| This dissertation considers the historical significance of performative works from 1963 to present through beauty, body image, identity, and violence. As the majority of the works, including performance art, photography, film, and video, date from the 1970s, the contributions of radical feminists are of particular significance. As radical feminism sought to raise awareness of the media's exploitation of the image of woman, the themes of beauty and body image are especially relevant. The impact of the civil rights movement as an influential precursor to the second wave of the feminist movement would help to define the goals of Latin, African, and Asian American women artists in the coming decades. The issue of domestic abuse and rape also occupied the attention of the radical feminists. Consciousness-raising efforts encompassed this social concern as well. By examining performative work within the context of the feminist movement and in light of consciousness-raising as both an informative and artistic strategy has not been previously explored in art history or performance studies. My contribution seeks to expand the current discourse and present socio-historical activism as key to interpreting and understanding these works.; Each chapter of this dissertation focuses on an individual theme. Because current attitudes toward women's beauty and body image date from the Victorian era, a historical investigation is both timely and necessary in understanding why the radical feminists attacked the media's portrayal of women. The rise of both cosmetic surgery and eating disorders is also significant within the context of this examination. Because the civil rights movement has not been ultimately successful in fully integrating Latin, African, and Asian Americans into mainstream society, the role of the artists as cultural interpreter is especially relevant. By calling attention to culturally specific traditions within these communities, artists of diverse backgrounds can emphasize their ethnic individuality and call into question the dominance and prejudice of the majority white, Anglo-Saxon population. This dissertation concludes with domestic violence, which became a central focus of feminism in the early 1970s, as a cultural and historical phenomenon. |
