Body images and cult in the digital age: a guest lecture on measured ideals of beauty and on to self-love
«#quantifiedself» – body images from body shaming via body positivity to the fitness craze. Excerpt from the rtwe lecture series “Ethical questions in the digital age” with Jan Thomas Otte on 30 November 2023 at Konstanz University of Applied Sciences, in a hybrid format.
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Ethics in the context of the quantified self requires a nuanced view on several levels. How we handle personal health data, our self-determination and critical reflection on the social pressure to optimise ourselves are central aspects of my guest lecture. Theological positions such as the idea of humans being made in the image of God offer valuable impulses for an ethical assessment and for creating guidelines on how to deal with self-tracking technologies…
What effect does this cover picture have on you? What do you see, and what do you look at first? Is it the salad, with the awareness that maybe I should eat more healthily? Is it the kind and variety of the tattoos, or the hairstyle, which has slipped down a little towards the impressive beard? Or? Or? What do you look at? When we look at this stock photo, we witness the whole spectrum between body positivity and body shaming. We will come to what exactly this movement is later.
Slides and video available at: https://ringvorlesung.rtwe.de/
Portrait in the SÜDKURIER / “Die Vermessung meines Körpers” (“Measuring my body”) – 29 July 2023. Link to the PDF here.
The agenda:
- In the first part I start this digital journey through the body. What does it actually mean? Body shaming. Body positivity. Where do these terms come up? What do I mean by fitness craze? Admittedly, that is a rather tendentious heading I have chosen.
- In the second part I would like to bring in a certain amount of theory. And a survey of what you understand by beauty and which digital measuring devices you already use yourself. I have also brought along a few practical examples, including one from a graduate of communication design here at HTWG who has explored this topic from different angles, both as a photographer and as a model, in this field of tension between positivity and shaming of the body.
- Afterwards I put forward a few theses so that we can discuss them...
“Take-aways” from the subsequent discussion (30 minutes):
- Strengthen digital self-awareness: we need to handle the data we generate more consciously. It is about keeping control over our digital selves. 📊🔐
- Boundaries between reality and “fake life”: social media can influence our self-image. It is important to reflect on and understand the boundaries between online and offline identity. 🌐🤳
- The duality of human nature: discussions, for example about Bible passages, show that inner values are just as important as outward appearance. Every human being carries something divine within. 📖✨
- Grace and dignity over mere beauty: Goethe’s ideas, for example, emphasise the importance of grace and dignity as counter-concepts to mere beauty. Let us value inner qualities! 💖🌺
- Celebrate universal humanity: regardless of outward standards and media trends, every human being is human. Let us honour the uniqueness and dignity of every individual. 🌍🤝
Translated from German by Claude. The episode audio is in German. Read the original in German.
