Lois Shawver's 
Summary of 
Plastic Surgery for the Other 
by 
Jean Baudrillard 

Baudrillard says that today we are  no longer interested in destroying the Other.  Instead we are concerned with creating the Other. 

In this paper he is particular concerned with gender differences and how man, especially, creates woman by exagerating the difference between men and women and even creating a difference where none exists.  This creation is made by suppressing some feature in oneself, say flightiness, and projecting it onto the woman and then idealizing her in the form of this projection. 

The purpose of this creation, Baudrillard tells us, is the enhancement of male desires for woman.  Creating her as different would seem to enhance male desire, but in fact, the project has an unfortunate effect.  Because man creates woman's differentness by suppressing part of himself, his creation provokes a longing to be like the woman he idealizes.  It is a kind of incestuous longing for the part of himself that is feminine and it makes it impossible for man to appreciate woman as woman apart from this artificial construction of her. 

There is no real solution to this problem at present for it consumes the entire culture.  However, if we are to work our way out of this predicament, men might try to reconcile themselves themselves with that part of themselves that they wish to reject and project onto women. 
 

Return to PMTH NEWS





You are visitor  to this page!