ENGL 680M: New Media

After reading Remediation I looked up Orlan on Google. Wow. I suppose the notion that even the body can be remediated is very postmodern. Come to think of it, I'm certain that the body has always been remediated in various ways (even through our various attachments to clothes) so it's not a matter of possible/not possible; however, the extent to which the body can now be remediated is mind boggling. Even more so, shows like Dr. 90210 and others about plastic surgery are essentially remediations about remediations.

So here's what I'm wondering. Is bodily remediation similar to virtual reality? In other words, is reshaping the body more in line with the logic of immediacy? Do bodies seem more "natural" and therefore people are less aware of the medium?

Or is bodily remediation more reminiscent of hypermediacy where the results of surgery remind the viewer of the medium?

I suppose the difference between an expert doctor and an amateur is the ability to make people forget about the medium of surgery and make the new or reshaped body appear perfectly "natural."