December 1, 2014 - 20:27
I wanted to share some recent thoughts I had about the Mutter that fit into the same argument about how the place can be improved. I was especially taken by the developing fetuses they had (at 1 mo., 3 mo., etc.) and by the ones of disabled fetuses. Along with the entire museum, these portraits of disability and growth could really bring a normalizing eye to these phenomenon. We don't talk enough about our bodies in American culture (unless to shame women for not fitting some arbitrary ideal) but we have so many physical differences.
I had never seen a fetus before (I suppose that's not surprising) but I wish I knew more about development in the womb. As a pro-choice person, I feel so much anger when I see photos of grown babies on signs that say, "would you take away my future?" If people knew more about development, these advertisements would be ineffective because more women would know what the development of a fetus actually looks like. I hope this isn't coming off as dreadful. I am mainly advocating for education and think the Mutter is at a loss for not taking advantage of that.
We need to see more bodies. We need to become comfortable with nakedness, with what a body ACTUALLY looks like rather than what we think its supposed to look like. We need to acknowledge death in a way that is not with morbid fascination, but with acceptance and knowledge. Do you think that's in any way possible?