i'll give you wut4

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Feb 21

Last night I did my nails my favorite color– a girly, sheer bubblegum pink– and it was amusing to see my long-nailed, manicured hands wrapped around 20lb dumbbells doing curls. There’s a perception that only certain kinds of activity and athleticism are feminine*. Yoga? Feminine. Running? Fairly neutral (depends on how ‘hardcore’ you are). Lifting weights? Masculine. A lot of this has to do with how we perceive masculine and feminine bodies, I think. Women tend to avoid weight lifting to prevent “bulking up”– looking more masculine. Slowly this is changing, though (see the love for Michelle Obama’s arms for proof!) One of my favorite examples of athletes doing femininity are the sprinters who, at the starting line, have got their hair done and their nails painted and flashy shoes and that’s all part of their game.

- Talking about gendered athleticism over at my blog (http://runningwhilefat.wordpress.com)

Posted 3 months ago

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gender, weight lifting, femininity,