Chapter 7 - Gender of Bodies and Health

Be a Sturdy Oak

the idea that men should never show vulnerability or weakness, even when they are in a potentially vulnerable position; one of the rules of manhood

Beauty myth

the belief in a quality called beauty that is real and universal and that women, as a result of biological, sexual, and evolutionary factors, should want to embody, while men should desire the women who embody that ideal of beauty

Bodily autonomy

the right to make decisions about one's own body, especially for women, nonbinary, and trans people

Body image

the perception and evaluation of one's own bodily appearance

Body positivity movement

a social movement that advocates for the acceptance of all bodies, regardless of size, shape, skin tone, gender, or physical abilities

Commodify

to turn (a thing) into something that can be bought or sold

Embodiment

a social process through which women and men as active social agents develop their bodies as both the objects and agents of practice

Eugenics

the study or practice of improving the human race through selective breeding and sometimes restrictive migration policies

Female circumcision

the ritual removal or cutting of some or all parts of external female genitalia

Give 'em Hell

the idea that real men should exude an aura of manly daring and suggestion, encouraging men to "go for it" and take risks; one of the rules of manhood

Mind-body dualism

in Anglo-European society, the split between the physical body and the nonmaterial entity we call mind, where the mind is perceived as superior in many ways to the inferior body

Neurodiversity

term used to describe the ways in which some people have brains that operate in ways divergent from what is seen as typical

No Sissy Stuff

the idea that real men don't do anything that carries with it the least suggestion of femininity; one of the rules of manhood

Sex hormones

types of hormones that are thought of as being involved in sex characteristics and sexuality, e.g., estrogen and progesterone