Well, as anyone who has come across my blog in the last month or so has probably figured out, it has been slow going! I have been in the process of launching a new research project, and I've been under a deadline of sorts, so I have been spending a lot of time on my computer but mostly only for work reasons. And of course, being on my computer means no time for knitting!
I'm feeling excited about the research project I am launching. My work over the last few years has focused on body image and eating among women, but I feel like that tagline I always share doesn't quite sum it up. I am not interested just in women who are unhappy with their bodies or who engage in some form of disordered eating; rather, I want to understand more about the cultural implications of constantly being exposed to messages about being thin, and being "good". Previous studies of mine have examined how a feminist gaze, or a critical eye turned towards the media, may help prevent women from internalizing sexist norms about what bodies "should" look like. I also did a study looking at how women treat (and view) their bodies like objects, and how this may impact sexual functioning.
The new project is looking at older women (we always refer to them as "aging" women, though this seems silly, like we're not all aging), and how cultural concepts of age impact body perceptions, and also how these things relate to social support seeking, social comparison, and depression. The summer project is so great, because not only am I collecting data using mixed methods (both survey data and interviews), but I got funding from NIMH (national institutes of mental health) to support me. It's been like a dream come true-- all summer I get to work on the project that I chose and designed. But then the reality set in-- I have to collect data, and have it at least a bit analyzed for a conference in early August. That meant getting the clearance to collect my data, and fast. But I was a bit burnt out at the end of the year, so my brain kept telling me to take a break! And so I've been in a bit of an odd place, where I need rest, but know I need to get work done, and to work on knitting or anything else seems a bit like cheating. It's all very silly, I know, but I think that's where my case of the blah's came from.
In other good exciting news, I am also working on a chapter for a book! It will be my first, and it also is on something I feel very strongly about and have been researching for a few years-- intersectionality and body image. My advisor was invited to write a chapter in a book on intersectionality, which basically is thinking about how people experience different aspects of their identity at the same time, and how these intersect, instead of thinking about them all as separate categories. For example, a Black woman may be asked by a psychologist about her identity as a woman, or as Black person, but what happens when these identites intersect? It has been challenging to ask these questions by looking at the psychological literature that is out there, because so often it takes for granted that the population being examined is white, or upper middle class, or male. So for our chapter we are focusing on methodology and theory that will allow for a better understanding of intersectionality, and we are focusing on race and body image as our example.
So this is what has been occupying my time. I feel the projects are moving slowly, and often times I automatically think this is bad, like I should be racing along. But that's not my style-- not with school, and not with knitting. My projects are coming slowly, but I like to savor them, not race through them. Of course I have those moments when I can't put something down, but overall I like to let something roll around in my mind for a good long while before letting it out. So I have decided to stop giving myself grief over my lack of finished goods-- whether it be knitted objects or research projects, and I'm going to let myself enjoy the process a bit more.