In this study, effects of facial self-reflection and complexity of self on physiological responses were investigated. Skin conductance levels were measured during baseline and neutral conditions, then under a self-focusing condition provided by mirror reflection of the face. Subjects completed measures of self-complexity, depressive affect, self-esteem, anxiety and body image satisfaction. Eye tracking data was collected during the mirror condition. Results showed a significant effect of mirror self-reflection on physiological reactivity as measured by differences between mirror and baseline mean responses. Pre-test depressive affect was correlated with low self-esteem but not with self-complexity. Self-complexity was negatively correlated with orientation to physical appearance and positively correlated with greater differences between baseline and mirror mean reactivity. Self-complexity and depressive affect did not significantly predict physiological reactivity, although a trend was found for the influence of each variable. Post-hoc analyses showed significant group differences for both self-complexity and depressive affect on physiological reactivity, although the influence of self-complexity was in the unexpected direction. Results of this study are consistent with general findings that negative self-esteem, anxiety and depression are strongly correlated. In addition, a strong correlation was found between negative self-esteem and dissociative symptoms. Exploratory analyses of eye tracking data found no significant relations among personality variables and percent of time looking at facial image, although some trends were found. Trends for a relation of self-complexity with time looking at facial image, negative evaluation of appearance in the mirror, and less focus on physical appearance suggest a component in the domain of self-complexity related to physical appearance. Clearly, self-complexity has a number of interrelated dimensions and remains a challenging area of study. In addition, the combination of eye tracking and physiological measurement is a relatively new area of study that shows promise for continued investigation.

The thesis deals with the analysis of two years, namely 1991 and 2010, of the magazine Vlasta made with the gender optics. The aim is to compare thematic structure of the magazine in 1991 and 2010 from gender perspective and identify the central issues which are presented to women. The study is divided into three main sections: theoretical, methodological and analytical. The theoretical part describes the current scientific discourse, including terminological definition of basic concepts. The methodology part describes the research methods used and the analytical section presents the research outputs obtained through open and axial coding, which were used in analysis of the media content. Significant editorial issues, which are associated women in a magazine Vlasta with, have been identified and described.

This dissertation explores the making of and research for the film, Fattitude, a social justice based documentary that looks to awaken viewers to the reality of weight bias in media representation. This dissertation reviews the filmmaking process and then engages with the nature of stereotypes about fat bodies. Deeply tied to feminist and fat studies theory, the work here seeks to categorize and shape the understanding of weight bias in the media by linking fat tropes to clearly understood images of oppression, for example the monstrous, the fool, they hypersexual and the asexual. The work also seeks to present theory on the nature of creating media representations of fatness that are not oppressive – making note of current media created by grassroots movements for body acceptance and fat positivity. / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2017. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

Die vorliegende Arbeit ist bis jetzt die einzige umfangreiche, wissenschaftliche Untersuchung über alleinerziehende Mütter in der Mongolei. Obwohl das Land im Jahr 2018 ein Wirtschaftswachstum von 6,4 % erzielte, hat ein hoher Anteil der Bevölkerung noch heute große Schwierigkeiten in ihrem alltäglichen Leben. Die Hauptursachen dafür sind politische Instabilität, Korruption, Arbeitslosigkeit und Armut. Diese Faktoren erschweren das Leben vieler Mongol*innen, vor allem der verwundbareren sozialen Gruppen, wie die der älteren Leute, der Familien von alleinstehenden Müttern und ihren Kindern. Aus diesem Grund gewinnt diese ethnographische Studie über die prekären geschlechtsspezifischen Lebensgrundlagen in den Wirtschaftstransformationsprozessen weiterhin an Bedeutung. Anhand der Diskurstheorie werden zunächst herrschende Moral- und Wertevorstellungen genauer analysiert. Auf Basis dieser theoretischen Grundlage wird das historische Bild alleinstehender Mütter von Beginn des 20. Jahrhunderts über die sozialistische Zeit bis zur politischen Wende von 1990 untersucht. Dazu wurden sämtliche vorhandene Archivmaterialien und die einschlägige Literatur detailliert untersucht. Die ausführliche Darstellung von Lebenssituationen interviewter alleinstehender Mütter aus den verschiedenen Wohnorten des Landes bildet den Hauptteil der Arbeit. Darauf folgt eine Analyse der geschlechtsspezifischen Rollen ihrer Kinder im familiären Umfeld. Das aktuelle Bild der Männer, das seit dem Systemwechsel von 1990 den gesellschaftlichen Diskurs prägt, ergänzt die Arbeit. / This study is the only extensive ethnographic work to focus on the living conditions and experiences of single mothers in post-socialist Mongolia. Despite reaching an economic growth rate of 6.4 percent in 2018, the majority of Mongolia's population is still exposed to extreme economic precarity caused by political instability, corruption, unemployment and poverty. These compounded factors negatively impact the quality of life for many Mongolians and, in particular, affect vulnerable populations like e.g. the elderly, single-mother households and their children, etc. Consequently, this study will continue to increase in relevance as ethnography of precarious gendered livelihoods in economic transformation. At first, the author analyzes Mongolian concepts of morality and value by drawing on discourse theory. Based on this approach, the author also looks at historical images of single-mothers from the beginning of the 20th century throughout the socialist period until the political changes in the 1990s. The author has developed her insights from studying a wide array of archival material and relevant literature. The study presents a great number of case studies of lives lead by interviewed single-mothers in different places of Mongolia. This follows their children's gender-differentiated roles in detail within their respective environments. The empirical data is based on in-depth fieldwork. The study complements the women's discourses by also addressing the current images of men, which have been characterized by the public discourse since the social change.

Submitted by Filipe dos Santos (fsantos@pucsp.br) on 2018-07-03T13:33:07Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Karen Grujicic Marcelja.pdf: 2715983 bytes, checksum: 131845be0c822deffdc02983f3eb40a0 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-07-03T13:33:07Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Karen Grujicic Marcelja.pdf: 2715983 bytes, checksum: 131845be0c822deffdc02983f3eb40a0 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-04-09 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / For centuries, discourses about beauty have involved the female body in delicate power relations, in addition to transforming it into the object of consumption and desire in different societies. In the last decades, the body has gained even more importance with the possibility of aesthetic and surgical interventions for beauty and physical performance. For all this, the figure of the fat, the potbellied and the sedentary became an indication of failure before so many possibilities of beauty, health and success released by advertising and the media and general. However, since the early 2000s something has been changing in this discourse. Blogs, social networks and other alternative media have been releasing a more optimistic message about obesity. Without apologies to fat, Internet encourages self-love and the end of suffering caused by useless diets and treatments to lose weight. These channels are lead by young women who are supposed to have learned to like themselves and to overcome issues such as prejudice, lack of accessibility and representativeness. Some bloggers already add up to hundreds of thousands of followers and have achieved good advertising contracts thanks to their power of influence on social networks. A good part of this positive discourse is fashion, which already sees in people considered to be overweight an important lode for business. The so-called fashion plus size, as the segment was named, today moves the fashion industry more than any other, and already has events, parades, stylists and own models, all increasingly sought after. Even in the face of this new scenario in relation to obesity, is it possible to imagine that the changes have come to stay? This paper discusses a bit of the history of the fat body and the building of beauty standards, as well as the paradigms that social networks and mass culture are helping to break down by proposing the notion that it is possible to have extra kilos and be beautiful and, above all, happy / Há séculos, os discursos sobre beleza envolvem o corpo feminino em delicadas relações de poder, além de transformá-lo em objeto de consumo e desejo em diferentes sociedades. Nas últimas décadas, o corpo ganhou ainda mais importância com a possibilidade de intervenções estéticas e cirúrgicas em prol da beleza e do rendimento físico. Por tudo isso, a figura do gordo, do barrigudo e do sedentário virou um indicativo de fracasso diante de tantas possibilidades de beleza, saúde e sucesso divulgadas pela publicidade e pela mídia e geral. No entanto, desde o início dos anos 2000 algo vem mudando nesse discurso. Blogs, redes sociais e outras mídias alternativas vêm divulgando uma mensagem mais otimista em relação à obesidade. Sem apologias à gordura, o que se vê na Internet são incentivos ao amor próprio e o fim do sofrimento causado por dietas inúteis e tratamentos para emagrecer. O que se vê nesses canais são jovens que supostamente aprenderam a gostar de si mesmas e a superar questões como preconceito, falta de acessibilidade e representatividade. Algumas blogueiras já somam centenas de milhares de seguidores e conseguiram bons contratos publicitários graças ao seu poder de influência nas redes sociais. Boa parte desse discurso positivo passa pela moda, que já enxerga nas pessoas consideradas acima do peso um filão importante para os negócios. A chamada moda plus size (tamanhos grandes, em inglês), como foi batizado o segmento, hoje movimenta a indústria da moda mais do que qualquer outro, e já conta com eventos, desfiles, estilistas e modelos próprios, todos cada vez mais requisitados. Mesmo diante desse novo cenário em relação à obesidade, é possível imaginar que as mudanças vieram para ficar? Este trabalho discute um pouco do histórico em relação ao corpo gordo e à construção de padrões de beleza, bem como os paradigmas que as redes sociais e a cultura de massas estão ajudando a quebrar ao propor a noção de que é possível ter quilos a mais e ser bonita e, sobretudo, feliz

Submitted by Filipe dos Santos (fsantos@pucsp.br) on 2018-08-01T11:33:09Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Jéssica Oliveira Pereira.pdf: 1581561 bytes, checksum: d63ddbb079b507f6d3dc66ddc75cb4ad (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-01T11:33:09Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Jéssica Oliveira Pereira.pdf: 1581561 bytes, checksum: d63ddbb079b507f6d3dc66ddc75cb4ad (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-06-12 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / This dissertation analyzes which discourses involve the body in Brazilian feminist pages on Facebook and how the modes of presence (or absence) of these bodies signify feminisms in Brazil. They are public pages and with massive participation and sharing, according to the dynamics of the digital network researched. As criterion, we choosed those that are admittedly feminist, in other words, that are interlocutors of the movement in the digital network; and those that are active, with recurring and current posts. The thematic of the body is highlighted because we consider that the discourses derived from it are determinant for the exercise of feminism - they are central in the claims of a movement that has in the body its maximum representation. This issue makes it possible to analyze the meanings deriving from it and the demands of the movement: which bodies are considered legitimate in the feminist struggle, under which stereotypes they operate and which norms they ask. This is, what are the discursive constructions of the treated bodies, considering that in feminist theory the body has been apprehended as a source of knowledge and resistance, as well as an object of subjectivity. For the research, we use Foucault's (1988, 2005, 2008, 2017) studies to identify the prevailing discourses on the pages, and the statements that operate in those posts, as well as the powers that are at stake. Not less important, we use feminist bibliographies or inspired by the movement to provide a critical bias to the gender condition, such as: Butler (2015), Beauvoir (2008), Margaret Rago (1998, 2007/2008, 2013, 2014), Margaret A McLaren (2016), Coletivo Não Me Kahlo (2016), Djamila Ribeiro (2017), Angela Davis (2016), Virginie Despentes (2016), Connell (2016), among others. The results point to a greater understanding: of the power dynamics that act on the question of the feminist woman's body; the treatment of the gender issue in feminism in Brazil; and the role of digital networks in the development of feminist discourse / Esta dissertação analisa quais são os discursos que envolvem o corpo em páginas brasileiras feministas no Facebook e como os modos de presença (ou ausência) dos corpos significam os feminismos no Brasil. São páginas públicas e com massiva participação e compartilhamento, de acordo com a dinâmica da rede digital pesquisada. Como critérios, escolhemos aquelas que são assumidamente feministas, ou seja, que são interlocutoras do movimento na rede digital; e as que estão ativas, com postagens recorrentes e atuais. A temática do corpo vem em destaque por considerarmos que os discursos advindos dele são determinantes para o exercício do feminismo – eles são centrais nas reivindicações de um movimento que tem no corpo sua máxima representação. Esta questão possibilita analisar quais os sentidos decorrentes dele e as demandas do movimento: quais corpos são considerados legítimos na luta feminista, sob quais estereótipos operam e quais normas indagam. Em suma, quais as construções discursivas dos corpos tratados, tendo em vista que na teoria feminista o corpo tem sido apreendido como uma fonte de saber e de resistência, além de objeto da subjetividade. Para a pesquisa, utilizamos os estudos de Foucault (1988, 2005, 2008, 2017) para identificar os discursos predominantes nas páginas, e quais os enunciados que operam nessas postagens, bem como os poderes que estão em jogo. Não menos importante, utilizamos de bibliografias feministas ou inspiradas no movimento, para nos fornecer um viés crítico à condição de gênero, a exemplo de: Butler (2015), Beauvoir (2008), Margareth Rago (1998, 2007/2008, 2013, 2014), Margaret A. McLaren (2016), Coletivo Não Me Kahlo (2016), Djamila Ribeiro (2017), Angela Davis (2016), Virginie Despentes (2016), Connell (2016), entre outras. Os resultados apontam para uma maior compreensão: das dinâmicas de poder que atuam na questão do corpo da mulher feminista; do trato da questão do gênero no feminismo no Brasil; e ainda, da função das redes digitais na elaboração do discurso feminista

Made available in DSpace on 2017-07-21T14:42:36Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 MIRIAMNAMUR.pdf: 8144269 bytes, checksum: f187ab0249139bd188e3a3f06ab07150 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2007-09-10 / This master’s thesis is the result a research work that focuses on the cultural encounter between the Arab and the Brazilian world through the prism of literature. It highlights especially two poets that are known for having produced images of women as an indicator of such a cultural relationship. The investigation also includes other aspects of cultural syncretism. Its scenery is the Arab Diaspora in Brazil which has received literary influences by authors which have shown a strong affinity directly derives from Arab literature, but have also developed a specific literature of Mahjar, the emigration sphere. / A discussão que norteia a presente dissertação de mestrado aborda o encontro de culturas árabe e brasileira pelo viés da literatura. São dois os poetas focados para observação. A imagem da mulher por eles produzida é o indicador desse entrelaçamento de culturas. Além da imagem de mulher são apontados também outros aspectos do sincretismo cultural. O cenário é basicamente a colônia árabe no Brasil e as influências literárias recebidas pelos autores tanto do meio onde viveram como das afinidades literárias que tiveram com a literatura árabe e com a literatura do Mahjar (Imigração).

Female breast cancer patients are often confused, frustrated, and devastated by changes occurring in their bodies and the treatment process. Many women express frustration and concern with the inability to know what the next phases of their life will bring. Previous research also states that many women struggle to communicate with others about treatment as well as side effects. This research examined how woman are use metaphors to describe their experience with breast cancer, specifically throughout the treatment period related to body image struggles. I qualitatively conducted interviews with women who were either currently in treatment or just finishing. My interview questions related to their uncertainties, as well as the changes occurring to their bodies. After conducting the interviews I transcribed the conversations and coded for specific metaphors. The results were consistent with previous research, in that that the interviewees used at least four major metaphors to describe what they are going through. The four most prominent metaphors were (1) journey, (2) game, (3) struggle/fight, (4) grasping. The findings could benefit patients, nurses, physicians as well as family and friends to reduce stress and help with coping. The findings may also help female patients struggling with identity issues due to lumpectomies or mastectomies. Understanding how patients comprehend the disease can ultimately help others to understand and hopefully reduce some of the concerns of all those involved in such situations.

University of Macau / Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities / Department of Communication

This research project examines the experiences of women who have undergone elective cosmetic breast surgery. Drawing from qualitative in-depth interviews with twenty four women, this study examines why these women were willing to undergo dangerous and invasive cosmetic surgery procedures to change the appearance of their breasts. It is argued that although the women exercised agency in their decision-making, their choices were severely constrained by a culture that rewards women for conforming to feminine beauty norms, and sanctions those who do not. The women’s experiences further reveal that their decisions often “cut both ways.” These women’s decisions “cut both ways,” because while the women acquired personal benefits, these came with significant physical and emotional costs. Finally, it “cuts both ways,” because while these women personally benefited, their decisions result in the reproduction of the current beauty system and uphold the unjust feminine beauty norms on which it is based. / viii, 228 leaves ; 29 cm.