Professor Anand Presents at ISA Annual Convention, Addresses the Issues Around the Westernization of the Body Image in India

Professor Ruchi Anand participated in the Annual Convention of the International Studies Association (ISA), which brought together an estimated 6,000 scholars and professional practitioners from all continents in San Francisco, April 3-6, 2013. This year's convention was held on the theme "The Politics of International Diffusion: Regional and Global Dimensions". Professor Anand's paper was part of a panel on "Feminism, Gender, and Place", and focused on the following topic: "Thin is in? The Causes and Consequences of the Diffusion of a Westernized Body Image in India."

In her abstract, Professor Anand writes: "This paper seeks to problematize the impact of the global diffusion of the Western image of ‘thin’ body types and body images amongst women in India. In India, where thinness used to be a sign of malnutrition, poverty and disease, while well-rounded and curvy women portrayed health, wealth and prosperity, a transformation has taken place – in thought, perception and practice – that has had a series of positive and negative impacts on women’s rights and roles in patriarchal India. Thinness has begun to indicate beauty, good health, self-discipline and sexual attractiveness and this culture has spread over time through Asia, Africa and Latin America. Who are the agents and what are the causal mechanisms carrying out (or blocking) this diffusion? What are the outcomes of this diffusion? Is it desirable or not? Why? In a culture where gender disparities and sex discrimination continue at all levels of society, embracing this vision has further pushed the Indian women being talked about to being “objects” rather than ‘”subjects” of their own bodies. Colonized by their sex and gender at multiple levels, women’s body images are indicators of a deeper political, anthropological and social issue than just transforming one’s body type."

More information on the ISA 2013 Annual Convention

On a related topic, Ruchi Anand was interviewed for a feature-length documentary entitled "The Illusionists" to be released in 2014. This documentary focuses on the commodification of the body and the marketing of unattainable beauty around the world. Professor Anand's interview covers the way that these issues play out in post-globalization India.

More information on the documentary "The Illusionists"