Queer Bodies : Sexualities, Genders, And Fatness

In “HARD BODIES” by “STUART EWEN” and “THE SPORTS TABOO” by “MALCOLM GLADWELL” outlines particular sports in addition to the differences between the athletic individuals and the ways in which they experience extracurricular activities. The first article listed begins by introducing a man named Raymond who is hoping to achieve the body figure in which he has always dreamed of having. It goes through his daily workout in detail in which he accomplishes after a long day in his office. To achieve his long wanted goal, he works on parts of his body piece-by-piece, practicing repetition in a room surrounded by full-length mirrors. The author then begins describing various advertisements with pictures of quote-on-quote perfect bodies. Both men

“Fat as a Feminist Issue,” by Susie Orbach, has been my favorite reading so far. It explains women’s insecurity about body weight, as well with unselfconfident with their own skin. The Feminist perspective made it difficult for women’s obsession with over eating. The library review was beneficial for us to improve our research for future essay papers. Looking up useful resources electronically, assist us to find information a lot faster for us as students. One of my main goal for this writing semester, is improving my English papers and grammar. To achieve that goal, is looking up resources on the LBB book, conferencing with Ms. Fleggas, and assisting help from the ILC center here on campus.

In the article “Out of the closet and into the gym” Duncan tries to explain the important of a masculine image to the gay society. In other to explain it he interviews four gay men and ask them about their image and body. The men explained that working out and gaining muscle is a type of acceptance into the gay community. The

High school is a challenging thing to deal with especially if sexuality and gender identity are in the process. Students who are male or female are exploring in a smart and insightful ways. During C.J. Pascoe’s eighteen months of observation in a racially assorted high school, “Dude, You 're a Fag” shows new light on masculinity both as a field of meaning and as a set of social practices. C. J. Pascoe 's unusual approach questions masculinity as not only a gender process but also a sexual one. She proves how the word fag becomes a disciplinary tool for regulating heterosexual and how the word fag is tied to the gender also but as it is to sexuality. Masculinity as a theory, some sociologists and psychologist often viewed the gender differences as vital to personal development of a society. Looking beyond hegemonic masculinity; it is difficult to put it in a category. The focus used on the body in the study “Dude, You’re a Fag” masculinity is embedded in the biology as the study of gender is not reliable. In this case study we are going to be talking about: how was the use of the word Fag a tool in policing masculinity at the high school River High? How was masculinity defined differently for boys who were non-white? Finally, how did administrators at River High both encourage and control normative heterosexuality?

Women are empowered, encouraged and even pressured into being involved in a sport or some type of fitness activities today; however, it hasn’t always been that way (Cahn 278). In the 1920s, also known as the “golden age” of sports, women and young girls faced obstacles such as rejection, gender discrimination, and stereotypes when showing interest in sports or fitness activities. One famous author named Susan Cahn, wrote a book called Coming on Strong: Gender and Sexuality in Twentieth-Century Women’s Sports, and focuses on the decades between the 1920s and the 1960s. For most of the 19th century, females were accused of causing a great deal of danger to the moral and physical areas of masculinity. Through the research of multiple different aspects, such as media, appearance, and gender roles, Cahn puts together an idea and theme that athleticism is seen as a masculine trait because it was once constructed by society itself; which fortunately for the women, that idea can be changed. In the later centuries, Cahn writes about the progress of woman 's appearance in sports, however then describes the difference in respect, attention throughout media, opportunities and wages between men and women. Through both primary sources such as newspapers, interviews, and journals, as well as secondary sources like relevant literature, Cahn writes her book in a historical non-fiction genre. After reading Coming on Strong: Gender and Sexuality in Twentieth-Century Women’s Sports by Susan

In Young’s essay Throwing Like a Girl she discusses phenomenology of feminine body comportment, motility, and spatially. Although there is no fundamental connection between cognitive skills and femininity, girls and boys throw differently from 5 years old (Straus, 0000). Examining the socially constructed habits of feminine body comportment in a male dominated society Young analyzes the implications of the body comportment for women’s sense of agency and power. Young examines different parts of women’s lived bodily experiences including conflicts between the social norms that invest female bodies, and women’s lived experiences. Discussing the objectifying and self-objectifying oppression of women to the extent of handicapping women within their own bodies, becoming ashamed and weak. The production of this ideology is hard to locate historically and specifically but it is conveyed through mass media. Looking specifically at an advertisement which has been set up like a social experiment, challenging what “like a girl” really means and unpacking a shared cultural context of embodiment effecting the entire population but specifically the lived experience of women through representing ‘acts’ of gender identity.

In adolescent’s years, the process of the development stages to boy’s bodies takes place. A male’s body structure and how it is perceived by society contributes to their construction of their masculine identities (Addis, M. E., Reigeluth, C. S., & Schwab, J. R., 2016). Swain (2003) researchers suggest males constructed their sense of self through their bodies which are used as a social symbol to peers that is a display of masculinity. Kimmel (1997), suggest males create their masculine identities through their social interactions, such as sports. Within sports, masculinity is heavily highlighted, because society perceives a muscular sculpture and athleticism as male qualities. Researchers examined how males use their bodies in intimidating ways in sports which reveal their hypermasculinity (Iudici, A., & Verdecchia, M., 2015). For instance, boys will join a sport and use their bodies when participating in athletics to show a physical sign of “toughness”. In sports or physical activities, boy’s masculinity are showcased. Many males measure their own body’s strength and skills to other males (Kehler, 2010; Swain, 2003). Through various interactions, males acknowledge that they have to obtain a powerful and strong body. More importantly, males seek to gain a status through their strengths and skilled body (Kehler, 2010; Swain, 2003). Males that have masculine sculpted bodies are able to attain positions of others males. Typically, in Physical Education (PE), a boy’s

This paper will be discussing the importance of the health and physical education (HPE) in primary schools and the historical and the historical contemporary challenges that have ensued. Whilst there are numerous contemporary perspectives on the importance of HPE education and challenges in the area, due to the scope of the paper, three topics for each will be discussed. After outlining a historical background, this paper will discuss the importance of the learning area in relation to physical literacy, health literacy and social and emotional development and the challenges of a crowded curriculum, narrow sexuality education and the outsourcing of HPE.

The project started out with a primary reflection on the male physique throughout time – and how ideals change and reflect their burden on men (primarily gay men) in present day society.

The book Fat History: Bodies and Beauty in the Modern West by Peter Stearns concentrates on discerning the leading causes of diet culture and why weight has become a popular topic within the general public. He claims that his focus is equally focused on each gender, however the writing makes it clear that the female sex is more affected by weight gain and control and thus involves more information about one gender. About a third of Stearns’ argument incorporates the French diet and its very obvious differences from the American one. Both countries place dramatically dissimilar rankings on the OECD’s list of obesity rates; France sees some of the least obesity, whereas the USA has struggled with some of the highest rates for decades, with today’s rates at an all time high of 33% of citizens self-reporting as obese. Although Stearns does not determine an official beginning to this culture, we can generalize that between the years of 1870 to 1920, fashion, religion and gender roles were changing quickly enough to enhance the change in perspective about obesity and heighten its rates.

Faraz Talat. (24 august, 2011). Fat People Have Feelings Too. Retrieved from the website http://www.blogs.tribune.com.pk/story/7527/fat-people-have-feelings-too/

The primary responsibility of a personal trainer is to provide a service to their client in a close proximity for an extended period of time. This dynamic is significant because past research has suggested that stereotypes and prejudices affect one's interaction with others. Historically, gays, lesbians, and bisexuals have been at a disadvantage in the sports arena. The literature postulates that sexual minorities face discrimination in both the workplace and sports related activities (Cunningham Sartore, and McCullough, 2010). One hundred and six participants enrolled in physical education classes at two universities received a packet of material at the end of class regarding the hiring of a personal trainer. According to Cunningham, Sartore, and McCullough, the directions read, "Suppose you are hiring a personal trainer for a fitness organization. A picture and the qualifications of an applicant are provided below. Please review the applicant's credentials and then respond to the items on the following page." Each participant responded to the applicant's qualifications, and made suggestions regarding hiring. Students were also asked to provide their demographic information. In addition, the participants used three semantics to distinguish applicants: trustworthy-dishonest, moral-immoral, and ethical-wicked. Participants were also asked if they knew the applicant's

Why does the general public believe only women are victims of body image and eating disorders? Adolescent to adult males are dangerously preoccupied with the appearance of their bodies. The difference between men and women are men almost never talk openly about this problem. Society has taught them that they shouldn’t be concerned about how they look. But countless numbers of men are sacrificing important aspects of their lives to working out compulsively. This leads to distorted body images, which ties together with eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia (Adonis Complex.) The general public usually categorizes these disorders with women only. Women aren’t the only victims; men are suffering too, but just silently.

Our bodies represent something and, in the case of our society, bodies can speak for people as well. A person is judged and policed according to what they do to themselves, the way in which they present themselves to society, and by the things they associate themselves with. Bodywork allows a person to consciously tailor their body to their specific desires and needs. The body is a physical tool, but also a means of communicating. Thus, this essay will outline how female participation in bodywork, specifically in regards to roller derby, can be both empowering and disempowering at the same time depending on which aspects a person chooses to emphasize and their perspective used to analyze it.

Fatness is significantly gendered as well. As fatness lost its prestige in the twentieth century, women were increasingly integrated into public life through religious and social movements linked to their gender and maternal nature, like the temperance movement. Women have long been considered the source of the preservation and progress of civilization, making their behavior and appearance particularly important. So, with the denigration of fatness and the raising protestant fear of fatness as an indicator of gluttony, women were expected to remain slender as an indicator of their capabilities as mothers, wives, and progenitor of their races. Women were often urged to “avoid fatness because it was ‘degrading’ to their ‘sex and civilization,’” hoping to avoid the animus linked to fatness, a hostility exacerbated when combined with the racial animus imbued with the black female form. Furthermore, fatness was gendered through the desires of certain men, which were perceived as primitive. It was believed at the time that savage men preferred women who were fat due to their archaic belief in fat as an indicator of access to food, wealth, and elite cultural status. Thus, fat women were linked to primitive desires and primitive peoples, so that thinness and the Eurocentric beauty standards within which it is included became a means to differentiate themselves from savages and align themselves with modernity and contemporary high cultural status and sophistication.