| Summary: | 碩士 === 國立中正大學 === 哲學系研究所 === 105 === In spite of the fact that women's rights movement has been prevalent for nearly four decades, women, in general, are not satisfied with their body images, and as a result, they are eager to learn make-up technics, keep weight control, or even undergo risky plastic surgery. The prosperity of cosmetic industry worldwide has indicated that women want to become as beautiful as possible not only by all means but also at all cost. Given that women seem to be equal in sexual relation and gain more self-control and self-confidence at work, why women are still in need of making sexual appearances to the eyes of the other. Above all, why the majority of women still believe that women must rely on sexual appearances for upward social mobility, despite Beauvoir’s advice to the opposite six decades ago?
This paper aim at exploring the issue regarding whether women are free at will or not when they decide to make their beautiful dreams come true by all costs, including taking high-risky plastic surgery. Could they be determined by social norm of beauty to the extent that they fail to be aware of the hegemony of male gaze? Or, could it be the case that women, despite their desires to be beautiful are constructed by social norms, are autonomous and rational in their choices?
To the above questions, this paper will introduce six types of relational autonomy theory, they are, content-neutral causal theory, content-neutral constitutive theory, weak substantive causal theory, weak substantive constitutive theory, strong substantive causal theory, and strong substantive constitutive theory, so as to pave the ground for an alternative to go beyond feminist’ debate between either women’s objectification or women’s right to body. As I argue, relational autonomy theory challenges the dominant frameworks of either/or dichotomy, that is, either one is determined by external social constraints, or one is destined to be free no matter what. Instead, relation autonomy theory, alone with six versions, attempts to explore “freedom in situation”, among which, I will defend the "weak substantive causal theory” that are particularly good for explaining women’s (body) autonomy within social norm of beauty. As I conclude, in light of the "weak substantive causal theory”, women can regain their self-governance upon body and mind, insofar as they are enabled and empowered by public resources to be reflective agents, who can be aware of the hegemony of male gaze.
Key word: Feminism, Objectification , Oppression, Patriarchism, Beauty mythology, Body autonomy, Relational autonomy
|
|---|
