Body Modification
In the title of my paper, I said I would talk about the embodiment of gender. Embodiment comes from body. Changes and variations in the body can also be formulated as “body modification” – another somewhat loaded term. How many kinds of body modification are there – how many do we consider?
Firstly we modify the body aesthetically, visually, and in other ways, in countless ways on a daily basis. We get dressed – which humans did not do before the advent of “civilisation”– we wash, comb and otherwise modify our hair; we cut, shave or remove our hair in various places; we use perfumes and deodorants; we use soap, creams and forms of make-up to modify the skin, its feel, its smell and its appearance.
Most forms of medically recommended surgery by definition are accepted without much question. They are sanctioned by higher, expert, medical authority as necessary to support our health – and what else can a psychotherapist do than be in support of health? Similarly we rarely question the ideas of spectacles to correct eyesight, or prosthetic limbs. What about teeth? No one says that to let teeth rot and fall out would be more “natural” than the usual practice in modern countries. But what about the years of orthodontic treatment for children in early adolescence, to make sure they have attractive teeth and a “beautiful smile”? Is there much doubt that this will be more often recommended to girls than to boys? Is it necessary for health? Is it natural? But it is only rarely criticised by psychotherapists (or others) as in need of reflection, if at all. The same goes for other obvious “remedial” treatments of things like cleft lips, children born with six fingers or toes, port-wine stains or birthmarks in the face. As often as not, attempts will be made to “repair” them, without much criticism or debate as to possible doubtful unconscious motives, let alone about “pathology.”
It is worth specifically noting that when cisgender people have surgical procedures or hormone treatment clearly related to their gendered appearance, this is not psychologised or pathologised, but seen as “medical” and “natural.” I am thinking here of breast reduction for men troubled by gynaecomastia; hair removal or implants; female breast implants after they have been removed because of breast cancer; taking steroids to influence body shape, or HRT for its beneficial effects.