Perhaps one of the most controversial, decorated, shamed, voiced-on, and often avoided subjects of conversation is that of the human body. It is an age-long topic on which society probably has its strongest opinions, yet it is still largely silenced in the public arena. In recent times, however, great efforts have been made to bring this highly-debated subject to the surface of culture and into the consciousness of society.
It
is the question of how one’s attitude should be towards the body, how one should
treat one’s body, and the roles the human body plays in various private and
social spheres. If I may condense the whole arena of this debate (if one can
call it a debate, if not a war of mockery and victimization), which is the
purpose of my writing, as much as my understanding of it, there are two main
assertions on the opposite sides of the boxing ring. On the one side, labeled
“liberal”, we have the opinion that one’s body (or should I say “skin”) should
not be hidden, but instead should be flaunted. On the other side, labeled
“conservative”, we hear the conviction that one’s body should not be exposed
for the public eye but concealed in accordance to the largely undefined
standard of modesty. Now if I may, lest I forget in the course of this monologue,
I’d like to run down a rabbit trail about what we call “modesty.” There have,
indeed, been many attempts to solidify the guidelines of what may be considered
modest and what may not, and some have been accepted more than others. But here
comes the predicament of our modern day for those who hold to the conservative
attitude previously stated: should a person, family, or institution make a list
of specific types of clothing that would be considered modest, even down to the
measurements of inches and regions such as “kneecaps,” many would step back and
denounce such appearances of legalism; but should there not be any fixed
guidelines on clothing, modesty becomes an abstract, ambiguous, and arbitrary
idea. The results would involve an inability to answer to the challenges of an
irritated teen, and differences in the standards of modesty, varying from
family to family and group to group, that would natural give rise to
judgmentalism.
But
let us return to the two assertions. We hear both come up in the media, one
party pitched against the other. One seeks to bring about a progressive change
to usher in what they call “freedom” and a breaking away from the restraints of
social establishments and expectations; the other seeks to preserve a long-held
value that is felt to be threatened by the direction of popular culture. Both
bark at the other bitterly. Both bicker amongst themselves about the evils of
the other. The longer I hear of this cultural war, the more I marvel at the
apparent incapability of man to dig to the core of the matter and his
fascination with the scorching surface. May I propose another perspective? I am
sure I am not the only one to comprehend this, but I would like to help paint a
picture of what I believe to be a better understanding of the subject.
While these two parties present differing
ideas of how one should treat the body, they both agree on one belief, the
principle that actually underlies the reason for this controversy: that the
human body possesses great value and deserves to be respected, accepted, and
honored. Here’s where they diverge: one party believes that the best way to
celebrate and honor the body is to flaunt it; the other believes that the best
way to celebrate and honor the body is to conceal it. Both are looking to give
the human body the greatest value possible, but their beliefs differ on where
such value is found: one believes that the greatest value is given to that
which is publicly shown off (“When one values one’s own body, one should not
hide it but display it with pride”); the other believes that the greatest value
is given to that which is hidden from the public eye (“The best gift is the one
that is wrapped”). Both also seek to avoid shaming the body: one believes that
one shames the body by hiding it; the other believes that one shames the body
by exposing it. We must understand that the same values are pursued by both
parties, but their methods of pursuit conflict. The question shifts from
whether one has chosen to dishonor the body to whether one has chosen the best
way to honor it. It is not a question of values. It is a question of worldview.
I would like to suggest that, while similar
values may be pursued, one’s worldview determines where one would search for
those values. And do we not all have the same human heart, the same human
longings, and the same human needs? Perhaps, instead of merely gossiping about
another’s absurd lifestyle, one is better off engaging in conversation that
seeks to find the worldview that best values, celebrates, and honors the human
body, in which we find great beauty and that which we hold sacred.
Nathanael Chong
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