Hitting the gym has become a phenomenon within American culture. There is an underlying sense of pressure that we must shape and control our bodies to look a certain way in order to gain acceptance. Like discussed in the book Fat Shame, we live within a fat aware culture and because of this we strive to make our bodies physically disappear. However, not all individuals go to the gym to lose weight, many people go to build muscle. When I go to the gym I typically see strong, muscular men lifting large amounts of weight. I feel like seeing muscular men at the gym is the norm. But is it normal to see large, muscular women? Perhaps, the typical reaction to seeing this type of woman is to stare, judge or be confused by her oversized body. Her sexual orientation may be called into question because she is not visibly feminine. Why do we respond this way?
Perhaps it is due to the idea that male bodies represent power and strength, while female bodies are soft, delicate and small. Women who are muscular athletes carry a social stereotype of trying to get away from femininity by transforming their bodies into something that is viewed as masculine. In Pat Griffin’s article “Changing the Game,” athletic women are viewed as “mannish lesbians” because they are strong, physically active and are without men (218). This term first began in the 1930s referring to females who had been “depraved of sexual appetite and preference for masculine dress and activity were identified as symptoms of psychological disturbance” (217). Women’s sport teams became known as the home for mannish lesbians. They were separated from men due to the social belief that women could not compete against men. Women were believed to have limited physical abilities in comparison to men. This separation led to sexism and homophobia within sports, which help to create a larger gender gap. Athletic women threaten to create an imbalance in the social constructions of power because they defy gender roles (218). The term lesbian works to control and devalue women within the sporting world. Moreover, the term helps to desexualize the female athlete. Our culture has inscribed assumptions and stereotypes onto female athletes because they do not follow socially constructed norms of female behavior. Ultimately, sports help to empower our culture’s gender norms.
Perhaps it is due to the idea that male bodies represent power and strength, while female bodies are soft, delicate and small. Women who are muscular athletes carry a social stereotype of trying to get away from femininity by transforming their bodies into something that is viewed as masculine. In Pat Griffin’s article “Changing the Game,” athletic women are viewed as “mannish lesbians” because they are strong, physically active and are without men (218). This term first began in the 1930s referring to females who had been “depraved of sexual appetite and preference for masculine dress and activity were identified as symptoms of psychological disturbance” (217). Women’s sport teams became known as the home for mannish lesbians. They were separated from men due to the social belief that women could not compete against men. Women were believed to have limited physical abilities in comparison to men. This separation led to sexism and homophobia within sports, which help to create a larger gender gap. Athletic women threaten to create an imbalance in the social constructions of power because they defy gender roles (218). The term lesbian works to control and devalue women within the sporting world. Moreover, the term helps to desexualize the female athlete. Our culture has inscribed assumptions and stereotypes onto female athletes because they do not follow socially constructed norms of female behavior. Ultimately, sports help to empower our culture’s gender norms.
I think the idea that men are supposed to "take care" of women adds to the adverse and surprised reaction people have at the sight of muscular women. The concept of men protecting weak, delicate women relies on the visual imagery of a large, muscular, powerful man, with big arms to wrap around his lady and the strength necessary to fight off anything that might attempt to harm the woman. A tall, large, muscular woman, that exudes a sense of strength, that is a contrast to the delicate cannot fit into this picture. Perhaps this is also why the prerequisite for many women when they are searching for dating partners is that the man be taller than themselves -that way, the man can wrap his arms around her and create the illusion of protectiveness.
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