Performing the Female/Feminine Body Theme 1
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KNES 287 Sport and American Society: Module 2 Topic B This gendered and gendering sport culture leads to the est ablishm ent of v er y differ ent bodily conv entions/e xpe cta tions. Body Body “Sport, Femininities and Shape Meanings Body Body Hierarchies” Size GENDERED Body BODY Images PERFORMANCE Body Practices David L. Andrews Body Body Identities Physical Cultural Studies Program Style Department of Kinesiology Sport, Physical Culture, and the Gender Binary Theme 1: FEMININE MASCULINE EXPERIENCES, EXPERIENCES, IDENTITIES, IDENTITIES, AND AND BODIES BODIES Performing the Female/Feminine Body Learned, Performed, and POLICED Embodiment of Gender The Social Construction/POLICING of Sporting Gender Through social and cultural Ideological Formations engagement, we learn the gender (values, beliefs, ideas) role, relations, and no rm s, which subsequently shape our gender Gendered identities and experiences. Institutional Cultural Experiences, Text s Structures Identities, (media forms and (rules, codes, content) In other words, we are socializ ed organization) and Bodies into our gendered bodies/beings. Cultural Practices and Relations (acts, performances and routines) 1 The traditional Ideology of Femininity (the notion that The Hierarchical Inequality of the Gender Binary women should be beautiful, small, thin, and thereby relatively weak) physically constrains (constricts) female bodies. Masculinity (males) Inferior social value, As women strive to meet influence and power: this CONSTRICTED SUBORDINATE cultural norm/ideal of femininity, they construct their bodies as SEXUAL OBJECTS to be evaluated Superior social value, by the EXTERNAL (male) influence GAZE of society. and power: DOMINANT Femininity CONSTRICTED PHYSICALITY (females) Self-Disciplining/Constructing/Subordinating Self-Policing and the Female/Feminine Body as SEXUAL Object Self-Disciplining Institutions I Diet/Weight Control The (Andrews) Family as a Exercising Gendered Hair Removal (feminized) and Gendering Cosmetics (feminizing) Dress Institution? Objectifying, controlling, and subordinating the body in order to be seen to perform gender norms and conventions. Self-Policing and Self-Disciplining Institutions II Commercial Culture as a Gendered (feminized) and Gendering (feminizing) Institution? Barbie Doll: Unrealistic The Lammily Doll: proportions, not enough room Proportions Match those of for organs, could not support the Average American 19 year own weight or walk. old. 2 Modelling: A Self-Policing and Self-Discipling Institution Modelling: A Self-Policing and Self-Discipling Institution “The more you force us to lose weight and be small, the more designers have to make clothes to fit our sizes, and the more young girls are being made ill. It’s no longer an image I choose to represent.” Charli Howard Source: Gayle, D. (2015, October 16). I refuse to lose weight, says model who vented fury at fashion agency. Th e G uard i an . Self-Policing and Self-Disciplining Institutions III The State of Gendered Play? Media Culture as a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Gendered (feminized) Issue and and Gendering Idealized/Objectified/Sexualized (feminizing) Institution? /Feminine Bodies 3 Disciplining Institutions IV Sport and Exercise Culture as a Gendered (feminized) and Gendering (feminizing) Institution? Sports Illustrated… Subway’s Lyndsey Vonn: Objectification, Sexualization, and/or Trivialization of Female Athleticism? The Sporting EMPOWERMENT of Female Bodies? 4 Theme 2: Sport and Feminine Performativity Physical Culture and the CONSTRICTED Feminine Ideal The ACTIVE [female] BODY is not a The myth of female frailty/weakness WHOLLY NATURAL entity. becomes embodied, and thereby It is a also PHYSICAL and SOCIAL reinforced, through the sporting CONSTRUCTION: performance of gender: The ACTIVE [female] BODY is shaped by, “That is, doing masculinity builds as it helps to shape, the SOCIAL strength, whereas doing femininity builds CONTEXT/ENVIRONMENT in which weakness” it is located. (Roth & Basow, 2004, p. 247) How do we begin to understand the Source: Roth, A., & Basow, S. A. (2004). Femininity, sports, and socially constructed active [female] feminism; Developing a theory of physical liberation. Journal of body? Sport & Social Issues, 28(3), 245-266. Males tend to Disempowering Girls/Women? accumulate muscles and relative strength Mr. Carter’s “girls’ push-ups” (particularly upper body) according to their embodied socialization. Females tend to accumulate flexibility and poise (and relative upper body weakness) according to their embodied “That is, doing masculinity builds strength, whereas socialization. doing femininity builds weakness” (Roth & Basow, 2004, p. 247) 5 Throwing Like a Girl 1? Throwing Like a Girl 2?: Policing Physicality A study of 2nd graders found that: Boys through their dominant arm 72% faster than girls Boys and girls performed identically with their non-dominant arms. The conclusion was that throwing is not a factor of sex difference, rather it is a result of cultural practice. Source: Dowling, C. (2000). The frailty myth: Women approaching physical equality. New York: Random House See Video Clip 1 Throwing/Running Like a Girl 3? Modern sport could be said to be structured in a patriarchal manner, in that they provide a forum for the expression and celebration of masculinity. Women’s sporting prowess is largely devalued since they are generally not able (or encouraged) to compete at the same level as men in these masculine oriented practices. See Video Clip 2 Traditionally M ale Sports Traditionally Female Sport s Thus, through sport, the active and aggressive body became FOOTBALL VOLLEYBALL synonymous with the male HOCKEY TENNIS body and masculinity. BASKETBALL GYMNASTICS Whilst, through sport, the female body and femininity BOXING S. SWIMMING was further tied to expressions BASEBALL SOFTBALL of passivity and docility. 6 Things are changing… Male/Female Athletes at Summer Olympics 1980-2012 8000$ 7000$ 6806$ 6652$ 6582$ 6450$ 6296$ 6197$ 6098$ 6000$ 5263$ 4862$ 5000$ 4746$ 4329$ 4064$ 4069$ 4000$ 3512$ 3000$ 2704$ 2194$ 2000$ 1566$ 1115$ 1000$ 0$ Moscow$1980$ Los$Angeles$1984$ Seoul$1988$ Barcelona$1992$ Atlanta$1996$ Sydney$2000$ Athens$2004$ Beijing$2008$ London$2012$ Male$Athletes$ Female$Athletes$ Linear$(Male$Athletes)$ Linear$(Female$Athletes)$ The Womens’ Olympics? The Womens’ Olympics? - A record 4,847 women (44.7% of total athletes) took part - First Olympics to feature a women in every national team - US females (269) outnumbered US males (261) for the time - US females earned more medals than US males: 56% of nation’s medals, 66% of gold medals See Video Clip 3 Women’s boxing a medal event for the first time at London 2012. But, traditional From 2016, [women’s] rugby and golf will be Olympic events, effectively female/feminine relations, replacing baseball (men) and softball (women). roles, and identities would seem to be still in evidence within sport and exercise culture? 7 Theme 3: Evidently, women are influenced by pervasive cultural norms related to Sport, Emphasized Femininity, the way that feminine and Constricted Bodies bodies should act and look within and through sport and physical culture… According to cultural norms, codes, and conventions, Clearly, as wi th masculi ni ty, there i s no which is the more female/feminine athletic body, and why? SINGULAR FEMININITY. Rather, there are competing and often contradicting FEMININITIES operating within contemporary culture. The most prevalent form of FEMININITY has been described as culturally EMPHASISED or PREFERRED femininity. The cultural convention of EMPHASISED Bodybuilder – Jody Wald Tr ack A thlete – Sanya Richard-Ross FEMININITY exists at the opposite end, and in Golfer – Natalie Gulbis Are any of these athletic bodies deemed unacceptable relation to, the physicality of HEGEMONIC according to cultural norms, codes, and conventions of MASCULINITY. feminiity? If so, which ones and why? The Gender Binary and Bodily Performance Hegemonic Hypermasculinity Form Hence, certain sporting forms- Finesse Poise -and the bodies that derive EXPRESSIVE/ AESTHETIC from them--are considered BODY suitable expressions of Action Strength EMPHASISED FEMININITY. Aggression INSTRUMENTAL BODY Emphasised Hyperfemininity 8 Emphasised Feminine Sport Performances Body Shape and Size - Physical structure and form Sources of Emphasised Body Adornment - Physical grace and beauty Femininity (Adolescent Girls) - Capacity for physical expression Physical Activity Sporting Emphasised Femininity Such sporting emphasised femininity demands: A body which is petite, slender, toned, yet not overly muscular! A virtual physiological impossibility… Bodily appearance and actions conforming to dominant conventions relating to femininity. SEXUALIZATION Within many of these emphasised feminine (treating the female body as sports, the CODES of FEMININITY are an object of male desire) written into the structure of the sport. Certainly, with regards to figure skating, gymnastics, and synchronised swimming individual’s are evaluated/scored by judging criteria based on traditional assumptions of what the female body should look like (size and proportion), and how it should act (poise and grace). INFANTILIZATION (to present/treat the female body as a child-like state) 9 CONSTRICTED FEMININITY The irony, of course, is that in order to conform to the feminine body ideals demanded by these sports, female athletes are compelled to work tirelessly to CONSTRICT their body size, while still creating bodies which are sufficiently