Femininity versus Strength

The prevailing misperception about active women, particularly those engaged in body contact (martial arts, rugby, etc.) or so-called "extreme" sports (mountain biking, rock climbing), is that their sport overshadows their femininity. This comes up in casual conversations quite often, as women perceive that sports, sweating, working our bodies, means that they are less feminine somehow. The assumption that women can only do step aerobics or walk on the treadmill means that many women won't try new or exciting sports for the fear of looking less than female.

The thought processes behind our world views of what is "male" and "female" are most certainly influenced by the media. The fashion magazines, despite a probable correlation between eating disorders and how super-skinny models are portrayed, have not stopped flooding the market with women who might weigh 100 lbs soaking wet. While channel surfing the other day, I saw a portion of the show about tryouts for an NFL cheerleading team. I stopped the remote; I couldn't help it. The part that I saw had to do with the candidates trying on the actual uniforms for the first time and the coach/leader/whatever she is would seriously critique each woman's physique in the uniform. Some of the comments seemed inane to me...honestly, who is really looking at the "line" of those tee-tiny little shorts and whether or not it is perfectly smooth? Maybe some people do look at those things, but the women who are there trying out for the team have to be fit and fairly strong in order to perform the moves they do. They are true athletes, but unfortunately, cheerleading (at least at that level) seems to be more about appearances. I hate to think how many of those beautiful women developed or will develop eating disorders as a result of trying to have a "smooth line" along the butt cheek or to lose enough weight to fit in the damn uniform to begin with. How much of this attitude trickles down to our teenagers? I respect cheerleading as an athletic pursuit, but I cannot buy in to the "looks are all" mentality.

Women can be strong and beautiful. Most women, even those without children, have had the occasion to pick up a two year old child. That takes real strength. Climbing a rock wall? Same strength. Mopping a floor requires muscles too. Women must be strong to manage and run a household. Granted, some women do have significant others who do the "heavy" lifting or the "men's work" in their home, but many do not and have to function with the strength of a man and a woman.

Perhaps I am biased, as I grew up wanting to be active regardless of how others viewed me. Sports and fitness are expressions for me of how I can use my body's abilities to the fullest potential. I am not necessarily athletically gifted, but strength training, running, playing basketball are not activities for the male gender alone. We can pursue our fitness and maintain control over how our bodies look.