# objectifying the female body



## MindMuscle12 (May 2, 2012)

I will share an article that I think is important, especially for female athletes. It discusses how the male gaze and male bodybuilding objectifies and sexualizes female athletes and the female body. Do you think this articles fails to mention anything? Do you disagree with it?

*Motivating the Objectification of the Female Body: The Male Gaze and Female Bodybuilding*

Notions of masculinity circumscribe the world of bodybuilding. Female bodybuilding is delineated in/by the male gaze and male constructions of feminine athletic aestheticism. More specifically, it is female figure and bikini athletes that become demarcated with a prescribed constellation of ‘beauty.’ Furthermore, actual female bodybuilding, although located in a substantially more subaltern position, is equally, if not more fetishized, due precisely to its relative otherness.

“Bodybuilding Motivation” is a popular title, or partial title, for bodybuilding compilation videos, created mostly by fans and uploaded to sites like YouTube. Primarily these videos are comprised of clips of professional male bodybuilders training, amassed for a male, typically bodybuilder audience. Bodybuilding videos emphasize hard and brutal training, an intense dedication and diligence to improvement, and strong mental focus and determination. They present the freaky musculature and strength and hardcore work ethic of top male bodybuilders.

When I see compilation videos of women, however, they are quite different in content and intent. Who does the video above aim to ‘motivate,’ and what about it is ‘motivating?’They motivate objective, structural violence against the female body.

These “female bodybuilding” videos do not admire female bodybuilding (I will use this term for economical purposes, although inaccurately, to also include figure, bikini, and fitness athletes). This negation of female bodybuilding in the process of objectification is typical. I see it in bodybuilding magazines, in commercials and advertisements, and on Facebook pages, such as Beautiful Fitness Girls. In the objectification of these female athletes their bodies become shed of positive signification and are (re)defined in the male gaze. Their hard work and dedication are not on display. Emphasis is not placed on the aesthetic quality of their physiques by bodybuilding standards – on proportion, symmetry, and definition.

Their bodies are sexualized and fetishized in a pornographic manner. Many of the exercises performed involve squatting or lunging, lying facedown. The cameras focus on the glutes. If faces are shown their countenance is often contorted into expressions of sexual flirtation or seduction. This is not an autonomous presentation of physique. These athletes perform to a particular audience with specific expectations. Female athletes, in the pursuit of recognition or progression, are, to some degree, forced to perform within a system of subjugation, in which success depends upon compliance in their own objectification.

The male gaze subjugates the female body and violently constructs female bodybuilding (figure, bikini, fitness) within a structure of sexual objectification. If the world of bodybuilding wants to be taken more seriously, male bodybuilding needs to reject the complete objectification and fetishization of female bodybuilding and the female body. It is precisely this objectification that establishes these images as pornographic, and thus violent – violent against the female body, violent against our sport.


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## Arnold (May 2, 2012)

Bodybuilding motivation "BEAUTIES FROM THE GYM" by Fedor - YouTube


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## sassy69 (May 2, 2012)

Kinda hard to get past that in any sport that women participate in.


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## MindMuscle12 (May 3, 2012)

sassy69 said:


> Kinda hard to get past that in any sport that women participate in.



indeed. but do you think there are allocated avenues to do just that, to move beyond it?


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## sassy69 (May 3, 2012)

MindMuscle12 said:


> indeed. but do you think there are allocated avenues to do just that, to move beyond it?



Nope. Its human nature. People who excel at a sport, or even stand out just by being involved in a sport catches people's attention. And particularly because most sports and definitely the more successful ones are driven by men (i.e. the organizational, the financial, the promotional) as well as the primary audience being men, anything that involves women is always going to have a first response of "what does she look like".. or what is basically the subconscious first impression I'll call "Fuckability". It just is what it is. The secondary part of it is, regardless of the particular female's skill or performance in the given sport, its impact on her "Femininity" is also going to temper any judgement of her as an overall athlete, even tho it really has nothing to do w/ her ability to excel at that particular sport.

It sucks balls but it is sort of the way it is, and I don't see it changing. If you see someone like Usain Bolt run, its friggen mindblowing. You might primarily note that the guy as tall as hell, and then think that height = long stride = hella fast. But no comment about how "attractive" he is. If you saw a woman doing that, I suspect a guy's first thought is "Nice tits" or "Tight ass", followed by "Yea, I'd do her." or in less attractive thoughts, "I wouldnt' fuck her w/ a borrowed dick." But still nothing about the fact that maybe she just set a new world record in the 100 m dash.

Looking for a comparison - David Beckham - First thought: Top soccer player, second thought: Hot.  Even if its only a split second later that the "This guy is hot" thought comes, he still stands out first because he's a top soccer player. Compare - Anna Kornikova - granted she's among the top female tennis players in the world, she's still sort of average amongst them, but she's hot. And she's known more for her camera commercials and being hot, than for being a good tennis player.  Venus & Serina Williams - top tennis players, but big legs. Hmmmm. Yea.


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## Standard Donkey (May 3, 2012)

the entire premise is horseshit


no i didnt read it


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## sassy69 (May 3, 2012)

Standard Donkey said:


> the entire premise is horseshit
> 
> 
> no i didnt read it




Why'd you bother posting then?


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## heavyiron (May 3, 2012)

I admire a hard working intelligent female but I can't help grabbing my wife's boobs or butt every few hours....


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## sassy69 (May 3, 2012)

heavyiron said:


> I admire a hard working intelligent female but I can't help grabbing my wife's boobs or butt every few hours....



They call you "Gropey"?


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## Standard Donkey (May 4, 2012)

women will be objectified as long as they allow themselves to be


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## BFHammer (May 4, 2012)

The premise is nonsense.  The male gaze subjugates the female body and violently constructs female  bodybuilding (figure, bikini, fitness) within a structure of sexual  objectification. 
Seriously?  That is some feminazi bs there.  So LOOKING at women is subjugating them?  This goes along the lines of the feminazi's saying all sex is rape.  
Instead of celebrating the beauty of women and lauding the fact that men enjoy looking at them, it is supposedly a bad thing?  The men and women alive now are because our ancestors enjoyed looking at each other, fucking, and making babies.


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## MindMuscle12 (May 5, 2012)

great points (clearly i'm speaking to Sassy 69), i agree. it truly is sad. but i think that if representatives of the sport make it an issue, things would tilt. but only a bit, because clearly this is a social issue.


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## sassy69 (May 5, 2012)

MindMuscle12 said:


> great points (clearly i'm speaking to Sassy 69), i agree. it truly is sad. but i think that if representatives of the sport make it an issue, things would tilt. but only a bit, because clearly this is a social issue.



Most sports exist because of the audience and the sponsers / promoters. If they don't see what they want to see, it won't fly, and the sport will stop existing. Simple. Sucks balls. Doesn't make it right. but simple.


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## Digitalash (May 9, 2012)

It's not a social issue at all, it's a genetic one. Men are wired a certain way and that's not changing anytime soon. Looking at a female competitor and briefly thinking of her from a perspective of sexual attractiveness does not mean you're objectifying her or don't respect the work that she put in to get there. Like Sassy said it is not just bodybuilding, it happens in everything women participate in. Sure it sucks, but thats life. Men didn't make the rules of nature, but we do have to live by them.

You're gonna look... don't deny it. If you're not sure if something you might say will be offensive, then keep your mouth shut


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## sassy69 (May 9, 2012)

Digitalash said:


> It's not a social issue at all, it's a genetic one. Men are wired a certain way and that's not changing anytime soon. Looking at a female competitor and briefly thinking of her from a perspective of sexual attractiveness does not mean you're objectifying her or don't respect the work that she put in to get there. Like Sassy said it is not just bodybuilding, it happens in everything women participate in. Sure it sucks, but thats life.* Men didn't make the rules of nature, but we do have to live by them*.
> 
> You're gonna look... don't deny it. If you're not sure if something you might say will be offensive, then keep your mouth shut



I think the issue is the shitty situation of women competing in a particular sport and can't get judged on their performance, and the whole thing eventually gets reduced to TnA. I kinda don't give a shit what men or women find attractive - if there is a competition underway, the judging should be held to objective details and if it can't the judges who can't should get booted. If its kept as "ok" via the "good ol' boy network", then I think that sucks moose cawk. No point for the competition then.


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## Standard Donkey (May 9, 2012)

sassy69 said:


> I think the issue is the shitty situation of women competing in a particular sport and can't get judged on their performance, and the whole thing eventually gets reduced to TnA. I kinda don't give a shit what men or women find attractive - if there is a competition underway, the judging should be held to objective details and if it can't the judges who can't should get booted. If its kept as "ok" via the "good ol' boy network", then I think that sucks moose cawk. No point for the competition then.



name one female sports competition where the winner is always the most "fuckable" as opposed to the most athletic


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## sassy69 (May 9, 2012)

Standard Donkey said:


> name one female sports competition where the winner is always the most "fuckable" as opposed to the most athletic



Name me one sport where the judging and subsequent discussion is explicitly on the competitor's performance and no comments about how she looks.


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## Standard Donkey (May 10, 2012)

sassy69 said:


> Name me one sport where the judging and subsequent discussion is explicitly on the competitor's performance and no comments about how she looks.



ok well..

1. you made the assertion, you provide the evidence.

2. you said this "women competing in a particular sport and can't get judged on their  performance, and t*he whole thing eventually gets reduced to TnA*." _Not_ "there are often comments on the women's appearance included in the judging and subsequent discussion of their performance."

and women wonder why they will never rule the world.


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## sassy69 (May 10, 2012)

In fact, you can draw certain conclusions about the extent of "acceptable looks" impacts an athlete's existence. There's a whole area of health concern called "Female Athlete Triad" or "Female Athlete Triad Syndrome"  that illustraties disturbing impact of insane diets and demands that female athletes maintain a certain degree of model-leanness, etc. to look a certain, DESPITE its impact on their abilities to perform as an athlete. 

The comparison I'm making is that for a male athlete vs a female athlete in a given sport, how does the scope of their prep and the drivers for the way they prep differ?  The fact that there's a category dedicated to the impact of this within women's sports says it exists in sufficient numbers to not just be an isolated incident.

Here's some articles for ya:

http://www.sportswomenfitness.com/female-athlete-triad/female-athlete-triad-statistics/

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19741317

http://www.femaleathletetriad.org/2...e-female-athlete-triad-medscape-medical-news/


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## Standard Donkey (May 10, 2012)

sassy69 said:


> In fact, you can draw certain conclusions about the extent of "acceptable looks" impacts an athlete's existence. There's a whole area of health concern called "Female Athlete Triad" or "Female Athlete Triad Syndrome"  that illustraties disturbing impact of insane diets and demands that female athletes maintain a certain degree of model-leanness, etc. to look a certain, DESPITE its impact on their abilities to perform as an athlete.
> 
> The comparison I'm making is that for a male athlete vs a female athlete in a given sport, how does the scope of their prep and the drivers for the way they prep differ?  The fact that there's a category dedicated to the impact of this within women's sports says it exists in sufficient numbers to not just be an isolated incident.
> 
> ...



(in the future, when posting articles, I would suggest that you read them yourself first)

the first two were about eating disorders in highschool "athletes" and how they affected the young women negatively. Highschool girls with eating disorders? No fuckin' way! This is groundbreaking stuff..

the 3rd was about how few doctors understand the triad.

anyways, you are getting farther way from your original assertion.. (which you have still not provided a single shred of evidence to support). 

women in part, choose to be objectified. This is why you wear makeup, this is why you wear low-cut shirts and tight yoga pants with thongs so everyone can see straight up your ass.

threads like this only perpetuate the perceived problem. Refuse to acknowledge your objectification, swallow your victim complex.. and put some real fucking clothes on so you don't look like a street walker.. and see how much things change.


trying to have a logical and factual conversation with a woman is like banging one's head against a brick wall


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## gyrl-tuff (Jun 28, 2012)

This issue is like a ping pong game...back and forth, and back again.  i think all people (male and female) like to be admired.  Humans (all) are sexual creatures so 'checking out' the opposite sex is as old as time itself.  As for the male body....i think a muscled up man is a beautiful work of art that i could stare at all day long!


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