It is hard, if not impossible, to escape the pressure for our bodies to fit gender ideals. Men are supposed to take up space with mass and muscle (and body hair). Women are supposed to be thin, petite, and take up as little space as possible. We say that men are “naturally” bigger and stronger than women. This may be the truth in many cases, but I could easily name off a dozen or more men who are shorter than me and/or weigh less. In fact, I can probably name as many guys who are smaller than me as I can guys who are bigger than me. It is obviously not uncommon to look different than the male or female “ideal.” So why do we feel inadequate when we don’t match up?
We all know that people come in all shapes and sizes. Yet we do not want our body to be one of the various shapes or sizes. We want our body to be one of the ones that fits into the narrow boxes defining masculinity and femininity. We want our body to be big and strong and massive, or small and petite and elegant. We do not want to be in between or almost there! How much of our bodily appearance is natural, and how much is a result of the relentless pressure from society?
I am not going to try and argue that there are no natural differences between men and women. Obviously there are many, but I think that the ways in which we enforce differences through our behavior is often ignored. To find people emphasizing these differences, just take a stroll over to the Fitness and Recreation Center (where you can not only observe gender, but de-stress in preparation for finals!)
The gym is one of my favorite places to observe gender behaviors. I think about the belief that men are “naturally” bigger and stronger than women. I take a look around the gym, and I see an obvious segregation of genders. The weight room is largely full of men striving to get bigger, stronger, and more massive. The ellipticals and stationary are full of women trying to lose weight and decrease their mass. To be fair, there are almost always a few women toning up in the weight room as well as a few men breaking a sweat on the cardio machines. However, it is easy to see that goals at the gym are often times, but not always, gendered.
Many men may be naturally bigger than many women, yet we constantly reinforce these differences through our behaviors. What would we look like of the weight room was 90% women and the cardio machines had more men mixed in? Men’s and women’s bodies would still be different, but perhaps less different in the parts that we aim to control through diet, exercise, and other gendered behaviors.
Men and women may be different from one another, but we are much more alike than we are different! We say that men are from Mars and women are from Venus, but I tend to agree more with the saying that says men are from North Dakota and women are from South Dakota! Give the gym a visit this week. Check out the gender segregation and don’t be afraid to stray from the norm! Ladies, weights are only going to tone you up and help you burn fat and feel great. Guys (those of you that read the Her Campus Feminist Blog), all that weight training is excellent, but don’t forget about your lungs! Enjoy all aspects of the gym and try not to neglect exercise during this busy time of year! Happy studying.