Females+and+physical+activity

Joshua bates, N8308098 The above picture shows a game of ligure football. This is just one of the ways that the media in todays society is exploiting womens sport and instead of covering womens actully sport they instead decided to cover on the womens sport that depics them as haveing societys “ideal body” and that you have to look good at sport to be able to play sport.

__Public heath issue__

Today’s society has been greatly infulenced by the media of the conception of women and sport. The media has done this by constatly showing pisctures and clips of females like the one above, this has caused society to develop a negative view towards females and sport and has created soceitys opion of the “ideal body”. They have done this tho so that they can gain viewers attention to there programs and have had no concern for the results of the pubilicty there giving. Overall this has caused the concerning factor of adolescent girls dropping out of physical activity as thery reach secodary schooling.(Greenberg Et Al.,1993).

__Literature Review__

Foucaults theroy of power has quite a strong link within this issue. Faucaults theory of power showed that there was a link between power and resistance and that there is no realtion of power without resistance, and multiple forms of resistance pop up due to the power. (Lori., 2002). In todays soceity the ever growing concern for females dropping out and not particapating in physical activity as they change into secondary schooling is also linked into Foucaults theroy of power and resistance. The way that Foucaults theroy affects the females that are dropping out of physical activity once they reach secondary schooling is through the power being the Mass media and there controll on the adolescent. The way that the media is influenceing the adolecet to drop out of physical activity is through showing depicting photos of females that are thinner than normal in sports equitment and in certain poses which puts focus of there breasts legs and other features. This has developed societys view that you MUST be extremly thin to be able to play sport and look good at sport while your playing it and if you dont, you shouldnt play sport then. Another issue that this type of media has brought up is the issue of girls thinking that there ungly, fat or just aren’t good enough and resort to extreme dieting and fad diets to lose weight and evetually deveolping in to anerxia or buliema.(Lori,2002)

A study was condcuted which showed that 35% of girls didn;t enjoy the Physical education class at school, which is quite high when compared to 17% of males that didn’t enjoy the physical education class. Media coverage of body realated subjects such as plastic surgery, dietign and eating disorders has increased ove the last ten years reflectign the wide spread intrest of the body within the culture ad society. Which simonsen had termed the “era of the body”. The perception of girls and boys of their own bodys is a major factor that results in the low rate of participating females after changing into secondary schooling.(bethan,2006).

A number of girls from an all girls school were asked several questions about physical actvitity and physical education class. One of the questions that they asked was would they particpate in physical education class still if it was mixed instead of all girls. All the girls that were asked replyed to the question with a simple no. They said that they would feel like the boys would always be laughing at them or teasing them if they were to try and play sport around them. The main reason why they felt like they couldnt do it was that they felt like that they couldnt play the sport well and thats why they felt that the boys would laugh at them in result. The girls also said that they dreaded getting up infront of the class for demonstrations as all the boys would make comments and even the teachers would be judging you, there is just so much pressure when your up there. This has been brought into the equation through the media depicting that girls shouldnt play sport and only sit and watch from the side lines.(Bethan,2006) A study that was conducted asked a group of year 12 girls what they thoguht was the ideal body. The results form the survery showed that they all chose the girl that was underweight and extermly thin which looked like the girls that are presented within the media day in and day.(Laura,2009)

__Cultural and social Analysis__

Sex differences are how soceity as whole comes to understand and exhbit gender that is based upon culture.(Brooks, Hebert,2006). Female sport academics claim that female athlethes are expolited and marginalizaed. they seek to change not just the differences between sex but also race, class and ethincity. Social structures such as political and government systems can be seen easily through the unequal pay between male and female athleltes( Hall,2002). Advocators of womens sport are usually called feminists which can sometimes have negative connontations which negates its positive social contributions. Feminisms arent concerned about hating or blaming men but instead they are concearned about redressing the social structures for which to include women equally.(Carroll, 2009). Traditional Feminists view of sports are that they are subjgated towards males and masculie orientations at the exclusion of all else. Examination of sports over time can find that there have been key transformations in our culture. Following the movement in the 1950‘s away from the steroypitcal house wife to the 1960‘s were women demanded equal status to men in many areas of there cultural, political and societal lives. Thes eequal rights included lesure and competivie sports, and went as far as some women taking up prevously male dominataned sports such as football, racing and long distance running. (Evans, 2006).

__Analysis of artefact__

The above picture shows a match between two teams in the american lingerine football league. The picture shows the girls being very thin and athletic while playing football in lingerine which sends the message that you have to look good/sexy to be able to do physical activity. This type of messages and pictures are in the media day in and day out which has a negatie effect on the way that soceity views there own bodys, whats acceptable when your doing physical activity and the “ideal body”. Due to these meassages that are constantly being sent out to the adolescents and young girls of todays soceity it is a great impact on why so many females are dropping out and stopping physical activity all togehter once they enter secondary schooling. This has to do manly with the fact that they there not comfortable with there own bodys and they feel like that if they were to do physical activity aroud males that they would laugh at them because they dont look good at doing physical actvity or they cant do it in general.

Through out this assesment i have gained quite alot of knowledge about the ever growing topic of girls dropping outof physical activity. I feel that i will know be able to act accordingly when im faced with girls being consious about participating in physical activity around me and other males. It will help my future learning as it has helped me to broaden my awareness of problems and how such a little thing can be the start of quite a serious problem down the track.

References Brooks, D.E, Herbert, L.P (2006). Gender, race and media representation. In B.Dow & J.T wood (eds), Gender and communication in mediated texts (pp.297-317). Thousand oaks, calif: sage publications. Carroll J. (2011) PUB209 health, culture and society:week 3 [lectuer notes], Retrived from Http://Blackboard.qut.edu.au/// //Constantinou P., Manson M., Silverman S.,(2009) Female students perceptions about gender-role sterotypes and the influences on attitude towards physical activity, Article of sports and recreation instruction, retrived from: web.ebscohost.comezp01.libary.qut.edu.au/ehost/detail?sid=86ab7057-9939-451b-bc7c-5ab880efc439%40sessionmgr112&vid=2&hid=122&bdata=jnnpdgu9zwhuc3qtbg12zq%3d%3d#db-afh&an=40304995// //Evans B. (2006) “I’d feel ashamed”- Girls bodies and sporting participation. Gender society, 13(5), DOI:10.1080/09663690600858952.// //Greenberg B.S, Brown J.D, Buerkel-rothfuss N.L (eds)(1993). Media, sex and the adolecent. creskill, NJ:Hampton press.// //Hall M.A (2002). The discourse of gender and sport: From feminity. In shelia scraton, Anne Flintoff (eds), Gender and sport: A reader (pp.6-17) london:Routledge.// //Laura A.(2009) The panopation of physical education, Retried from ejournals.ebsco.com.ezp01.libary.qut.edu.au/direct.asp?=s44w944try6vpz9q6v4nnb9nnqzjtff9r6&show=object.// //Lori O. (2002) I hate phys ed: Adolecent girls talk about physical education, Article of physical education, Retrived from: Web.ebscohost.com.ezp01.libary.qut.edu.au/ehost/detail?sid=faf418cd-60b0-4806-98ef-faca878f158a%40sessionmgr110&vid=1&hid=122&bdata=jnlllpdgu9zwhuc3qtbg12zq%3d#db=afh&an=70229// //h//

//Comments//

"If you let me play sports, Ill learn what it means to be strong".

Its a great wiki and very interesting. It has a great title that really gets you to want to read it. The artefact was a great choice as its really strong and gives alot to your wiki in general. I agree 100% with how you linked women participation in sport and their self esteem levels due to this, and how some parents really have a negative impact when they prioritise there sport with something.

Are you sexy enough for sport?

First of all this wiki is an excellent read. Its obvious that you have done alot of research and know your topic quite well. I agree completely with the fact that the sterotyping of women is what causes us to have the image of women not participating in sport as you said your not born thinking that women aren;t equal to men. The artifact also is great it really represents your topic and helps your wiki out alot as well. Great job.