http://www.beachbody.com/product/fitness_programs/p90x.do
It's not losing weight, getting in shape or being just plain healthy. It is all about gaining the muscle. P90X is intensive series of work outs with the promising outcome of 90 days to reach the "ultimate you". In my case it is to my beloved cousin, "The Ultimate Me, My Prime."
I live in a house with few of my friends, my brother , and my cousin. Living with my family has been quite the catch, the curve is thrown to 2 to 1. Two boys and one, me. For the past few weeks my cousin and brother have tagged team to complete the 90 day challenge. Everyday I come home from school with my hand on my door knob hearing the distant sound of grunting. Disturbing as it is to hear two grown men grunt behind the door is to what they say, "The call of manhood". They grunt, compare muscles, flex in the mirror, and show off new improved strengths. "Doing 90", the challenge or mind as we'll call it "Doing" Gender, are these boys motive of Doing 90 days of gender to its fullest. Doing gender to them is the muscular shaping in becoming a "REAL" man . These boys want to look better and feel superior than their fellow peers.
They are doing the right thing by being physically active then pasting themselves to the couch. However their outlook is in such haze, social dominancy is their core work out of P90X's ab-ripper. Perspectively there are no such thing in shaping gender within in 90 days. Gender is universal to all, only "doing" limits it true purpose, is acceptance. In my eyes my boys have always been real men. If they are willing to see what I see maybe they wouldn't be so muscularly blind. Quoting Tony, the creator of P90X, "They’re programed man, I’ve got them all programed"......... and Oh boy oh boy you do. You've got my family beyond programmed Tony.
While this is a Women's Studies course I have always thought of these things as gender studies. After all, while men are not the minority they also have problems. Number one is the gender norms. They are expected to be strong and useful. Just as women are taught to be fun and virginal. While I am constantly trying to lose weight, my brother is always trying to gain muscle. He keeps telling me that he is too skinny. I wish he would realize that he is just fine the way he is.....maybe I should take my own advice. Then again, it is always easier to give it. Anyways, gender norms should be broken down. We are what we are. How about we strive to be that and not try to warp to cultural norms?
ReplyDelete-Rachael Belcher