IMPROPER DOSE NO. 14
©Ale Zapata
Finally, summer!
-by Barbora Horská (Curator / Editor-in-chief of Improper Dose)
Windows closed, curtains closed, hiding in the darkest corner of my room to preserve the last bits of sanity. Trying to cool down in this heat seems to be as efficient as explaining to people that being skinny is not always a choice. As being not skinny is not always a choice either. A conversation that comes up more regularly during the summer break – aka body-shamers paradise, or anytime during the doctor's appointment.
Earlier this month, I traveled to my home country Slovakia where I was once again faced with the complete lack of body sensitivity, even (or especially) among health care professionals. Openly hating my body for being too skinny no matter what and how much I would eat would gain me at least a bit of compassion in the past. "Normal men don't like this anyway," "this is not how real women look," or just simple "you look horrible, are you one of those anorectics?'' would randomly come up in almost any interaction. If I would humbly agree with the body standards statements and add something that sounded almost like an apology for existing in this form, I would at least get out of endless accusations for having mental anorexia. Because apparently, there is no bigger proof of mental illness than to NOT hate your body.
People whose weight draws excessive attention know that sometimes taking care of your mental health means ignoring a physical symptom to avoid the doctor's office. No matter on which side of the spectrum your body happens to be, anything you're experiencing would be anyway dismissed as a result of "eating too much" or "not eating." judgments that would be of course based solely on one quick look from behind the table.
While I took this event as a bizarre culmination of our "Shame shouldn't be a symptom" project, I still had to think about those who are concerned by this stigma. Because no matter how bad growing up "ugly, sick and unattractive" was, fear of being perceived as having mental anorexia was always a bit worse.
Shaming vulnerable, usually young people for being negatively affected by society to the point of developing a serious health condition became almost a standard procedure, going way beyond the topic of weight.
Take drug abuse. Even if sometimes we are willing to look into the background conditions of an addicted person, in the end, it is usually still perceived as individual failure. If not an individual as a person, then the issue of an individual family, community, minority, etc. But never as a collective failure of civilization, because engaging in misplaced anger and projections is easier and more comfortable than putting in the effort to deconstruct preconceived ideas about the world and ourselves, the process essential for any bigger systemic change. To be fair, it’s biologically natural to stick with the known, no matter how toxic it is.
However, it is truly hard to maintain any considerate attitude when reading the comment section under the article about the death of “Romani George Floyd.” This death didn’t spark much of an outrage. Neither on social media nor in real life and even if you are a well-informed citizen following the relevant worldwide media, you still might have no idea what I am referring to.
Truth be told, the case itself seems to be indeed different from the one of George Floyd. But what they do have in common is not only that a man died after police officers used the kneeling technique for several minutes, but also the public’s lack of empathy when it comes to drug users, particularly the ones coming from a minority. Capitalism enforced neglect of authentic self, a complete misunderstanding of the complexity of addiction, effects of intergenerational poverty, and devastating health effects that social injustice and racism have on a person's life, give way for people to value material possessions more than human life. Because for some, it is easier to empathize with an anonymous car owner than with a clearly suffering man who is hurting himself more than anyone else.
From my privileged position I say, let’s take a break. After everything that this year already managed to bring, we all might need it.
So before we all go mind our own business, bodies, and unhealthy coping mechanisms, here is your last summer Dose. Below you can find the interview with Nancie Naive whose performance we will host this Friday as a part of XX Art Flanerie 2021 (more info about the festival included), an interview with Amaaena, and another episode of Pedro del Real’s intimate reflections on the internet’s history. Also, Support the Arts! with Andrea Z Scharf (or our Patreon) and check out our latest photo shoot session with Margarita Keller.
See you in September!