Michael Canham M00302192 Social Biography Louis Alexander Bodin

The first time I met Louis Alexander Bodin was in a very basic, very plain kitchen, in student halls. I was sat at the table eating a pot noodle and it was my first day living in London. For all the stories and the stereotypes I must admit there was a somewhat worrying preconception of what London was and who lived there, so when a 6ft 3 black man walked into my new kitchen I couldnt fail to notice my preconceived ideas turning on their head. His long legs were encased in a pair of blue skin tight jeans, his feet protected by some worn purple converse and a blue hoody completed the image. He even had a guitar on his back! Introductions were made and Louis said he lived in the flat downstairs. I rarely saw Louis after that, every so often I would see him in passing or at a party, but the stories circulating, as they do in these environments, said he was, for lack of a better expression the man. All the girls fancied him and all the lads wanted to be his mate. A blend of muscular build, French charm and a cheeky personality gave most of us a good reason to envy him. Eventually we left halls and that was that. But I caught up with Louis again to ask him about his life, and his story. Louis looks very much the same now as he did in halls, although with a slightly updated look including a pair of purple Addidas high tops. Born in Paris in 1988 Louis had a white father and a black mother. This didnt however affect his dark skin which he took from his mother. Originally Lydia is from the Ivory Coast and this adds yet another piece to the complex jigsaw that is Louis Bodin and his life. His father, Christophe, owns a restaurant in Saumur. Something else to add to the idea of being French. From being born in Paris Louis moved to London with his mother and brother Pierre-Nicholas. Here he went to school and adopted numerous English ways and learnt to speak like a native. When asked, Louis would say that his favourite thing to do is have sex and chase birds. He says that hes not built for relationships and commitments but prefers the no strings attached bachelors life. At 23 this seems an acceptable idea but in a couple of years maybe hell start to settle down. But for the peak of his adult life he sees no reason to be with one person when he can be with them all. This sexual conquest Louis seems to hold could be derived from the divorce of his parents, or bad experiences with past girlfriends. But most of all he sees it as a way to be free from responsibility and it is one of the best ways to enjoy life as a male in his early twenties. The idea of enhanced sexual experiences and the thrill of multiple sexual partners I must concede is certainly an enticing one. The idea of going to numerous social events and taking girls home after, or getting their phone numbers is the kind of thing one would like to be able to look back on as an older gentleman and feel proud about. This machismo might seem stupid and shallow from the outside but the confidence building exercises it entails are clearly beneficial in the way Louis talks and behaves. One could indeed argue that it builds on your social skills in general and could help in the search for jobs and a whole manner of other endeavours. As far as the matter of race is concerned with Louis, his ideas are much the same as the masses and does not believe he is in any way hindered in society because he is black. This is in a way essentialism. The idea that there is only one race; the human race and biological differences are none. Nevertheless race is still a very important part of everyday life and it defines our cultures, and origins. The idea of race as a social construct has given superiority to the west through the naming of other countries according to constructivism. The idea is that race does not exist in nature and it is

Michael Canham M00302192 indeed something that has been made up. Louis input on the subject of race is that, while indeed it is a very influential area and aspect of life, it is unimportant and only really affects those with minds to closed-minded to see past skin colour or cultural origin through to the same biological set ups. As a very masculine person with high levels of interest in the female sex and social activities surrounded by the heterosexual universe I was very intrigued to find out how Louis feels about the gay community and homosexuals. The first thing he did when asked was to laugh. He then went on to explain to me that as far as hes concerned it doesnt matter who it is youre attracted to. Much like on the subject of race his ideas are very modern on the subject of homosexuality. Past generations have all, seemingly, had their own views on homosexuality. And as the years have gone by they have become more and more socially accepted. In the past however homosexuality was considered to be a sin. As Foucault explains As defined by the ancient civil or canonical codes, sodomy was a category of forbidden acts; their perpetrator was nothing more than the juridical subject of them. The nineteenth-century homosexual became a personage, a past, a case history, and a childhood, in addition to becoming a type of life, a life form, and a morphology, with an indiscreet anatomy and possibly a mysterious physiology. This explains the slow changing view of homosexuals and the way in which they became, almost, a whole new race on their own. A complexity unknown by the heterosexual of us, the homosexual was somewhat intriguing and in many ways vulgar. However, as time has gone on the acceptance level is generally very widespread nowadays and many people share the same views as Louis, that you like what you like and thats that. Obviously having multiple sexual partners does not come without its risks, but Louis says he always takes the necessary precautions. He says that in order to properly enjoy the lifestyle and to stay healthy its important to always use protection when having sex and to go for regular check-ups regardless. There have been times when I was with my last girlfriend when we didnt use a condom but after a couple of scares we realised it wasnt worth the repercussions. As a psychology student Louis says that it has helped him in the past when picking up girls. The ability to read body language helps when trying to determine whether a girl is into you or not and whether or not you can pull them according to Louis. This is probably a very machismo take on the benefits of being able to read somebodys body language but given what I know about Louis Id say he was all about the macho appearance and the idea of being a manly man.