Class 9: Early Women's Physical Activity

Effa Manley

co-owner of the Newark Eagles, which won the Negro League Series in 1946.

Dr. Carrie Best

co-founded The Clarion, one of the first newspapers in Nova Scotia, published by Black Canadians, which she used as a platform to advocate for Black rights.

The New Gymnastics for Men, Women, and Children

Published in 1862 by Dioclesian Lewis, it promoted light gymnastics for women and children, advocated the use of small wooden dumbbells, and recommended dress reform.

Graceful Athleticism

It focused on exercises that made students strong and graceful, integrating the Ling System of Swedish gymnastics and the Delasarte system of relaxation and expression.

Delesartism

believed women's physical activities should be different from men's, advocating for breathing exercises, relaxation, and movements that promoted suppleness and balance.

Pneumatic tire and safety bicycle

It revolutionized women's access to physical activity by making cycling more accessible, helped by the introduction of the 'bloomer' or split skirt.

Muscular Christianity

emphasized ideal bodies, focusing on physical, mental, and moral qualities needed for women to fulfill their roles in society, particularly in relation to motherhood.

Graceful sports for women

Sports like tennis, golf, rowing, curling, skating, snowshoeing, and tobogganing were promoted with an emphasis on grace and elegance.

Robust womanhood

The focus was on developing young women strong enough to fulfill their reproductive roles and societal expectations.

Debate on women's cycling in the 1890s

Medical practitioners debated whether cycling was beneficial or harmful, with concerns over the physical, moral, and mental effects, including potential loss of femininity and sexual impurity.

Moral physiology

imposition of societal values and morality, particularly by the medical profession, on women's physical activities, often limiting them.

Victorian attitudes on women's attire

Women's attire, such as the 'bloomer' and bathing costumes, sparked debates about modesty and the balance between healthy exercise and preserving traditional femininity.

Fears of masculinity and femininity

There were concerns that physical activity could blur traditional gender roles, with fears that women might lose their femininity or become too masculine in their pursuits.

Shift in societal views on women's physical activity in the 1890s

The shift moved from the idea of the fragile maiden to the notion of the robust woman, reflecting society's concerns about physical deterioration, especially in sedentary middle-class girls.