Toward A Psychosociology of Contemporary Food Consumption

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Toward A Psychosociology of Contemporary Food Consumption an article originally published by Roland Barthes in 196.

 What is "psychosociology"?
Psychosociology or psycho-sociology is the study of problems common to psychology and sociology, particularly the way individual behavior is influenced by the groups the person belongs to.

 "Economic factors played less important role in changes that have taken place in middle class food habits in the last 100 years than changing tastes." - M. Perrot, 1953

 Sure, food is fuel for our body.  But is that all?  With the development of advertising, food can be catergorized not just for it's namesake (beef/steak), but it's gender (masculine), it's nutritional value (protein), and it's socio-economic status (rich).  Meaning, who eats steak?

 Images and language evoke meaning.  We use concepts to make sense of our values, needs and worldview.  For example: is this food?

For many cultures, insects very much are food.  In American society, is it definitely  not a norm.

 How about sexuality and food?  How do you make food, sexy (especially when you think about what food does (bad breath, farts) and end up as (poo).


Of course use a sexy lady "eating" a big, fat, juicy...burger.  The implications are quite obvious.

 And are these oven baked fries "healthy"?

Not necessarily.  The nutritional values of potatoes is pretty nil -  they are almost 100% water.  Carbohydrates quickly break down into sugar, which can be quite harmful for diabetics.  Does it matter whether or not they are baked rather than fried in fat?  Sure, but that still doesn't constitute "healthy" - what if they are packaged fries, with seasonings added at a production facility?
In the end, food is not just nourishment, but a many layered conception of who we are, and what values we have.

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