Jose Miguel Reyes Aspiras March 31, 2010

2007-03901 Anthro 10 (TTh 7-

8:30am)
BM Piano Final Exam

1. Discuss and differentiate the concept of beauty being a social construct and it being a
biologically favored adaptation for the survival of human species. Give examples from each
perspective (beauty as a social construct and beauty as a naturally selected trait).

Beauty as a social construct:

-earrings for the ladies; women must have hair on their heads- if a
woman is bald, she is a tomboy or she has cancer; women must have a
smooth, flawless skin to be beautiful; manicure, and pedicure; men have to
have a fit body; no make-up for men…

Beauty as a naturally selected trait:

The usual “normal” shape of the body is considered to be
beautiful. If you have unequal shoulders, unaligned eyes (duling), bilbil, or
any other abnormality, you are automatically already being ostracized by
anyone who sees you (generally).

2. What ideals are often emphasized in the way societies show their discontents about the body
through aesthetic surgeries? Give examples in the Philippine context.

The “ideal” Filipino body is a slim, fit figure, matangos ang ilong,
walang bilbil. Moreover, the body must have a fair complexion. Moles, warts,
and scars are generally considered undesirable, unless located on your body
that these skin abnormalities are swertes.

3. Gender differences during verbal and non-verbal communications. Use as examples the cases
discussed in the readings. You may also discuss some examples in the Philippine context that are
relevant to how language reflects some marked differences in gender.

Men’s words generally use more personal pronouns (e.g. I, Me, etc.) in
presenting ideas. Women, on the other hand, use the pronouns we and our
in conveying their ideas. As a result, men’s triumphs are theirs alone;
women’s are everyone’s. Men have this license to speak in a barumbado
way, that it is commonly conceived that a man with gentle words are either
holy or weak. Women are expected to have this mahinhin tone. If a woman
speaks in a brutish way, she is thought to be a tomboy. The same goes for
their actions.

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4. Relating discussions on the "Archaeology of the Body", explain the limits of the linguistic
models of analysis in understanding societies. Also relate your discussions to the shamanistic
rituals of the Matsigenka and Yora societies and how such cannot be readily subjected to
linguistic analysis.

If a certain culture only has one word to describe salty and sweet, it
does not mean that they are not capable of tasting what is salty and sweet.
It does not mean that they don’t know what sweet is and what salty is. It’s
just a matter of their perception. This has great ties with how they live their
lives.

5. The article "The Body's Career in Anthropology" argues that what makes it relevant to talk
about the body's "career" in anthropology is that its theoretical status has gradually evolved in
four stages. Identify these four stages and give at least one example of a reading discussed in
class that falls into any of the four stages.

1. Implicit stage: studying the body indirectly; may look upon the senses
to infer implications Reading: Flirting Fascination.

2. Explicit stage: focuses directly on the body; physical reasons. Reading:

Diversity of the Upper Paleolithic 'Venus' Figurines and archaeological
mythology

3. Theoretical stage: focuses on theoretical possibilities (e.g. written texts

as basis) on why people possibly change their bodies. Reading: The F
Word (on the mind-body dichotomy).
4. Re-thinking stage: re-questioning, or the re-evaluation of the first three
stages. Reading: Bundu Trap.

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