So following from the idea that sports are gendered, so too is working out in general. An example online is http://www.bodybuilding.com. This is a great site to gain workout tips and routines from, the only issue is that is directed for men. Nearly every picture on this page is of a jacked up guy, and the supplements sold on the site are directed towards men as well. There is a link to a women's section on the site...which is great but also means that the general main site is for men.
The reason I like and visit this site is because it gives a lot more challenging workouts than do workout sites directed towards women. An example of this is http://www.shape.com. The site, as well as the magazine are made "for women". The exercises and tips provided in these are so different from the ones for men. There are tips on how to cut back on calories, elongate the muscles and "tone up with a few simple moves you can do at home", whereas the men's site has tips on how to get lift heavier and get stronger.
It is interesting to see the differences between what men and women are socialized in doing to get the "ideal" look from their workouts.
-BritFan
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i guess this comes back to being socialized as a child...little girls are taught to be fragile and needing protection and little boys are taught that thhey are to be strong and rescue the little-weak-girls.
ReplyDeleteso as we age, we want these ideals (without realising why we want this/where these ideas came from).
~beautiful bombshell~
I agree with this above comment, this made me think about "Women's Health" and "Men's Health" magazine which are constructed specifically towards each gender. The workouts and diets are completly different from one another. Weight training is seen as something for men to get stronger/bigger while women are 'toning up'. Even the supplements advertised towards bith men and women are set out to do different things, men take protein to bulk up while women ads are to take supplements to slim down.
ReplyDeleteVitamin C