Celebrities such as Hillary Duff have participated in some of the video advertisements which helps to bring more attention to the advertisements. This article includes a number of activities that educational professionals can use as lessons in schools. The first activity,' Taking a Stand' asks students to arrange themselves in a room according to how strongly they either agree or disagree with spoken statements.
 * Describe your resource:**

The following are statements an educator might use for the 'Taking a Stand' activity:


 * I often hear the phrase “that’s so gay,” “you’re so gay,” “no homo” or the word “gay” in general used in a negative way among my peers.


 * I often hear terms like “faggot” and “dyke” used among my peers.


 * When I hear “that’s so gay,” it is usually aimed at an object rather than a person.

After this activity the group reflects on what they have learned about their behavior and the behavior of others around them in reference to offensive LGBT related remarks. This activity and others like it are the first step to helping the world be more thoughtful about the feelings of LGBTs.


 * Link to your specific resource:**

http://glsen.org/sites/default/files/Guide%20to%20ThinkB4YouSpeak.pdf

** A. Site details: **
> Contact person: Aaron Betsky, Museum Director
 * Name of site: Cincinnati Art Museum
 * Link to site: http://www.cincinnatiartmuseum.org/



__ ** B. Describe your setting ** __
The Cincinnati Art Museum is located in Eden Park on the outskirts of downtown Cincinnati. If one is walking to the museum, there is a lovely sone-step path that leads from the street, through an area of overgrown trees, to the main entrance. The architecture of the entrance is romanesque in quality, as the front of the building is emphasized by a portico and columns. Parking costs 4 dollars, but admittance to the museum is free. The museum is supported by the community of Cincinnati. It was first built in 1886 and their current collection includes over 60,000 pieces of art.

My setting for this project is the main wing of the museum. The moment one passes through the lobby, the visitor is greeted by the //Eve Disconsolate// piece. Exactly 4 feet in height, the Venus has a strong presence and certainly draws the attention of most visitors. This wing is a great representation of the variety of art found at the Cincinnati Art Museum. Pieces are set within their own space surrounded by black wisps of refined threads which flutter to the rhythm of visitor's strides. The icons are drawn from ancient times to artists from the 19th century (more modern pieces are located in other wings of the museum).

Other Icons of the Cincinnati Art Museum Collection:



__** C. Describe what you did at the site (free-write/journal formatting) **__
I visited the museum for the first time today! My goal today was just to get a real feel for the atmosphere of the museum. Who's there? Where do most people congregate in the museum? Most importantly, I needed to decide which sculpture(s) I wanted to use as inspiration for my questions concerning female body image. Evidence shows that art has helped shape female ideas of the perfect body image. The concept of an ideal body image is not new. The ancient Greeks and Romans portrayed unrealistic, idealized images of important rulers through their art, especially sculpture. I would like to investigate the growth of the current female ideal through some of its visual roots in art, and how women interpret their body image in relation to art.
 * __ 1st visit: October 13, 2013 __**

I walked through majority of the museum and decided that the following two sculptures would be the most applicable to my project: //Eve Disconsolate// Hiram Powers 1872-1877 http://www.cincinnatiartmuseum.org/explore/collection/collections/?u=6033568

“I aimed at nobleness of form and womanly dignity of expression. She is forlorn, but does not quite despair, for she looks up imploringly. She accuses the serpent with one hand and herself most with the other. The serpent retires for Eve repents---she now resists evil.” Hiram Powers, 1871, in Chicago Times, 1876. Powers was very interested in capturing the moment immediately after the Fall when Eve regrets her decision to listen to the serpent.



//Dancer Fourth Position Front, on Left Leg// Edgar Degas 1882-1895 http://aeqai.com/main/2011/11/renovation-of-the-schmidlapp-gallery-cincinnati-art-museum/cam_1949-145/

Cox, Kenyon. (1912). Two Ways of Painting. //The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin//. Vol. 7, No 11. p. 205-207. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3252877

I absolutely love Cox's description of the impressionistic painter: "For the true impressionist light and atmosphere are the only realities, and objects exist only to provide surfaces for the play of light and atmosphere." (Cox, Two Ways of Painting) The woman in Degas' //Dancer Fourth Position Front, on Left Leg// is one of those objects. The uneven skin of the woman brings a whole new personality to her demeanor. The irregular pattern makes the woman looks less graceful even though the lines of her arms and legs are technically correct for a grand battement. This sculpture is radically different from the Powers piece because Degas was not concerned with depicting the woman realistically or even idealistically. He depicted her form through the lens of his eyes.

Today, I decided to be a silent observer at the museum. Both the Powers piece and the Degas piece are located in the entrance wing of the museum so I paced back and forth between the two. I followed the little packs of museum goers, all the while pretending to be an art observer when really I was people watching and listening. I'm sure that the gallery attendant in this section of the museum thought I was pretty strange, loitering in one wing of the museum for a full hour. Most visitors came in sets of two. I suppose many couples like the idea of going to the museum on a Sunday afternoon. The couples tended to pace slowly down the hall, arm in arm, whispering softly. About the artwork? Sometimes, for once I noticed one young woman following the brushstrokes of the little whistling boy's mouth with her index finger. Her fellow partner chuckled and nodded his head in affirmation of her privately shared comment. Other visitors included mother and daughter pairs, middle age couples, small groups of young women (ages 20-30), small groups of older folks (ages 60-80). In general, I noticed that the visiting population seemed to include a higher number of woman than men. One outlier group I noticed interested me greatly. A mother (early 40s) with 3 little girls and a toddler in a stroller. The moment this bunch entered the museum the 3 young girls ran towards the //Eve Disconsolate// statue. They leaned over the restricting ropes and gazed up at Eve with a look of awe and excitement. They tilted their little heads one way and then another, in an attempt to take in more of the woman's form? One of the girls ran back to the mother pushing the toddler and grabbed her hand in an attempt to hurry her along towards the statue. The group remained in the entrance with Eve for several minutes before moving on. All the while the little girls were circling Eve, giggling and enjoying her presence. Though my focus for this project is women ages 20 and older, I am still hugely curious about these young girl's thoughts as they gazed up at the Venus form.
 * __2nd visit: October 20, 2013__**

The following list of questions I prepared to ask females in the museum:
 * __3rd visit: October 27, 2013__ **
 * What do you like about this piece?
 * Why were you drawn to this sculpture?
 * What do you think of her form? Do you admire her form? Do you find her different than you?
 * What is it you like/dislike about her form? The sculpture?
 * How does this sculpture influence how you think about your body image?
 * In what ways do you connect yourself to this sculpture?
 * Do you compare yourself with her form as some young women today compare themselves to idealized women in magazines?

I only spoke to women who stopped to look at the statues. Sometimes my interviewees were willing to let me interview them about their thoughts concerning both statues. These women were my favorite as they were interested to talk to me and they were very good at articulating their thoughts about their own body image. The first girl I spoke to was 25 years old. She studied art history in college so she had some extensive knowledge about the both of the statues. She is especially interested in the work of Hiram Powers. When I questioned her about the Power's piece, the young woman spoke of how modest Eve was even thought she is undressed. She sensed an air of confidence about her and spoke of her reverence to the snake which Eve is indicating with her right hand. When asked about the whether she compares herself to the the figure of eve, the girl answered that she wasn't entirely sure that she compares her own body image to that of Eve's, however, she appreciates the naturalistic presentation of the woman and admires her full form. Other women I spoke with that day were less vibrant. An 18 year old girl stopped for a while in front of the dancer. When I asked her why she was drawn to the sculpture she said she had to study the piece for a class. We had a fairly short interaction, but the girl commented on the fact that it was strange to see a dancer who wasn't stick skinny as most present day ballerinas. She described current ballerinas as being too small and sometimes anorexic. She said that she prefers the form of Degas' dancer over that of the women portrayed in magazines today.

My experience at the museum today was different than my previous visits. The first three times I visited the museum I went on a Sunday. The crowd is very different on a Tuesday afternoon. I saw a couple high school groups and more older folks (ages 50 and up). There were also fewer people so I found it more difficult to find people to interview. That being said, I had a totally enlightening conversation with two sisters (ages 50 and 52). I was able to question both of them about their reactions to the little dancer and Eve. The younger woman had some experience with art because she's an interior designer. Her first comment concerned the confidence of these two young women. "Both women look confident even though the Degas dancer is more demure." "The juxtaposition of the two pieces is rather lovely; white polished classical versus impressionistic gesture." She made references to the material in which the sculptures are composed. The fragile nature of the Eve statue is clear because it was sculpted out of marble. The post near the young woman's leg in which the snake creeps up, supports Eve's form and the statue would not be structurally sound without this base. She later commented about the fact that the Degas' dancer could not have been constructed in marble given her pose and the dancer had to be cast in bronze if Degas wanted to portray the woman without a base for support. She concluded that the material gives us a clue as to the degree of confidence and gutsiness in these women. At this point I was struck by the number of times this woman mentioned the confidence of the women in the statues. I forgot about my list of questions completely and questioned the woman further about how she came to this conclusion about the statue's inner strength. She said that within their respective time each woman seems to be confident. The older sister, a personal trainer, did not entirely agree with her sister. She noted confidence within the dancer, but saw none in Eve because she felt Eve was embarrassed by her nudity, judging from her demeanor. This sister also said she preferred the dancer's form over Eve's because her muscles appear to be more toned. Though she also admitted that she identified more with Eve because, in her older age, she has been unable to maintain a muscular form. Side note: this woman was also very uncomfortable speaking about these statues because of their nudity. She commented on a shock quality that accompanies seeing images like these. I wish I had questioned her more about this. I wish I had asked her whether these older images shock her more than some we see in music videos and magazines today. The older sister certainly seemed to be more conservative than her younger sister.
 * __4th visit: October 29, 2013__**

Throughout this process I haven't been entirely consistent with the way that I question these women. I know that some might question whether straying from my exact questions makes my results incomparable, but I questioned each woman differently because I wanted to extract as much information from them as possible. I figured that my best chance at this would be to change my approach of speaking to each interviewee. I treated this experiment more as a super quick case study rather than a survey. I didn't feel that people would be as open and honest with me if I rambled off a generic list of questions to them. Also it was pretty hard for me to stick to the list of questions. I couldn't ignore my urges to question some women more than others. Today I came across a mother and daughter pair. I spoke to them in from of the Eve statue. The 19 year old girl was doing a project for an art history class at DAAP and she was checking the date of the Eve statue to see if she could write about it. The girl was more interested in answering my questions than her mother. The girl said she really disapproves of the images she sees in magazines today and she really appreciates Eve's full figure. However, she did criticize Eve's form for her small breasts and back dimples!
 * __5th visit: November 2, 2013__**

** Physical **
What did you notice about the role of body image in the population's behavior? //Body Image// in the text is defined as the "conception of and attitude toward physical appearance." I was very interested in the attitudes of the women I interviewed in terms of their own physical appearance. "Body image is a strong predictor of young people's self-esteem." (Berk, 290) The younger women (ages 19-26) seemed to have a more negative attitude towards their own body image than the older women I interviewed.

What did you notice about the physical differences between the younger and older women interviewed? The older generations of women I interviewed did tend to hold more weight on their bodies. The book states that 33% of Americans are overweight these days. (Berk, 346) Here the book also states that adults tend to show a great deal of weight gain between ages 25 and 40. From what I could tell, this population of women seem to verify that fact.

What did you notice about the women's openness to exercise? The personal trainer made it very clear that she preferred Degas' dancer because she had a fit and muscular form. Since the statue was engaged in a physical activity we did get into a conversation about the benefits of exercise. Then the topic of confidence lead into a conversation about the mental health benefits of exercise. She talked about how working out and feeling fit boosts her self-confidence. "Physical activity enhances cognitive functioning and psychological well-being, it promotes on-the-job productivity, self-esteem, ability to cope with stress, and life satisfaction." (Berk, 348)

Did any discussion involve the eating disorders anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa? I never brought up the topic of eating disorders with my interviewees, but the 19 year old girl I spoke to during my 3rd visit mentioned a stereotype of dancers having trouble with anorexia. According to our text, "anorexia nervosa is a tragic eating disturbance in which young people starve themselves because of a compulsive fear of getting fat." (Berk, 292) The two of us talked a little about how this dancer does not seem to be suffering from this kind of eating disorder, she looks plump, muscular and healthy. However, the dancer still could have struggled with bulimia as some girls who suffer from bulimia tend to have normal figures.

What did you notice about peer relationships? Most girls I spoke to, especially from the younger generations, seemed to be aware of the heightened awareness peers in today's society seem to have in body image. A couple of the 18-22 year old women talked about the influence magazine images of women have on women today. A particular physical status is preferred: slender, medium height females. "The female image that favors the late developer." (Berk, 290) We also discussed how girls can be either too skinny or too fat. Therefore, people who fall into the //extremes// of physical development feel and are "out of place" in conjunction with their peers. (Berk, 290-291)

Do women prefer a certain ratio of muscle to fat? The personal trainer spoke of a particular preference she has in terms of a muscle to fat ratio. She prefers to see more muscle definition than fat on a person's body. Given her older age she has been disappointed that she has not been able to maintain a fairly muscular form. This is partially because, according to our text, "muscle mass declines very gradually in the 40s and 50s, largely due to atrophy of fast-twitch fiber, responsible for speed and explosive strength." (Berk, 399)

How do women feel about changes in the appearance and consistency of their skin? According to Chapter 15 of our textbook, as we age the outermost layer of skin, the epidermis, becomes less firmly attached to the middle layer, the dermis. Both layers lose water and the inner most layer, the hypodermis loses fat. These changes lead to a textural change. Skin begins to to loosen, dry up, and wrinkle. People in their 30s start to develop lines on their forehead from repeated facial expressions. Around age 40 "crow's-feet" appear around the eyes. By 50 "age spots" may disturb even skin tone. (Berk, 399) The older women I interviewed (ages 45 and older) discussed their disappointment in the alteration of their skin. The 50 year old sister from visit 4 said she was drawn to the Eve statue because her skin was perfectly smooth. "That doesn't last forever!"

** Physical Cognitive **
I spoke to quite a variety of women during this project. Some seemed more concerned about their appearance than others. The younger women seemed more interested in looking "attractive" in terms of our society's current definition of the slim figured woman. Their outfits were casual and fitting to their forms. The older women seemed more interested in dressing in formal wear. They wore button down shirts, nice slacks and skirts.

** Emotional **
Asking women about their body image felt slightly invasive. It was certainly a touchy subject for most people. However, given my environment people were not showing me their emotions outright. I will say this, some women pointed out negatives in the the statue's figures more readily than others. Perhaps this means that they are more unhappy with their body image?

** Social **
As previously stated, majority of the time I spoke with these women I had to pry information out of them because they weren't very interested in talking to me. In terms of interactions I noticed amongst one another, the women who traveled in pairs or groups seemed more comfortable to talk to me about my project openly. The two sisters from visit 4 were very dynamic and did not hold back when speaking to me about their concept of body image. Maybe because they are older and more comfortable with their bodies? Other groups of women tended to feed off of one another when together. The mother from the mother and daughter pair from visit 5 tended to agree with everything her daughter said. I'm curious whether they might have reacted differently if I had questioned them alone.

** Revisiting Your Curiosities **

 * W : What you want to know (inquiry questions) **

As far as I can tell, women do not outwardly make connections between their own form and that of statues in museums; however, when questioned most women have an opinion about the kind of body image they prefer. This is still just a guess and more refined study should certainly be performed, but I feel like women at museums subconsciously interpret their own body image with the visual aid of female sculptures. My interest is unearthing some of those unconscious thoughts and making connections between them. One of the most important observations I made during this project are the contrasting reactions between the young and older women generations. The younger women were more quick to comment of on the differences (all negative) between the statue's for and their own. While the older women were reminiscing the forms of the women in the statues because their bodies no longer look quite as fit as the statues' forms. Women are building their self-confidence more in their earlier years than their later years. Maybe this contributes to the fact that these women are overly critical. I would love to do more research on this project in the future. I think I could solidify these connections even more.
 * 1.** ** How do women interpret their own body image in relation to sculptures of the female body? **

Comments from young women (Ages 19-26): Comments from older women (Ages 30-55):
 * Her breasts are smaller than I would prefer.
 * She has back dimples.
 * I would want a smaller waist.
 * I admire her smooth skin. It doesn’t last forever.
 * I wish my breasts were still that perky.
 * I like that these women have a full figure.


 * 2. Women and Art: A Study of Confidence in Body Image**

The highlights of the information on my poster include my observations, my methods of observation, and my results. Though I'm pleased with the information included, I'm not pleased with the visual quality of my poster. I wish that I had put the pictures of the statues front and center and found a way to make nifty headings. I'm not very tech oriented so until I saw other people's presentations I didn't know how clean and professional I could make them look. Were I to re-do this poster, I have a pretty good idea of how I would change things.
 * 3. Creative Presentations**

I am not interested in being a teacher, but understanding the development of adolescents and adults will certainly be helpful to me in my career as a speech pathologist.
 * 4. What new questions emerge for you as a future teacher?**

Late Adulthood

Describe your Older Adult Project:

This year my Thanksgiving was a big reunion of my Dad's side of the family. Specifically it was a reunion for my grandfather Dumesnil's side of the family. For a full year now, my grandmother has been busy planning a special thanksgiving for the Dumesnils. You see, my Grandaddy Dumesnil passed away two years ago so this get together was very important to my family, especially my grandmother. Most of the Dumesnils live in Louisville, Kentucky (my childhood home). My grandmother reserved a very special location for our festivities, a historic home located in Crescent Hill called the Peterson Dumesnil House. My grandfather only lived in the house for a couple years until he was about 4 or 5. His older sister, however, lived in the house throughout her teenage years.

I spoke to many elderly relatives on Thanksgiving day, but I chose to speak to my grandmother for majority of the afternoon and evening. Given the circumstances, there was a lot of talk surrounding my grandfather, his childhood, and even his later years. I learned a great deal regarding my grandfather's personality, his old business, and his accomplishments. My grandmother even felt comfortable sharing experiences of their later years together.



Describe your experience:

2 years ago, I knew that my grandfather passed away in his home, but I never knew until Thanksgiving that he //chose// to pass away his home, in his bed, holding his wife's hand. Our textbook tells us that only 1/4 of Americans experience home death. (Berk, 510) Many more Americans pass in hospitals mostly due to the access to medical machinery. Though a smaller number of people actually pass in the home, 80-90 % of Americans wish to die in their home. (Berk, 510) My grandmother told me that my grandfather was very adamant about passing in their home. I learned that up until the end, my grandmother read novels, newspaper articles and the //New Yorker// to my grandpa because his eyesight had become so poor. She took on the role of caregiver in a huge way because my grandfather really detested the idea of receiving impersonal care within an intensive hospital environment. This gesture revealed the remarkable amount of love that my grandmother had for my grandfather. I admire the emotional and physical sacrifices she made in order to care for my grandfather.

My grandmother also shared a little bit about her grieving process with me. After my grandfather's death she began volunteering at various locations around Louisville, she became more involved with our church and she started going to weekly dinners with friends who had also recently lost a husband. My grandma refers to this group as her Widow's Club. Adaption to widowhood can vary depending on age, but older widows tend to have an easier time coping with the death of an intimate spouse because many of their friends are in similar circumstances. (Berk, 519). Also according to our textbook, widows make up 1/3 of the elderly population and this is partially because women live longer than men and are less likely to remarry. (Berk, 488) My grandmother was a widow at 83 and she belongs to more than 40% of the population of women 65 or older who have lost a spouse.