This study interrogates female obesity, referencing contradicting Xhosa and
Western cultural stereotypes and their impact on modern females, arguing that
these stereotypes affect individuals’ self-acceptance, sometimes resulting in
low self-esteem. It also highlights the impact of social media on the obesity of
modern young women, affecting their self-image and confidence. The study
argues that the contradicting African cultural and Western stereotypes present
modern African women’s self-image with emotional and physical chaos. This
is because most African traditional cultural people believe that a healthy child’s
image is that of a full body, which is in opposition to the Western norm that a
thin body shape is “sexy” and a sign of wellness. This study is set within
phenomenological and autoethnographic methodologies based on the
researcher’s self-reflection while presenting various scenarios and practices
regarding the modern female body and its dilemmas. These include beauty
pageantry, acceptable looks and current practices such as tummy tucks, breast
enlargement and reduction, buttocks augmentation and many other
modifications driven by the so-called ideal and appealing female body. This
study further argues that fatness both fascinates and repels modern society,
as can be seen in the popularity of fat jokes in an era of supposed tolerance
and respect for diversity and in the mockery of fat bodies in the pop cultural
spheres. Thus, in this context, fatness is stigmatised due to socially acceptable
stereotypes. The study is situated within current feminist discourses on the
female embodiment of her body and the application of stereotyping as a form
of stigmatising. Feminist theories describe the present condition of women and
men’s ways of understanding towards eliminating race, gender and sexual
hierarchies. Male and female gaze concepts are also explored to express the
impact of stereotypes on the female body. This study is practice-led and
practice-based, and it culminated in a solo exhibition depicting emerging visual
representations towards new knowledge while improving artistic practice. The
practical work was framed through various contemporary artistic discourses
that deal with and embrace the full body shape, as well as using art activism
as a therapeutic endeavour.
Olu phandolwazi luphanda ngokutyeba kwabasetyhini, lubhekisa kwiinkolelo
ezigwenxa eziphikisanayo zenkcubeko yamaXhosa neyaseNtshona kunye
nefuthe lazo kubantu basetyhini bale mihla, lubonisa ukuba ezi nkolelo
zigwenxa zichaphazela ukuzithemba komntu, ngamanye amaxesha
zikhokelela ekuzijongeleni phantsi. Lukwabhentsisa ifuthe lamajelo
onxibelelwano loluntu ekutyebeni kwabasetyhini abaselula bale mihla,
elichaphazela indlela abazibona ngayo nokuzithemba kwabo. Olu phandolwazi
lubonisa ukuba iinkolelo ezigwenxa eziphikisanayo zenkcubeko yamaAfrika
neyaseNtshona ziveza indlela abazibona ngayo abasetyhini bale mihla kunye
nokudideka ngokweemvakalelo nasemzimbeni. Oku kungenxa yokuba abantu
abaninzi benkcubeko yemveli yaseAfrika bakholelwa ukuba umfanekiso
womntwana osempilweni ngumzimba omkhulu, nto leyo ephikisanayo
nenkcubeko yaseNtshona yokuba umzimba obhityileyo onomtsalane ngo-
"sexy" nobonakalisa impilo entle. Olu phandolwazi lusekelwe kwiindlela
zokwenza uphando ngokwamava oluntu kwezentlalo kunye nendlela
yophandontyilazwi apho abaphandilwazi basebenzisa amava abo obuqu
ukuqonda imicimbi yezentlalo (iautoethnography), esekelwe ekuzibonakaliseni
komphandilwazi ngelixa ebonisa iimeko ngeemeko neenkqubo ngeenkqubo
malunga nemizimba yabasetyhini yale mihla kunye neengxaki zayo. Oku
kuquka imiboniso yoonobuhle, inkangeleko eyamkelekileyo kunye neenkqubo
zangoku ezifana nokunciphisa isisu, ukukhulisa nokunciphisa amabele,
ukongezwa kweempundu kunye nolunye utshintsho lwenkangeleko olubanzi
olwenziwayo kwimizimba yabasetyhini olubizwa ngokuba kukufaneleka
nokuba nomtsalane. Olu phandolwazi luqhubeka lubonisa ukuba ukutyeba
kusematheni kwaye akwamkelekanga kuluntu lwale mihla, nanjengoko
kunokubonwa indlela uluntu oluthanda ngayo ukuhlekisa ngokutyeba ngelixa
kusithiwa uluntu luyanyamezelana kwaye iyahlonitshwa iyantlukwano yalo,
kunye nokuhlekwa nokugezelwa kwemizimba etyebileyo kwiinkalo
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ezahlukileyo zentlalo yoluntu. Ngoko ke, kule meko, ukutyeba kubekwa ibala
ngenxa yeenkolelo ezigwenxa ezamkelekileyo eluntwini. Olu phandolwazi
lubekelwe phakathi kweengxoxo zangoku zobutshantliziyo ngezobubhinqa
malunga nokubonakaliswa kwemizimba yabasetyhini kunye nokusetyenziswa
kweenkolelo ezigwenxa nanjengendlela yokubeka ibala. Iingcingane
zobutshantliziyo ngezobubhinqa zichaza imeko yangoku yeendlela
zabasetyhini nezamadoda zokuqonda malunga nokuphelisa ukungalingani
ngokobuhlanga, isini kunye nezesondo. Kukwaphononongwa nesigama
sendlela yokujonga amadoda nabasetyhini ukubonisa ifuthe leenkolelo
ezigwenxa kwimizimba yabasetyhini. Olu phandolwazi lusekelwe kwaye
lukhokelwa ngumsebenzi wezobugcisa, lwaze lwafikelela kwinqanaba
lomboniso wobugcisa owodwa obonisa ukuboniswa okubonakalayo
kokuvelayo kulwazi olutsha ngelixa kuphuculwa umsebenzi wezobugcisa.
Umsebenzi owenziwayo wezandla uqulunqwe ngeentetho ezahlukileyo
zobugcisa zala maxesha ezijongana nokwamkela ukumila komzimba omkhulu,
kunye nokusebenzisa ubutshantliziyo bezobugcisa nanjengenzame
yokulungisa umba wezempilo nempilontle yoluntu.
Nyakišišo ye e botšološiša go nona ga basadi, e šupetša thulano ya
dikgopolotee tša setšo sa Bodikela le sa Sethosa le khuetšo ya tšona go basadi
ba sebjalebjale, ka go bolela gore dikgopolotee tše di ama boikamogelo bja
batho, ka dinako tše dingwe di feleletša ka boinyatšo. Gape e gatelela khuetšo
ya bobegaditaba tša leago godimo ga go nona ga basadi ba e lego baswa ba
sebjalebjale, go ama boitlhompho le boitshepo bja bona. Nyakišišo e bolela
gore dikgopolotee tše di thulanago tša setšo sa Afrika le sa Bodikela di fa
boitlhompho bja basadi ba sebjalebjale ba Afrika mathata a maikutlo le a
mmele. Se ke ka lebaka la gore bontši bja batho ba setšo sa setšo sa Afrika
ba dumela gore seswantšho sa ngwana yo a phetšego gabotse ke sa mmele
wo o feletšego, seo se thulanago le mokgwa wa Bodikela wa gore sebopego
se se sesane sa mmele se “sexy” gape ke seka sa bophelo bjo bobotse.
Nyakišišo ye e beakantšwe ka gare ga mekgwa ya fenomenolotši le
othoetenokrafi yeo e theilwego godimo ga boipotšološišo bja monyakišiši mola
e tšweletša maemo le mekgwa ye e fapanego mabapi le mmele wa
sebjalebjale wa mosadi le mathata a wona. Tše di akaretša go bontšha botse,
ponagalo ye e amogelegago le mekgwa ya bjale ya go swana le go
dithamithake, go oketša le go fokotša matswele, go oketša marago le
diphetogo tše dingwe tše ntši tšeo di hlohleletšwago ke seo se bitšwago mmele
wa mosadi wo o lego maleba le wo o gogago šedi. Nyakišišo ye e tšwela pele
gape go bolela gore go nona go kgahla le go tena setšhaba sa matšatši a
lehono, bjalo ka ge go ka bonwa ka go tuma ga metlae ya ka ka ga go nona
mehleng yeo go thwego ke ya kgotlelelo le tlhompho ya go fapafapana le go
kwerwa ga mebele ye e nonnego mo dikarolong tša setšo sa phopo (pop). Ka
go realo, mo sebopegong se, go nona go kgethollwa ka lebaka la dikgopolotee
tše di fošagetšego tšeo di amogelegago setšhabeng. Nyakišišo e beakantšwe
ka gare ga dipolelo tša bjale tša bofeminisi ka ga mothofatšo ya mosadi wa
mmele wa gagwe le tirišo ya go se swane bjalo ka mokgwa wa go kgetholla.
Diteori tša bofeminisi di hlaloša seemo sa bjale sa ditsela tša kwešišo tša
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basadi le banna go ya go fediša maemo a morafe, bong le thobalano.
Dikgopolo tša go lebelela ga banna le basadi le tšona di a hlahlobja go
tšweletša khuetšo ya dipono tše di sa swanego mmeleng wa mosadi. Nyakišišo
ye ke ya go etwa pele le go thewa godimo ga tiragatšo, gomme e feleleditše
ka pontšho e tee ye e bontšhago dikemedi tša pono tše di tšwelelago go ya
tsebong ye mpsha mola e kaonafatša mokgwa wa bokgabo. Mošomo wo o
šomago o be o foreimilwe ka dipolelo tša bokgabo tša sebjalebjale tše di
fapafapanego tšeo di lebanego le go amogela sebopego sa mmele ka moka,
gammogo le go šomiša boikgafo bja bokgabo bjalo ka maitapišo a kalafo.
