An Aspect of Modern Society and the Visual by Michael Foucault - Essay Example

?According to French Philosopher, Michael Foucault, visibility is a trap. He argues that surveillance is an aspect of modern society and the visual is also the principal means by which we are regulated and controlled. From this argument, it can be observed that modern day people are concerned about their appearances and they behave according to the prevailing norms at that particular time. As such, this paper seeks to critically evaluate the assertion that visibility is a trap. The paper starts by highlighting the meaning of culture in order to gain a full understanding of the concept. The main part of the paper will highlight the major reasons why visibility is seen as an important component of life by drawing examples from the modern urban environment in a bid to establish how cultures of surveillance are created. Surveillance comes in different forms such as CCTV cameras and consumer images are also used to enable people to expand their digital presence. The society is composed of people and their culture which is characterised by aspects such as religion, attitudes, language, education as well as dressing among other factors (Ivancevich, Konopake & Matteson, 2011). These aspects characterise the population of a nation and they also shape the behaviour of people in different areas as well as their values. Ivancevich, Konopake & Matteson (2011, p. 36), define values “guidelines and beliefs that a person uses when confronted with a situation in which a choice must be made.” People have different values with regards to the aspect of dressing since they consider this as a very important aspect of their culture. Of notable concern is the fact that the norms in terms of dressing are constantly changing and people are forced to behave in a certain way in order to keep pace with these changes. Culture plays a role in shaping the way we perceive our bodies and appearances in terms of dressing. There are different factors that influence the behaviour of people in choosing the type of dressing to wear especially in urban environments where people are not very strict about traditional values. When it comes to the aspect of dressing and appearance, it can be seen that in the modern environment, the Western society and their culture have a strong influence on shaping and defining our conceptions about different cultural artefacts such as dressing. It can be observed that through globalization and development of new information and communication technology such as satellite broadcasting, it is possible for people to consume the culture of other people. In this case, it can be seen that the western countries which are powerful and dominant control the means of communication thereby imposing their culture as superior to other cultures especially of developing nations (Rodrick, 2001). The western countries have also commodified their cultures such that they are viewed as the norm by people from different parts of the globe who consume their media products. By virtue of selling their clothes to other people from different parts of the globe, it can be seen that the westerners will also be selling their culture to the same people. The recipients are by far likely to be manipulated by this culture since they are forced to view it as more superior than their own culture. Different cultures in different countries are facing extinction due to what is termed acculturation (Rodrick, 2001). In terms of appearance, the western type of dressing is often regarded as the epitome of good looking, elegance and beauty. Western fashion such as stiletto heel has been popularised in different parts of the world where it has been perceived as the standard measure of quality fashion. The image below shows a stiletto heel shoe. Image of stiletto heel Source: http://www.crystalgraphics.com/powerpictures/images.photos.asp?ss=stiletto%20heels These shoes are preferred by professional women since they epitomise elegance and high esteem associated with high class status in society. These shoes are quite expensive compared to ordinary shoes but people are forced to buy them since they help them to appear nicely. Other different types of western fashion are regarded with great esteem by people from different parts of the globe. In fact, it can be said that the western societies play a leading role in shaping the fashion industry during the contemporary period. In different urban environments, it can be seen that the majority of people wear fashionable designer clothes from the dominant western countries. A good example is illustrated in the image below. Young woman in casual wear Source:http://www.crystalgraphics.com/powerpictures/images.photos.asp?ss=stiletto%20heels The image above depicts western fashion among women. In many traditional cultures especially in developing countries, this type of dressing traditionally used to be alien but it is becoming popular day by day as you urban ladies attempt to emulate their western counterparts. This is in contrast to the rural counterparts who try to maintain their cultural dressing. Traditional cultures are conservative compared to cultures in urban environments that are susceptible to change or can be influenced or manipulated by the dominant cultural forces. This is the reason why visibility is often regarded as a trap especially in urban settings where each person is concerned with keeping pace with the fashion trends and norms prevailing at a certain period. According to Alant (1993), the concept of gender mainly deals with aspects such as masculinity and felinity as well as role expectations in society. However, besides stereotyping women as child care givers in different sectors of the society in terms of their gender, some feminist have added another dimension, beauty. In almost all sections of the globe, women are so much particular about their beauty and they believe that this is complemented by the way they should appear in public. The aspect of gender also has a significant impact in shaping the way people perceive issues such as dressing and appearance. Studies have shown that women from different parts of the globe choose certain types of dresses because they believe that they enhance their appearance (Alant, 1993). The appearances of our bodies have cultural connotations to the way people create elements such as gender class as well as ethnicity. Some people may be forced to emulate other people so that they can also be classified in the same category with their mentors. From the above argument, it can be seen that people often spend a fortune in buying fashionable and designer clothes in order to enhance their appearance in the public. Women in particular are caught in the trap of visibility since they spend most of their time as well as money engaging in activities that are meant to enhance their appearances to other people. Women also believe that they will be in a better position to attract rich and affluent men if they appear nicely in the public. This is the major reason why they spend a fortune in a bid to enhance their appearances. Some people also use expensive jewelry such as earrings to enhance their appearance. The image below shows the other type of earrings worn by women to improve their beauty. Earrings Source: http://www.picsearch.com/Earrings-pictures.html This only meant to improve visibility given that this kind of jewelry made from expensive material. However, this kind of jewelry does not provide warmth or any other physical comfort besides improving the appearance and visibility of the individual involved. On the other hand, there are also other men who believe that good presentation it terms of appearance and outlook is a source of societal status and these people will also be forced to spend large amounts of money in order to look attractive to other people especially the opposite sex. In urban environments, competition for different things exists and some people believe that they can earn recognition in their respective societies through dressing nicely. The culture of surveillance is created when certain items that are believed to be of material value are displayed in order to attract customers to buy the products being offered. In some cases, people will be forced to buy items that will enhance their visibility at whatever cost since they attach prestige and value to such items. Over and above, it can be concluded that people are trapped by the notion of visibility since they are forced to spend large sums of money buying fashionable clothes as well as jewelry in order to enhance their appearance. Some people believe that good appearances can propel them to higher social classes. However, the unfortunate part of visibility is that dominant cultures have been established as popular culture that epitomizes quality and fashionable appearances. As such, other people are forced to abandon their cultures in preference of other cultures that are alien to them. References Alant, C 1993, Sociology and society: A Humanist Profile, Southern Book Publishers: Cape Town. Crystal graphics, 2013, Stiletto heels-pictures and photos, Viewed 22 May 2013, from: . Ivancevich, JM, Konopaske, R & Matteson, MT 2011. Organisational behaviour and management. 9th Edition, McGraw Hill Irwin: New York. Picsearch, 2013, Earrings, Viewed 22 May 2013 from: . Rodrick, A 2001, Take it Personally: How Globalisation affects you and powerful ways to challenge it , HarperCollins Publishers, London. Read More