Naked politics : nudity, political action, and the rhetoric of the body / Brett Lunceford.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Lunceford, Brett.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Nudity--Political aspects.

Nudity.

Human body--Political aspects.

Human body.

Political participation.

Social action.

Political activists.

Physical Description:

x, 179 pages ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Lanham, Md. : Lexington Books, [2012]

Summary:

Naked Politics: Nudity, Political Action, and the Rhetoric of the Body, by Brett Lunceford, examines the rhetorical power of the unclothed body as it relates to protest and political action. This study explores what the disrobed body communicates, and how others are invited to make sense of this display. The actions examined range from grassroots protests to those of professionalized social movement organizations. Specifically, Lunceford examines PETA and the use of chained women and the Running of the Nudes; lactivists, or women engaging in public breastfeeding as protest action in both online and physical space; the World Naked Bike Ride's worldwide protest against oil dependency and attempt to raise awareness of the vulnerability of cyclists; and a contest held on CollegeHumor.com that invited women to write their preferred presidential candidate on their exposed breasts and send the picture for them to post on the website. Although these actions may seem to have little in common beyond their use of body exposure, they all share the notions that something can happen when you take your clothes off and that the act of disrobing can have social and political consequences. Moreover, these, groups illustrate the often paradoxical views of the exposed body-by both the participants and the observers-and how such bodies operate in the public sphere. Even when the voice is silent, the body still speaks; Naked Politics considers what is being said. Book jacket.

Contents:

Introduction: naked in public (for a cause)

Chained women and running nudes: PETA's body rhetoric

Weaponizing the breast: lactivism and public breastfeeding

Can you see me now, driver? World Naked Bike Ride

Political display and the mediated body: exhibition and politics on Collegehumor.com

Conclusion: the nude body in the public sphere.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780739167090

073916709X

9780739177020

0739177028

OCLC:

783172560