usually embellished to further enhance the role of the male. Such occurrences as menstruation, being pregnant, and lactation are rarely applicable to most women, most of the time. She writes them off as being merely the, “…individual experiences of womanhood”, and thus should have no bearing on the role of a perfectly competent member of society.There is also a perceived flaw with this issue in the world of sports. For example, there is a clear double-standard in gymnastics, as the men’s equipment is constructed for heavy, muscular men; where as the women’s equipment is suitable only for “pubescent girls” who will one day grow out of the their competitive eligibility. Once again, we see the strong man glorified and the woman, of similar age, as obsolete with other tasks to perform. Similar injustices can be found in other sports as well, such as some of the ball handling rules in women’s basketball, which serve to slow down the flow and intensity of what should be a high-speed and exciting game.One of the most powerful arguments presented by Lorber, which displays the fabrication of gender as we know it, is mass media manipulation. This partially ties in with the role of sports, as it is essentially the media that dictates which sporting events are important and worth of airtime. They are mostly responsible for the glorification of male athletes and the essential disregard for the female athletes. Not only are straight men typically in the leading and dominant roles, but their violence and physical strength is glorified as well.Larry Gross, in his essay, “Out of the Mainstream”, shares many of the same fundamental ideals with Lorber. Though much of his essay pertains to the situation and disadvantages of homosexuals, he agrees that the media keeps the sexual minorities from voicing their own opinions. They are systematically ignored and denied a voice through the med...
