Fashioning the Body: Versions of the Citizen, the Self, and the Subject

The sign on the door says “Women’s Locker Room.” Behind the doors is a large space that is well-lit but not bright. The floor is covered by a thin green carpet; the walls are painted an off-white color. The room is undecorated. The temperature is lukewarm and there is a faint smell of chlorine. On each side of the room are several rows of green metal compartments in front of which people remove clothing and then put on other clothing. The person selects a compartment and puts their clothing and other personal items into it or takes items from it. On the right, there are two stalls with benches and doors behind which a person can dress and undress without exposing their body to others in the vicinity, but the number of these stalls is very low in proportion to the number of metal compartments. On the back wall there is a large mirror with no surrounding furniture, in front of which a person can stand and view the reflection of their own body.

This space connects to another room with tiled floors. A sign on the wall says “Please Shower Before Swimming.” Along the left wall are metal poles that release a stream of water under which a person can stand and remove filth from their body. Two of the poles have metal walls behind which a person can stand while they are washing, the other two do not.