The stories “Real Women Have Bodies” and “Eight Bites” both contain central themes of bodies, specifically a woman’s body, and the practical and emotional implication of having a body. The voices of the stories are distinct, and the route in which they touch upon bodily issues differ while leaving reader’s with introspection towards their own relationship with their body.
“Real Women Have Bodies” is cleverly placed prior to “Eight Bites”, as women’s bodies are fading, they cling to the physical, tangible vessel of their womanhood, whereas in “Eight Bites” there is a goal to diminish this vessel, make it as small as possible.
I would not be surprised if the majority of women, and people, have experienced at least some of the sentiments expressed in “Eight Bites”, whether fueled from familial judgment, societal expectations, or self-hatred. The interaction between the narrator and the ghost of herself, the pieces of her body she excavated, was a gut-wrenching interaction. Insecurities and unhappiness are complicated, diluted feelings; a way to manage these feelings, these intangible, ugly and confusing feelings, is to direct it towards something tangible: the physical. The unfortunate reality about directing the complicated relationship with self into a physical, often harmful outlet, is that any “goal” achieved, or perceived progress will never be enough. It will never satiate the root of what drives the issue. The apparent control is just a coverup for underlying chaos. In the midst of that chaos, that desire for control, the narrator cut away a piece of herself, never having reconciled her own insecurities and at the end of the story remains alone and isolated. In hindsight, we look back at the parts of ourselves we once beat up with pitiful sympathy.
(Side note: What a relevant read during National Eating Disorder Awareness Week)