Summary Of You 'Re A Woman, I' M A Machine

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According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the term “cyborg” primarily refers to “a being whose functions is enhanced by mechanical devices" (OED). This notion of technologically aided self-improvement is one that similarly, features in the articles, “You’re a Woman, I’m a Machine” (2014), by Haley Mlotek, and The Right to Think (2001), by Steve Mann. Notably, both authors examine the cyborg as a necessary persona for the enhancement of individual authority. They propose that the relationship between humans and the use of technology results in a greater ability to embody, or “express” one’s identity against the limitations of Western institutions such as, gender expectations and corporate industry (OED). As such, it is by evaluating and juxtaposing …show more content…
The capacity of the cyborg persona to enhance the expression of one’s identity is apparent in the article, “You’re a Woman, I’m a Machine,” through an assessment of women’s inability to control their representation within the gender dynamics of Western society. For instance, by using the metaphor of the self-help novel, Mlotek describes how conventional socio-political factors adhere women to an overly idealistic image of the “never-ending process toward perfection” (buzzfeed.com). Specifically, just as self-help novels provide the reader with guided instructions, the embodiment of women’s gender, by comparison, also only becomes valid when directed through societal intervention. Due to this restriction, Mlotek advocates for women to embrace the characteristics of the cyborg in-order to improve their own agency and so, subvert the confines surrounding their gender identity. To do this, she suggests that cyborgs have a cultural tendency of defying the commands of authority by turning on their makers. And, since the cyborg is a “fusion of organic elements with machinery,” they