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Martha Rosler (b. 1943) Martha Rosler in UbuWeb Film Vital Statistics of a Citizen, Simply Obtained (1977) Purchase or rent this video from Video Data Bank Taking aim at the social standardization enforced on women's bodies, Rosler critiques the politics of "objective" or scientific evaluation that result in the depersonalization, objectification, and colonization of women. As Joseph Di Mattia has pointed out, "The title of the tape is ironic‹just exactly to whom are these Ôstatistics' Ôvital'? They are vital to a society which circumscribes the behavior and roles of women." Throughout this tape Rosler situates the female body as the site of an ideological struggle, a site of physically realized domination, which degrades, demeans, and subjugates women. "[This] is the most pointedly feminist of Rosler's tapes. Every inch of the artist's nude body is measured and recorded by two doctors, while voiceovers comment on standards, body ideals, and their relation to masochism." ‹Mary Stofflett, "Art or television," Studio International 195 (June 1982) RESOURCES: This UbuWeb resource is presented in partnership with Art Torrents UbuWeb Film | UbuWeb PennSound | GreyLodge | Artmob | EPC | WFMU