Introduction
The latter topic “How gender stereotypes affect performance in female weightlifting” was chosen because it offers an in depth analysis of one of the major impediments to success in female sports i.e. gender identity. Body building or weightlifting was selected because it embodies the contradictions and tensions faced by women engaging in a male dominated sport especially since sporting activities tend to alter their physique. It will be insightful to find out how these struggles affect their performances and whether it prevents them from tapping their full potential within their chosen field.
Analysis of articles to be used in the analysis paper
In the book “Gender a social reader”, it is asserted that the female body has distinct cultural connotations associated with it. For example, most women have preference for an hourglass figure or one that possesses round hips and breasts; all symbols of fertility. (Jackson and Scott, 2002).
Through these assertions, it can be seen that an intensely muscled body or one that resembles the v-shape is synonymous to the male. In fact, even excessive muscles on males are treated with suspicion. This could be the reason why female bodybuilders are judged very harshly by society. However, the extent to which this judgment is reflected on their performance will be assessed subsequently in the Issue Analysis paper. In ‘Pumping steel 2’ (a film that one can use as a case study on how gender identities affect performance amongst female body builders) some judges in a female bodybuilding contest decide to settle for a moderately mascularized female to become the ultimate champion as they feel that excessive muscularity is unfeminine. One can therefore see that this decision reflected common perceptions among several stakeholders in the weightlifting industry and that the same is likely to occur in the future. This deters exceptional performance from the females.
Generally speaking, society considers the overly built female as a threat and that she needs to be ‘controlled’. The female body has often been a site of struggle from as early as weight building began. There is an ideal female form that women are supposed to conform to and those who fall outside this ideal image are often regarded as deviants – they may be denied chances of wining competitions thus making the sport rather confusing and their performances unpredictable. It is therefore likely that many women engaging in weight building do not know how far they can go because they are bogged down by two major constraints – safe femininity and aesthetic beauty. This was why the winner in ‘pumping steel’ had a very small waist, a highly proportional body, wore make up and was a smaller size. She was not the weightlifter who had engaged in the highest form of training, instead, she was the one who had some elements of traditional femininity such as make up and breasts. The latter film illustrates the level of unfairness in the sport. One would therefore be right to argue that women’s performance is drastically reduced owing to this gender stereotype of the ideal female.
In the book “Women of steel: female bodybuilders and the struggle for self definition”, the author Maria Lowe (1998) discusses what goes on in body building championships. Here, she talks about how audiences admire such female bodybuilders in the championships although it is expected that such ladies will retain their femininity through make up and their hair.
From these explanations, one can deduce that weightlifting is often governed by the male gender and that this is seen through their overrepresentation amongst the judging panel, sponsors, officials or even their coaches. Consequently, male expectations of the female body in this sport are usually carried forward into actual competitions. The latter sport is particularly interesting because it illustrates how radical types of women’s bodies are handled by various stakeholders. Besides this, there are certain concepts of femininity that are challenged in this sport and most of the time, the sporting participants have to pay the price for taking on such challenges through the rewards that they miss.
In fact, it can be argued that females respond to these notions by conforming to them thus reducing their chances of excelling at the sport. Since gender is not biologically determined but it is constructed culturally (Lowe, 1998) then there is a need for equal administration of these constructs. Nevertheless, the process of gender construction is rarely done on a level playing field. Instead, men have a greater knack to resist certain notions because of their ability to control economic, political and social realms of life. Women lack the resources to challenge stereotypes thus explaining why most of them tend to conform to them. This is the reason why weightlifting among females may be contradictory. Those women are often called deviant because society is simply looking for a way to deal with the stereotypes.
In their book “Gender and sport: a reader” authors Sheila Scraton and Anne Flintoff are quick to assert that women engaging in body building have to change their lifestyles in order to conform to ideal notions of femininity. A case study involving the experiences and struggles underwent by a successful body builder – Bev Francis indicated that such women have to possess an onstage persona. The latter competitor claimed that she used to wear loose outfits and covered up all her muscles in public however, during competitions or while out in the beach, she could wear more revealing attire. (Scraton and Flintoff, 2002) One can therefore say that this body builder along with other females was trying to avoid controversy or gender confusion that was associated with the muscles. It can further be said that such weightlifters want to be accepted as women in other realms of their lives and may therefore avoid taking part in a number of issues that may have put this identity under threat.
An analysis into these challenges reveals that in order to be accepted as feminine, then one has to state their gender vey clearly in weight building. Also, these women tend to engage in different practices that would affirm their femininity. In fact, such practices are even accepted in the rules of the sport. For instance, breast implants are allowed among women competitors yet any other surgical body alterations are not accepted. Besides that, it can also be seen that most female bodybuilders dedicate a lot of time and effort in making their bodies look the way weightlifters do, however, after this intense discipline, the irony of female weightlifting is that participants are prevented from enjoying the pleasures associated with glorification of achievers or performers in sports.
In the article “The female bodybuilder as a gender outlaw”, Shilling, Chris and Bunsell Tanya assert that female body builders tend to defy society’s understandings of what a woman is. In this regard, their physical appearance does not conform to accepted notions. Additionally, their strength and power also opposes these views and so do other manifestations associated with these individuals. (Shilling and Bunsell, 2009)
One can therefore affirm that several issues have contributed towards this notion of the female bodybuilders as outlaws. Firstly, the latter participants make conscious choices to take part in an activity that could alter their own as well as others’ perceptions of their bodies. Aside from that, the actions that they engage in during this sport are also seen as different and this affects their experiences. Consequently, weight building amongst women eventually causes biases or stigmatization of such participants.
There are several reasons that can motivate some women to engage in an activity that causes such strong reactions leading to the possibility of their being labeled as deviants. Some body builders assert that the endurance and discipline required to succeed in weight lifting make competition minimal and thus maximizes their chances of winning. Others claim that this sport is not as conventional as others and they therefore find it interesting. Others believe that weight lifting boosts their physiological functions thus boosting their fitness levels and making them healthier.
All these reasons are not synonymous to weightlifting alone as there are other sports that can achieve the same function. However, there is a peculiar reason that motivates women to engage in this sport: the need to challenge gender stereotypes. (Tanya and Bunsell, 2009) Such women feel that they are strong enough to be labeled as perverse. In fact, their experiences sometimes tend to be more than they had anticipated although most of them often choose to remain in this sport throughout. In this regard, such individuals do not form part of collective sentiments in society.
In her article “The female grotesque: risk excess and modernity”, Russo (1997) claims that quite often society uses animalistic traits to describe male bodybuilders and that these traits are actually treated as compliments. On the other hand, to apply the concept to females would be offensive because such a female will be regarded as having deviated into a male domain where people are admired for their power, size or even their strength. (Russo, 1997)
Consequently, one can declare that in order for one to be considered as a deviant then there needs to be the presence of a threat. In this case, society’s threat is the loss of gender boundaries. People therefore react to this threat by treating any person who falls outside rigid gender expectations in a negative way. It can also be argued that women are often marginalized and very few of them posses the ability to dictate what makes up feminine norms, nonetheless, this does not stop some females from exercising the little power that they have to resist rigid assumptions on gender. Some women may respond very radically by engaging in fights where they outdo their male counterparts. While such responses may further contribute to negative public perceptions, this does not change the fact that such females are making use of whatever little power they posses.
One can further affirm that beneath the labeling of the female athlete as being grotesque, there is still another connotation that can be associated with this kind of sporting activity. Persons who oppose such women are scared and fascinated by such women. This is because female body builders represent gender transgression and they continuously show that there is no such thing as a natural female order. In fact, female weight building demonstrates unending possibilities as to what women can become. It is not possible to eradicate these new perceptions as society cannot claim that physical femininity has its limitations because there will always be new possibilities.
Conclusion
The Issue analysis paper will look at how gender identity affects performance among female body builders. Women frequently struggle with gender identity in this sport as they represent a new phase of physical femininity. In such situations, judging and one’s ability to win can be determined by prevailing perceptions on what constitutes femininity. The articles reviewed have shown that most stakeholders in this industry frown upon excesses. The Analysis paper will therefore look at the reasons behind such labels, the experiences of such women and the results of their actions or their engagements in non typical sports such as weightlifting.
References
- Russo, M. (1997). The Female Grotesque – Modernity, risk and excesses. NY : Routledge
- Shilling, C. & Bunsell, T. (2009). The female bodybuilder as a gender outlaw. Qualitative Research in Sport and Exercise 1(2): 141 – 159
- Jackson, S. 7 Scott, S. (2002). Gender: a social reader. Oxford: Oxford University Press
- Lowe, M. (1998). Women of steel: female bodybuilders and the struggle of self definition. NY : NYU press
- Scraton, S. & Flintoff, A. (2002). Gender and Sports: A reader. New York: Routledge