Gender representation in gymnastics

Before the ‘coming out’ of LGBTs, there was a general understanding that ‘gender’ was dimorphous, that there was a distinct separation consisting of male and female both being exclusively.  And the media just seem to further reinforce these images of an ideal masculine or feminine person. A good example of such construction of gender can be found in the Olympic sport of gymnastics.

For the sport, we can see the obvious difference in appearance during their performance, the male wearing a simple vest and pants, emphasizing their muscles. In contrast, females wear a smile, makeup, a few accessories and a colorful one-piece leotard that highlights the slim figure of their body.

Even the contents of the game differ even though they are both considered gymnastics. The men have events like rings and pommel horse and female events consist of the balance beam or use accessories like ribbons or hoops. This shows a clear separation of gender in the nature of gymnastic.

Moreover, the media represent both genders differently using different adjectives to describe the athletes of the same sport. To illustrate further, I have given two examples in the following.

Firstly, I would like to take the images portrayed by one of the famous male gymnast, Kouhei Uchimura. A five-time Olympic medalist and many times world champion, for many Uchimura is the ultimate and greatest gymnast. We can see from his interviews with the media that he is a goal driven person and his images paints a picture of a person of strength, persistence and power.

On the other hand, we have an Olympic athlete, with the nickname of ‘Fairy’ by her adoring fans, all round champion of the Asian games, Son Yeon Jae. Though not as accomplished as Uchimura, she is just as much loved by her country, being the first Korean to get into the finals of the Olympic. All the pictures taken of her show her elegance and beauty. She is described by many to be adorable and soft-spoken.

Though both are athletes of the same sport, there is a very clear division of gender. But it seems as though such feelings that this separation is normal, come from our very idea of cultural identity, embodied into our daily lives. But because we accept this as a social norm, the gap between genders just seem to widen further. And it is not that female are unable to perform on the rings or males cannot twirl ribbons around gracefully. But we have come to accept that there is a huge difference in gender performativity. We have created a boundary of fear that we believe if cross would create chaos and confusion. But by separating both genders, we are also able to highlight each others strength just as much as our weaknesses. And maybe that's why a separation of gender plays an important role in our lives.

Student name: Harina Rachel Anne Aristan

References.

http://edition.cnn.com/2015/10/21/sport/kohei-uchimura-gymnastics-olympics-japan/

http://edition.cnn.com/2015/05/06/sport/son-yeon-jae-rhythmic-gymnastics-korea-feat/index.html