in tradition for those practicing it. It is for much cultural preservation as Marie Assaad states:“We can’t afford being different. We found our mother’s circumcised; we learned that our grandmothers and great-grandmothers were circumcised and we have to carry the tradition to our children and grandchildren.”(Dorkenoo, p.83, 1995)Until recent political interference, the event of F.G.M. was rich in symbolism with designated huts for the recuperating girls attended only by the instructress, where the girls undergoing F.G.M. are secluded from the rest of society until they come forth, healed, as marriageable women. In the matter of very young girls, they are showered with gifts of special clothes and food. (Dorkenoo, p.39, 1995) Antithetically, in the case of breast augmentation, the recipient of the procedure often keeps the fact that they’ve had surgery from most of society due to feelings of shame and compunction, among others. A similarity in both aforementioned examples of body alterations, the body used as a sort of “cultural plastic”. This is when culture is expressed by the deconstruction and rearranging of one’s body to follow cultural customs. (Bordo, p.202, 1990) One common cultural theme shared in the expression of these customs is that of women’s oppression in a male dominated society. Most often, women believe that these surgeries are a way of exercising power over their lives by surpassing disliked body parts but in reality they are the victims of exploitation. (Davis, p.165, 1995) Along with the previously mentioned examples of oppression concerning breast augmentation; another example:Somalian woman: “When I was circumcised there could no longer be any question about my honor…If one girl doesn’t get circumcised the honor of the family suffers, for they can say: the family is no good.” (Lecture 10/11/00)This woman thinks that she is taking the mat...
