Thursday, July 31, 2014

Men and Body Image


Men and Body Image

 

I liked the chapter regarding men’s relationships with media. I had only wished it went more in depth with some of the negative side effects that the media can have on a man’s body like a woman.  We don’t talk about anorexia or bulimia very often with men, but it is out there.  There is even slang for, “manorexia,” referring to anorexia in males. 

 

In a study by Gueguen 2012 it has been shown that after hospitalization, men with anorexia were more likely to die from suicide quicker than women. 

So why can’t men face the same body images that woman do and feel the same?  Is it the gender roles we so fiercely hold in our country?  If we applied the same body image these are some of the theories we would apply to men:

·         Men unhappy with their bodies and develop unhealthy eating habits

·         Men having lower self-esteem

·         Men feeling pressured to be a certain weight

·         The more television and man watches the more pressure he has on his appearance

·         Men considering cosmetic surgery

 

I don’t think this is something that is very unrealistic, but something that needs to be looked at more.  Could we help fix all self-esteem issues by looking at the media’s role in not only women, but men body images?



 

https://www.dosomething.org/facts/11-facts-about-body-image

Gueguen, J., Godart, N., Chambry, J., Brun-Eberentz, A., Foulon, C., Divac, P., & ... Huas, C. (2012). Severe anorexia nervosa in men: Comparison with severe AN in women and analysis of mortality. International Journal Of Eating Disorders, 45(4), 537-545.

Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Sexual Anorexia

Sexual Anorexia


Anorexia. That is a term most of us are familiar with. It is an eating disorder that causes those who suffer from it to severely restrict the amount of food they consume to either lose weight or prevent weight gain. These individuals usually have an underlying psychological factor contributing to their behavior.

Now…let’s apply that to sex.

Sexual anorexia is defined as: a pathological loss of “appetite” for romantic-sexual interaction. Sex and sex-related matters cause high levels of anxiety and life functioning is altered. In the DSM IV, sexual anorexia is listed under Sexual Aversion Disorder and is described as “an aversion and avoidance of all genital contact with a sexual partner”.
 Certain criteria must be met for this label to be applied:

A pattern of resisting sexual activity, behavior, or initiative, must be recurring
Aversion to sexual contact with the consequences of damaging intimate relationships
Attempt to avoid sexual contact through extreme methods such as self-mutilation or changing body appearance
Negative attitudes and reactions towards the sexuality of others as well as self
Feeling shame about the body and previous sexual experiences
Quality of life worsens
Obsession with avoiding sexual contact and intimate relationships that could potentially lea d to sexual contact
Distress, anxiety, depression, or restlessness due to the possibility of sexual contact

Generally, the psyche comes into play as these individuals have negative body perceptions and images about themselves. Some individuals are able to have sex outside of the context of a committed relationship, most are not. A study conducted by Patrick J. Carnes found a correlation between sexual anorexia and other compulsive or addictive problems, as well as a history of sexual, physical, and emotional abuse.
A link has also been discovered between sex addicts and sexual anorexia. Of course we are still unable to agree on what exactly constitutes too much sex, but sex addicts engage in risky sex outside of committed relationships. They can go through periods of excessive sexual activity followed by periods of no sexual activity. What makes them be able to possibly fall under the category of sexual anorexia, is the fact that they are avoiding the intimacy component of a relationship.

Sexual anorexia is a condition that can be biopsychosocial. Some individuals suffer from biological factors such as hormone loss or erectile dysfunction that can contribute to this condition. Many others face emotional issues because of a history of abuse. Social factors, such as religious upbringing can also contribute to the development of sexual anorexia.

Sexual anorexia can be overcome with the help of a counselor, psychiatrist, and or therapist.

Works Cited:

It's Not Gay, It's Bromance

Bromance, as defined by its first entry on Urban Dictionary, is the "complicated love and affection shared by two straight males" (fletchlives, 2005). But what does it really mean? I'll get to that. First, a brief examination of its short existence in popular language:

I started by looking for an oppposite. Everything must have an opposite, right? According to Wikipedia, it's called a "womance." Something that I notice right away between the two is that the entire Wikipedia article for womance fits on my screen. The bromance article is several times longer and features a history dating back to Aristotle, along with a list of cross-cultural celebrity media portrayals of the concept.

A similar result can be found if you search plot keywords on IMDb. Bromance brings up 97 titles, with films as diverse as Due Date, The Kings Speech, and Fox and the Hound. Searching for womance yields zero results.

Likewise, on Urban Dictionary, there are 79 entries for bromance, while there are only 10 entries for womance. Furthermore, 8 of those 10 entries for womance include in the definition some sort of connection to bromance, such as it being an alternative or an opposite to the term. Out of all the bromance entries, none of them mention the term womance. This suggests that the term womance only exists because the term bromance exists. We humans like things to be black and white, so if one thing exits, an opposite must exist as well.

Now, I know Wikipedia, IMBd, and Urban Dictionary are not top level academic sources. However, I think they are applicable to the study of the bromance concept because it is largely a pop culture term. Though Google Trends shows that bromance first appeared as a search term in 2006, the Urban Dictionary definition was posted in 2005, and Merriam-Webster shows that the term was first used in 2004 (though it doesn't mention where). It appears that the term took off in 2009, most likely due to an MTV reality show with Brody Jenner called Bromance. Google Trends shows that the term dropped after 2009, but that it stayed above the levels previous to that year, suggesting that Jenner's show solidified the term into our pop culture language.



So why is the term so important and prevalent?

Moving out of pop culture it is interesting to examine the bromance concept and what it really signifies in our society. Even the Urban Dictionary definitions hint that this is more than a close friendship between two men. So, what's really going on here?


I had the hypothesis that the term came into popular use to downplay the "gayness" of two close male
friends. In a heteronormative culture that values masculinity, it seems counterintuitive that a male would have an intimate relationship with another male. Intimate in this context meaning that they openly share their feelings and spend a significant amount of time alone with each other.

I went searching for some peer reviewed articles on this concept, and I found one. Elizabeth J. Chen (2012) writes extensively about the past, present, and future of the bromance, and its implications for our society in an article humorously titled Caught In a Bad Bromance. The first thing that she mentions is that close male relationships are nothing new. She cites the same Aristotle text as the Wikipedia article and notes that psychologists recognize that boys have a need for intimate relationships.

So if the idea of close male friendships has been around for so long, why does our culture seem to make such a big deal of it now? Even Chen notes that "by giving [it] linguistic distinction, society gives bromances elevated status" (p. 247). Well, she provides an answer, explaining that bromance provides a safe context for men to avoid "anxiety about how others perceive their sexuality" (p. 248).

Furthermore, a bromance provides a safe context for men to step out of the competitive world of masculinity that many American men exist in. Dowd (as cited in Chen, 2012) states that "masculinity is often described as something never attained but rather something that must be consistently achieved on a daily basis" (p. 257). For men attempting to achieve masculinity, their competition is other men. They need to be stronger, have more women, and have nicer things then other men. However, within a bromance, there is no such competition. Chen says that "this form of male friendship is predicated on love and care" (p. 258). In fact, a bromance may form a team, and that tem begins competing with other terms. They are, in a sense, a single unit.

In conclusion, bromance provides a context for men to engage in a close friendship with other men, without fear of being stigmatized as gay. As our society moves away from heteronormativity, and as masculinity becomes less defined by competition, perhaps there will be less of a need for this term. However, considering how popular of a term it is in popular culture, it doesn't appear to be going away anytime soon.

As a side note, it will be interesting to see how its sister term, womance, fares in the coming years. It doesn't look good though, as I can't even find a womance meme to share. Maybe the term "girlfriend" covers that well enough, and is the true opposite to bromance. When is the last time you ever heard a heterosexual male call another heterosexual male his boyfriend? As a label-loving culture, though, I would predict we would probably just continue to create more and more terms to describe our everyday lives.


References:
-Bromance. (2014). Retrieved July 29, 2014 from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bromance
-Bromance. (n.d.). In Merriam-Webster. Retrieved from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bromance
-Chen, E. J. (2012). Caught in a bad bromance. Texas Journal Of Women & The Law, 21(2), 241-266.
-Fletchlives. (2005, May 30). Bromance. [Web posting]. Retrieved from http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Bromance

Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Redefining Gender Identity


       There has been an over-emphasis within social work practice on set categories of sexual orientation and sexual stigma, leaving gender non-conformity stigma largely unexamined although it definitely intersects with sexual stigma. Awareness of negative societal attitudes, fear of discrimination and feelings of shame are all perceived stigmas of those who don’t quite fit in. Societal bias and discrimination toward transgender and gender-nonconforming people lead to social and economic marginalization, which, in turn, affect housing, employment, and access to competent health care. When accessing health care, transgender and gender-nonconforming people frequently experience disrespect and harassment and even violence and denial of service. Such individuals may turn to sex work and have higher rates of mental illness and substance abuse, all of which puts them at greater risk of arrest and imprisonment. Marginalization and stigmatization heighten the vulnerability of sexual minorities to an array of negative outcomes. Our society has conditioned people to think in a particular way, and when someone doesn't fit in that little box, then that individual can be viewed as an outsider: as someone who is not desirable. In this video, Ivette Feliciano reports on the up and coming custom-made clothing line for the LGBT community that hopes to redefine the parameters of gender identity.

‘The right to be handsome’: Clothing for gender non-conforming people on the rise

Friday, July 25, 2014



( A Heterosexuals Guide to)
Common Phrases Spoken in the LGBT Community

1.             Lipstick Lesbian – Refers to an especially “girly” bi-sexual or lesbian woman.  (Also known as “Femme”).

2.            Chapstick Lesbian – the opposite of the above.  (Also known as a “Soft Butch”).

3.            Gold Star – A female who has not been with a male sexually.  Equated with “Kinsey Scale Six.” (Identifies as exclusively homosexual).

4.            Pillow Princess – A woman who enjoys receiving oral sex but is not likely to reciprocate.
  
5.            Scissoring – Two females bumping or  pressing their genitals together with legs open like an open pair of scissors.

6.            Closeted – A male or a female who, for whatever reason, has not (completely) divulged their sexual orientation to (anyone) everyone in their community of family, friends and co-workers.

7.            Top – The dominant position in a sexual relationship; one who is likely to be giving pleasure.

8.            Bottom – The more passive position in a sexual relationship; one who is likely to be receiving pleasure.


          Lehmiller, 2014. pg. 146, 245,
          Kimmel, 2014. pg. 198-213, 281-294.


Photo and Information Source:




Stereotypes of the elderly

Stereotypes of the elderly



The reading and videos this week made me reflect on the stereotypes we have for the elderly.  Some further research revealed that there are more negative then positive assumptions that we force upon our older friends. The top 10 over a compilation of three websites came out to the following:Most elderly live in nursing homes and are weak or helplessOld age begins at 60.
Once you’re old you become grouchy, boring and forgetful.
Sickness, deterioration and disability is inevitable
“ You can’t teach an old dog new tricks “
They have no sex drive or interest in intimacy
Are incapable of being productive/Efficient at jobs or in daily activities
Need consulting about important issues because they are incapable of making them
Have little to give to society and future generations
Most elderly consider themselves to be unhealthy and ill

I find it sad that this is what most of society considers when they think of their grandparents or neighbors. Do the elderly become what we think of them? In order words, because we think that everyone over 60 has memory issues, will they also all believe that they HAVE memory issues? What would happen if we started to enforce more positive ideas and stereotypes towards those in an older generation? Would they then, begin to believe in themselves and dismiss the negative stereotypes like those stating they have no interest in being intimate?

An interesting article I found states that indeed, older people become what they think they are. Our Age stereotypes are bringing them down. That being said, the article goes on to further state our lack of support and how it is creating a generation of older adults who think they are lonely and worthless.  Dr. Kotter Gruhen says ““ Also generations need to be brought together so that “people can experience what it means to be an older person” and stereotypes can be dispelled, “. By doing this, we should start a trend of breaking age stereotypes.

I find this quote to be very eye opening and true. Many of these stereotypes are only applicable because we allow them to be. By creating a stereotype of aging, we automatically assign everyone over 60 to be an irritated, forgetful, depressed and ultimately unhappy human.

Here is a video of people that are in that age group. Pretty sure they are the opposite of all of the above!!


References:
http://books.google.com/books?id=UvxEoFQ0LYwC&printsec=frontcover&dq=old+people+stereotypes&hl=en&sa=X&ei=ehTPU_OYBpGDjAKYx4GoDw&ved=0CB4Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=old%20people%20stereotypes&f=false

http://the-senior-citizen-times.com/2011/11/23/top-20-stereotypes-of-older-people/

http://seniorplanet.org/7-myths-about-old-people/

http://www.who.int/world-health-day/2012/toolkit/background/en/index3.html

http://newoldage.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/12/19/older-people-are-what-they-think-study-shows/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0


Thursday, July 24, 2014


BDSM
(Bondage, Discipline, Dominance, Submissions, Sadism and Masochism)

                Lehmiller writes between “between ten and fifteen percent of the population” can claim they have experienced BDSM in one form or another.  An enduring inaccuracy about BDSM is that people who enjoy this behavior typically engage in “very extreme activities and torture devices….” Images of restrained persons dressed in black leather hoods frequently come to mind (think of the basement scenes in the movie Pulp Fiction).  In reality, Lehmiller tells us, many BSDM participants prefer mild or symbolic pain that is agreed on by all parties.  The catch phrase “safe, sane and consensual” is what Lehmiller describes as the “mantra of most in the BDSM community.”  Popular low risk activities associated with BDSM include wearing of blindfolds and gags, whipping and applying methods of restraint, commonly known as “bondage”.

                Another incorrect assumption about combining sexual activity with the infliction of pain (whether giving or receiving) is that persons who participate in the various practices associated with BDSM have psychological problems which stem from childhood physical abuse. (Lehmiller, 2014).

                A connection between “sadomasochistic desires” and “a sensation-seeking personality” is thought to exist.  Persons who desire or need “riskier or more thrilling sexual activities to become aroused” might look to BDSM activities to spice up their love life. (Lehmiller, 2014).

The video link below will take you to a short YouTube video about the history of BDSM.  The video is semi-mild in nature without full frontal nudity. Some of the scenes might be a little shocking but imagine what the public is in for when the movie version of Fifty Shades of Grey is released on Valentine’s Day 2015!!


 Lehmiller, 2014.  Pgs. 336-337

http://youtu.be/idLBKm5ErAk
The Dominatrix:  A BDSM History.

MOVIE CLIPS.  Bring Out the Gimp.  Pulp Fiction.
 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sadomasochism
“I’d rather have a living transgender daughter than a dead son.”

                These were the words spoken by the mother of Josie, who at the time of filming was a nine-year-old transgender child who wanted to go through female puberty and sex reassignment surgery to become more “like the other girls.”

                Josie’s story is a compelling one.  Born a biological male in 2001, Vanessa’s child, named Joey, was in the habit of throwing devastating fits by the age of three yearsAfter the diagnosis of depression, Joey began drug therapy for a variety of issues including depression, anxiety, sleep problems and Tourette’s syndrome.  Vanessa describes multiple medications Joey was prescribed as being administered in a regimen to her three-year-old child.

                Vanessa did not correlate the symptoms her child was displaying with his desire to dress up in girl’s clothing until a fateful visit to their doctor.  Near the end of an ordinary appointment, Joey lifted his shirt and began to pretend to breastfeed a toy doll.  The doctor told Vanessa her child “may have gender identity disorder.”  After questioning the doctor and subsequently searching for information online, Vanessa agreed.  Desperate to help her child, she allowed Joey to begin dressing as a girl.  Joey’s hair grew into long blonde curls.  When Joey returned to school dressed as a girl at the age of six years, a firestorm began with the other parents at the school at Joey’s school at a military facility in Japan.

                Having transferred back to the U.S., Joey’s parents petitioned the court and changed Joey’s legal name to Josie.  Things went along until Josie reached the age of nine years and began to worry about the signs of pre-puberty in her body.  At one point, Josie stood in the shower with nail clippers in hand, apparently summoning the courage to rid herself of the undesired male genitalia on her body. 

               The emotional pain experienced by Joey, his mother, and his step-father on their path to acceptance of Joey’s desire to become a girl is laid bare for all who watch the videotaped interview.  As a mother of two children, I wondered how I would have reacted if Joey/Josie had been my child. 

Please click on the YouTube video link below to meet Josie and her family. 
Watch for a surprising conversation between Josie and her mother at around fifteen minutes into the twenty-one minute video.


               


Lehmiller, 2014.  Pgs. 117, 130-136.