Cultural Studies

Module 4
4.3 Amanda Roth & Susan.A. Basow: 'Femininity, Sports, and Feminism'.

Amanda Roth: Amanda Roth is an assistant professor in philosophy and women's studies. Roth
joined the faculty in 2014. She attended Lafayette College as an undergraduate and the
University of Michigan for her Ph.D. Her main areas of specialization include Moral & Political
Philosophy, Bioethics, Feminist Philosophy, and Gender & Sexuality.

Susan.A.Basow: Susan Basow, Dana Professor of Psychology, was the first coordinator of the
Women’s Studies program. Her research interests include the psychology of gender, the effects
of gender on people’s perceptions of others, especially in such evaluative contexts as student
ratings of professors, women’s body ideals and homophobia in women and men.

Summary

'Femininity, Sports, and Feminism: Developing a Theory of Physical Liberation' is an article

included in Journal of Sport & Social Issues(2004). The article discusses the concept and
relations between feminism, femininity, sports and female strength. Femininity (also called
womanliness or girlishness) is a set of attributes, behaviors, and roles generally associated with
women and girls. It reviews the masculine nature of sport and the apparent incompatibility
between female athleticism and the traditional femininity and indicates feminists concerns with
the existing sports culture. Many of the women report experiencing the conflict between their
athletic involvement and the demands of traditional femininity but resolve the conflict in favour of
sport in an individualistic way. Finally, some options for increasing the attractiveness of sport for
girls and women are suggested, including not only easier access to the existing culture, but the
development of alternatives based specifically on women's physiology and lifestyle.The article is
discussed in five sections.

The authors begins the article by stating the misconception of society about the physical
weakness of women. Society believes it as a myth that they are physically weaker than men,
shorter, smaller, have less muscle, can lift less and run slower. But the fact is that even feminists
were not challenged the myth. Liberal feminism and radical feminism also talks about this. The
former argued that the rights of freedom and equality are owed to all rational beings regardless
of sex and the latter seems to be a bit ambivalent about female participation in athletics.

The first part discusses the myths and realities of women's bodies. Women are not weak as is
often assumed. The difference between men and women lies on upon the muscle mass
difference not on sex. According to studies, women's leg muscles are actually stronger than
men's. Femininity discipline begins working upon females during childhood by transmitting to
children a mental connection between femaleness and weakness and by forcing girls to embody
that weakness in their bodies. It also mentions the white and black feminine ideals.
The second part is about sport and feminity. Sport is framed as feminine or masculine controls if
and how women participate in it. Because sports offer women the potential for reducing physical
power imbalances on which patriarchy is founded and reified. The use of sex to reinforce
femininity also applies to sports that may not be sexy themselves but that are sold through sex.
Femininity and sexauality in female athletes will not work for all women in all sports. Society is
often not very accepting the idea that women might be men's physical equals.

The third one tells about the female strength. Men were frightened of being women as athlets.
Women are also likely to gain confidence and enjoyment from participation in physical activities.
Women who embrace their physical abilities and can develop their security to escape from rape
and use for self-defense.

The fourth section explores the feminist worries about advocating physicality as feminist
liberation. Even feminists were reluctant to encourage women's violent sports and self-defense.
Cultural feminists are those who believe that the problem of violence, and thus the problem of
women's oppression, is due to male biology. Actually, women are less violent than men. The
concept of female non-violent purity made them to stand apart from men. The potential for
Co-optation is the another criticism of physical feminism. One last potential feminist worrt
regarding the advocation of the constructing of women's bodies to be stronger is that this ideal
seems to exclude women who suffer from chronic illness or who are not physically able to
participate in sports or self-defense activities. Even as we encourage women to become
stronger, we must also continually work to break down the myth that physical strength makes
one somehow more worthy or more important. The point of female physical strength is not to
extend male strength related privilege to women but to end the existence of the privilege
altogether.

The final section deals with the feminist theory of physical liberation. It consists of two choices.
Firstly, they recognize that the body is indeed a continually constructed entity and that change in
the body is change in the mind. Second choice is about how women's bodies are constructed
can be completed only after such a femnist way of being is ashamed. When women en masse
have acquired the ability to defend themselves, experience bodily contact sports, and come to
fully
appreciate their bodies as processes, then they will have to decide how best
to continue that process. When women’s bodies are as fully capable of vio-
lence as are men’s bodies, they will have to decide whether and to what
extent they shall be violent. For many feminists who show concern regarding women being
taught
how to be violent, this uncertainty regarding the future nature of feminist
values may be unsettling. Yet, because our bodies, and hence our minds, are
processes and constructions, the future of feminist values is uncertain even
if feminists do not call for physical liberation. The future values, in this case,
will be shaped simply by changes in the current male dominance discourse
or by the male dominance discourse that replaces the current one. The article ends with stating
the fault in teaching women about the myth about their bodies.
 This article make us to change our belief upon the myth of women's bodies and to encourage
their participation in sports. Women are stronger than men in case of mental ability than the
physical. Lets our change in misconception provide physical liberation for women.