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| Photo courtesy of Cartoon Stock |
It’s no question that men and
women are different both in their biology and their identity as a member of
each respective gender. According to stereotypical norms, girls are supposed to
be delicate, pretty, feminine, and compliant whereas boys are supposed to be
tough, athletic, strong, and commanding. But what happens when someone defies
what’s normal and expected?
Though we read Iris Young’s “Throwing Like a Girl:
A Phenomenology of Feminine Body Comportment Motility and Spatiality” at the
beginning of the semester, I came back to it to write my second essay for this
class. For those of you who chose a different prompt, we were asked to compare
Young’s ideas to a more current article, "To the Boys Her Role is Simple: Teammate" by Adam Himmelsbach.
Here’s a quick synopsis of the
piece: his article centers on Erin DiMeglio, the first-ever female quarterback
in Florida high school history. A girl
in this position, on a men’s team especially, is uncommon and seemingly
dangerous. But, DiMeglio’s story is an oxymoron of gender equality, both
defying and reassuring the claim that being a girl doesn’t burden you in a
man’s world. Yes, she is the first female quarterback, but she is third string
and only played at the end of the game when they already had a large lead. Yes,
she is tough and can play with the boys, but it’s noted she brought cookies and
baked goods for her teammates. Even in an article aimed at pointing out how far
females have come in the sports world, it is clear that gender definitely still
matters.
But, DiMeglio’s story reminded me
of a similar article I had read about a more local case of
female-turned-football-star. Brianna Amat, a senior at Pinckney Community High
School in Michigan, had the night of a lifetime when she kicked the winning
field goal for her school’s varsity football team and won Homecoming queen all within
an hour. Now this is a story I think would be more idealized and acceptable by
both men and women. While I think that most girls would say that total gender
equality in the world would be ideal, I also think most girls don’t want to
give up certain “girly” aspects that correlate with being a female. As both
three-sport athlete in high school and an avid follower of fashion, I think
Amat is a very realistic role model of gender equality in today’s world. She
managed to have it both ways, breaking a gender role by scoring that winning
field goal, but fulfilling a coveted gender role by winning homecoming queen.
So, is it
possible to have it both ways? Can we move our society forward and break down
gender barriers, all while maintaining certain gender roles we secretly enjoy
filling?
Mia Hamm is as tough as the boys. Video courtesy of YouTube
Elyssa I really enjoyed reading your blog and I thought you proposed an interesting question, can we move our society forward and break down gender barriers, while maintaining gender roles? I think our society is gradually breaking down gender barriers and we are beginning to accept their gender roles outside of sports. I believe we are becoming more accepting because of pieces of legislation that promote female participation, such as Title IX. Also, I believe that athletes such, as Alex Morgan and Ronda Rousey, are making it more common for females to be considered great athletes that are also feminine. I must disagree, however, with your example of Brianna Amat because it is displaying gender roles in sports. In football, the kicker is considered the weakest player on the team or, sometimes they're not even considered a "real" football player. Therefore, Amat is adhering to a general role in football because she was the kicker and she supported dominant ideologies of femininity in sports.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting topic. I do believe that it is possible for a female to possess both gender norms. I have played sports since I was in middle school. I am a complete girly girl, but when it was time for me to step on the court for one of my games i no longer concerned myself with being pretty, instead I allowed myself to sweat, make strange faces, use different muscles, and other things that men do during one of their games. I believe that Erin's story was much more interesting than the football kicker story. I agree with Mark that the kicker is considered the weakest player and also the player isnt as involved as the quaterback. To me, it didnt matter that she was third string and that she only played at the end of the game when they were already ahead. What was important was that she was ABLE to do the same thing that a man could do. She might not be the best quaterback ever, and she might not have played enough to be able to show her skills but she showed me that Iris Young's point of view was wrong. I believe that you pointed out a vital point in this topic: stereotypical norms. Its all just stereotypes. I think of it in a way of expecting people to be a certain. Its only expectations. What happens when someone turns out to be different than the norm? Is saying women arent able to be football players saying that women arent able to play the male role in a relationship? I feel strongly that it is not ok to say how or how not a person should be. Some gays or homosexuals (which ever term you see appropriate) were raised to be the sex that they were born with but they ended up having characteristics of the opposite sex. How would you say this relates to women being expected to act delicate and pretty? I have met women who consider themselves gay and they do not relate to being delicate, "prissy", or girly at all.
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