HEADS
Look at the hair, the eyes, the noses, the lips of the people on the dice. There are people of various ages, with glasses, piercings, with and without beards. Take a moment to think about what each trait does or does not mean. What could this person be like? Looking at the dice, ask yourselves the following questions:
Is a person with long hair a man or a woman?
Are there women with hair on their faces, even with beards?
Can a person with “Asian” eyes or other racialized features be from here?
How do we think about minors or elderly people?
Why do some people wear glasses and what do people say about them?
What can piercings be symbols for?
Many people would answer these questions by starting with: “Most people with this trait are…”. Maybe. However, this response makes it easier to see all people with these traits in the same way. How are these people treated for being seen this way? How does this repeated treatment affect them? For example, what types of friendships or jobs will they be able to have more easily and which ones not? Is that fair? What can we do to make these people feel better?
UPPER BODIES
Look at the breasts, physique and the devices of the people in the images. There are people with large and small breasts, with one breast or with two. There are breasts with and without hair, there are breasts with scars. In adolescence, some people’s breasts naturally grow more than others. Some people suffer from this, because others tend to interpret their bodies as more or less feminine, depending on the size of their breasts – but their interpretation does not necessarily fit with how the person feels. For this reason, there are people who have surgery or hormones to make their breasts bigger, and others who have them removed in an operation (mastectomy). Regardless of their size, breast cancer can also result in the removal of a breast.
Some people are plump and some are thin. Seeing a person’s physique, people often assume their character and state of health, for example they might assume that plump people were ill, weak in character or they would lack of knowledge. However, plumpness does not determine the state of health, character, or knowledge of a person. Instead, social norms about bodies create psychological damage, which disconnects people from the wonderful bodily experiences in their daily lives.
Social norms create the image of a correct body and expect most people to have it. However, few people entirely fit this image. When people believe they don’t fit in, they might distance themselves from their bodies and remain silent out of shame. To enjoy our lives, it is important to connect with our bodies – moving, consciously breathing and speaking out when we feel like we don’t fit in.
One of the images shows a bag at the lower abdomen. This person has a stoma, that is, a hole in the belly created by surgery. Stomata are created to deal with various diseases. They can be temporary or permanent. In the dice image, the person had a colostomy: an operation that connects the large intestine to a hole in the belly to create an artificial anus. Therefore, the bag is called a colostomy bag. Having to wear it can cause anger, sadness and social fears. Therefore, social support is especially important for ostomized people. The more everyone knows about stomata, the easier it will be to accept them.
One person is wearing some type of patch on their arm. This device is an insulin pump for people with diabetes. A person with diabetes has too much sugar in their blood because either they do not produce enough insulin or their insulin does not work to open cells. The device controls the level of sugar in the blood. After getting used to it, the device facilitates a safer and more flexible life for many people with diabetes. However, it is better to ask how the person feels rather than assuming it.
LOWER BODIES
Look at the images’ genitals, the legs, the hair and the shapes of the feet.
Genitals are one of the most taboo parts of the body. At the same time, they are used to group babies, even before they are born, into boys or girls. If the baby’s genitals are understood as a penis and testicles, society considers the baby to be a boy, if they are understood as a vulva and a vagina, the baby is considered a girl. But the shape and size of genitals varies. There are different guidelines depending on each country on the size of a micropenis, by which the little person would be considered intersex. Many times intersex babies undergo surgery to fit in with social rules. This involuntary intervention not only hurts them physically at the moment. It can also harm them emotionally in the long term. Now genitals are only part of the idea of sex. Sex also consists of chromosomes (XX, XY, XXX, X0 and many more), internal organs (such as the uterus or prostate), and secondary external features (breasts, hair).
Some people say that the idea of sex was used to create two binary genders, which seem correct and unchangeable. It would thus seem that a person’s genitals told us if they prefer to play, live and express themselves in one way or another. And because genitals are not shown in public, babies are often called, dressed, and equipped with toys for boys or girls. These names, dresses and toys are like stamps, inviting people to treat children accordingly. Although children often feel special for belonging to a limited group at first, these habits limit the development of counter-expected interests and identities. Playing according to social norms, children prepare for interaction in society. These norms will affect their choice of interests, jobs, and the freedom to live their affective relationships. Thus, sex creates the expected gender.
Some people, sooner or later, realize the limitations of gender when they understand that they rather match with the gender assigned to the opposite sex. A trans boy was born with a vulva and feels like a boy. A trans girl was born with a penis and feels like a girl. And there are people who feel like they are neither men nor women or both at the same time. Social norms often hurt trans and non-binary people, because they make it seem like they did doing something wrong. On the contrary, they can feel very happy when the people around them let them express themselves as they please and show them that they love them, precisely for who they really are. Every person has emotions – let’s take care of them mutually.
Look at people’s legs. There are people with one leg or two legs. They are as normal as people with two arms or less, or with eyes that see a lot, little or nothing. However, many people do not think it is normal to have less than two legs or arms, or to not be able to see well. Why? Because there are few references in schools, the cinema, stores or within our circles of friends. The problem is not the number of disabled people, but the accessibility of places and our views on them. Uncomfortable looks towards disabled people include avoidance, pity for thinking that a disability was something sad, tragic or sick – or, on the contrary, exaggerated admiration. Many times, points of view and ways of doing are imposed on people because of their disability, as if they could not think or decide about their lives. Therefore, it is not the people themselves who have a disability, but others, who maintain spaces and ideas that disable. These sites and ideas highlight difference rather than commonality. Alternatively, we can ask and get to know each person instead of assuming their feelings and needs. We can take into account that disabled people have their own histories in their countries and that we must include people with all types of abilities in our vision of the future, starting with an active search for everyday references.
Now look at the hair on the breasts, genitals and legs. Hair comes out in different shapes and quantities naturally, but it can also be removed (epilation) or added (hormones) artificially. What might be the reasons for wanting to change one’s body hair?
Finally, have a look at the feet. There are feet that can walk and others that cannot. There are some people with less than two feet. There are feet that are larger or smaller, flat, crooked, with more open or closed toes. Many times they are hidden inside shoes. Even for the feet there are standards of beauty, which is why there are foot models. Where there are norms, there are those who do not comply with them, because bodies are not copies of a model, but unique examples of nature.
SKINS
All parts of the dice have different skin colors, since human beings consist of many colors. Thus, the aim is not to match the heads with the upper and lower extremities by color. However, skin color is one of the main features of discrimination. Children notice physical differences, while the interpretations of these differences arise from adults and – for historical reasons – usually white people.
To adults who have not experienced racial discrimination at firsthand, it may seem like an unimportant topic for child education or too difficult to talk about due to the lack of experience. However, silence maintains interpretations of colonial history. It is not necessary to know everything, but to dare starting a dialogue with the kids, asking them about their skin colors, those of their family members, friends, characters in books and on television. Who do we usually see and who not? Has any of these people ever received a racist comment? How would the child feel in their place? What would a friend do to support them if they had received this comment?
To change negative interpretations about skin colors, it is important that adults, including white people, talk about the subject. The Body Dice want to facilitate this dialogue with children, to encourage a respectful vocabulary and to promote empathy.
Beyond different skin colors, some people have light spots on their skin, which are known as vitiligo. Much like moles, freckles or birthmarks, vitiligo is another type of skin pigmentation. Although it can be a very beautiful feature and there are people who wear it with pride, the looks of others can make the wearer feel bad. The same thing happens with burns and scars.
Because it can be pretty or meaningful, there are even people who modify their skin on purpose. One of the torsos on the dice, for example, has a tattoo. Do you know anyone who has a tattoo? What does it mean to this person?