Body/Language: Embodied Sexuality in Cyberspace and Spike Jonze’s Her
Citation:
Meadhbh McGrath, 'Body/Language: Embodied Sexuality in Cyberspace and Spike Jonze’s Her', Graduate Students’ Union of the University of Dublin, Trinity College, Journal of Postgraduate Research;14, 2015Download Item:
JPR_2015_set_digital_mcgrath.pdf (PDF) 522.9Kb
Abstract:
This essay offers a sustained analysis of the role of embodiment in cybersex, with
reference to “phone sex” in Spike Jonze’s Her (2013) and chat-based “tinysexual”
encounters online (particularly those which are described in Julian Dibbell’s My
Tiny Life (1999)). I argue that cybersex neither suppresses the body nor expresses
a “postcorporeal” sexuality separate from the body, but instead demands a new
way of conceiving and perceiving the relationship between desire, fulfilment
and the body. I propose that cybersex fundamentally involves the performance
of a body, and that this virtual body emerges from a process of interaction
with other users. I examine how language provides a means of embodiment to
cybersex participants, and how cybersex can be considered as a writing exercise
or text fantasy, in which writing skills are invaluable. My argument is based on
Allucquére Rosanne Stone’s conception of cybersex as data compression, where
a single mode of communication carries not just words but the representation
and performance of a body. The paper also explores how cyberspaces offer users
a greater degree of fluidity in self-presentation, yet users still choose to construct
their virtual bodies more rigidly in accordance with the prevailing images of beauty
in the “real world.” Finally, I consider the untapped potential for exploration of
queerness and non-normative sexualities in cyberspace. The paper concludes that
at the same time as cybersex transcends boundaries, it is deeply heteronormative
and conservative, as users continue to impose limits on their virtual bodies
Author: McGrath, Meadhbh
Publisher:
Graduate Students’ Union of the University of Dublin, Trinity CollegeType of material:
Journal ArticleCollections:
Series/Report no:
Journal of Postgraduate Research;14Availability:
Full text availableKeywords:
embodiment, LambdaMOO, Spike Jonze, cyberspace, cybersex,ISSN:
2009-4787Licences: