Attraction and Beauty in Women who are Visually Impaired: An Introductory Blog

One's identity is a very complex, intertwined concept made up of multiple facets. While only one component, Gender and our gender identity have a strong impact on our everyday lives, helping shape who we are, how others perceive us, and who we will become. Gender, as defined by DeFrancisco and Palczewski (2007), refers to "one's self-identity--that is, how much a person associates herself or himself with the masculine or feminine or both, as prescribed by society" (p. 10). In my first blog, I described my gender identity and the intersectionality of its various components. Now, I will examine a gender identity that is different from my own, in order to better understand both that gender identity and my own. First, I will describe my gender identity of interest, connect it to some course concepts, and describe what I hope to learn from my studies. Then, I will talk about how I plan to gain access to this identity.

As humans, we rely heavily on our sense of sight to help us determine what we deem as attractive or not attractive, and what we deem as beauty.  Which of the people on the right do you see as being physically attractive? Being physically attracted to a person undoubtedly plays a role in our overall attraction to a person. And beauty, society's definition of which has become almost unobtainable, are as noted by Gerschick & Miller (2004) and Kramer (2005),  "... even more difficult to obtain for persons with disabilities, ... " (DeFrancisco & Palczewski, 2007, p. 97). I wonder what it would be like to become attracted to someone or to recognize beauty if you couldn't visually see the world? That is why I want to study the idea of attraction and beauty in women who are visually impaired. How do women who are visually impaired enact the roles of femininity and masculinity in relationships? And how do they become attracted to and show attraction for another person? How does someone who is visually impaired define beauty in relation to their gender identity? These are all questions I hope to answer through my research. The following video talks about a woman who became blind at the age of three, and how she was able to find her beauty again:

(bfaithmovement, 2009)

To learn more about this part of these women's identities, I plan to perform background research and use other secondary sources such as videos to find information. There are also many ways in which I can gain access to speaking with females who are visually impaired. I have been unable to find a student organization for members of this population, however, Services for Students with Disabilities may be a place I can go for information. Additionally, I can ask for help from the Nebraska Center for the Blind, which helps people who are visually impaired to learn skills to be able to live life to their fullest ability. They have both a Facebook and Youtube page I could post on to help garner interest in this project. the National Federation of the Blind of Nebraska is another resource I could utilize. 


Through examining the ideas of attraction and beauty in women who are visually impaired, I hope to learn more about both these people's gender identities and my own. With how superficial our society has become in terms of "looks" and beauty, do these women hold a key to helping us see another side of beauty?

bfaithmovement. (2009, June 3). Ginny Owens: Blind to beauty. [Video file]. Retrieved from:
   
     http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXnE-rKbdK0&feature=player_embedded

DeFrancisco, V. P., & Palczewski, C. H. (2007). Communicating gender diversity: A critical 

      approach. Los Angeles, CA: SAGE Publications.

Hachiko. (2011, April 26). 'Feminine-faced males' more attractive. Retrieved from http://http:

     //news.asiantown.net/news.aspx?id=18996