To the majority of individuals, no two topics can be more opposite than that of the little ice princesses and elite gymnasts that grace television sets throughout the country with their elegant and carefully choreographed routines and that of moldy and rotting corpses; however, this is merely a common delusion among most people. Both topics have their ugly sides, one, however, a bit more morbid than the other, but the fact of the matter is that one truly cannot judge a book by its cover.
Elite level gymnastics and figure skating are seen as forms of art – forms that people can gawk at flabbergasted and in awe. With their miraculous array of flips, jumps, and turns, some may say that there is nothing quite as beautiful; however, there is a dark side accompanied with each sport and all of its intricacies. In the novel Little Girls in Pretty Boxes: the Making and Breaking of Elite Gymnasts and Figure Skaters, author Joan Ryan reports that abuse and a lifetime of pressure is all wrapped up in an enchanting little package and is forced upon little girls. A dream is dangled in front of them, as if in reach, giving them the mentality that in order to achieve greatness, one must be forced to manage abuse and a lifetime of disillusionment.
Stiff: the Curious Lives of Human Cadavers is a novel in which its author, Mary Roach, sees light and laughter in the face of death. Her sense of humor and witty diction makes such a dull subject worth the read. She sees light in cadaveric research and finds humor in some of the things forced upon cadavers, for scientific purposes, of course. Among the long list of cadaveric applications she includes bombing them, dropping them from great heights, and smashing them into walls at top speeds. She ofte...
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...rueling physical abuse, and their parents let all of their financial stability dwindle away into oblivion. She exasperates her readers with atrociously unsettling statistics involving eating disorders, depression, and even suicidal attempts
Though from the covers, both novels seem completely irrelevant to one another, Stiff and Little Girls in Pretty Boxes are compelling and stimulating reads containing the good, the bad, and the ugly, but mostly the bad and the ugly truths behind cadavers and elite gymnastics and figure skating.
Works Cited
Roach, Mary. Stiff: the Curious Lives of Human Cadavers. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2003. 9-11, 224-227, 290-292. Print.
Ryan, Joan. Little Girls in Pretty Boxes: the Making and Breaking of Elite Gymnasts and Figure Skaters. New York: Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc., 1995. 4-5, 151, 201, 206. Print.
Green, John. "Don't Reanimate Corpses! Frankenstein Part 1: Crash Course Literature 205." YouTube. YouTube, 27 Mar. 2014. Web. 28 Apr. 2014.
Hult explains that in the era between 1890-1920, women physical educators were a tightly knit, dedicated group committed to a tradition of restricted competition, self-governance, and a feminine approach to individual and team sports. They believed that all girls and women should have the opportunity to participate and enjoy sport, not only the talented elite as in the competition-driven male philosophical structure (87). Play-days and sport-days with emphasis on team building games were a means of perpetuating an image of an ideal American female athlete: feminine, beautiful, strong, yet always 'aware of her delicate reproductive system' (89).
“Death's Acre” tells about the career of a forensic hero, Dr. Bill Bass, creator of the famous "Body Farm" at the University of Tennessee-the world's only research facility devoted to studying human decomposition. He tells about his life and how he became an anthropoligist. He tells about the Lindbergh kidnapping and murder, explores the mystery of a headless corpse whose identity surprised police.
Diana is an excellent illustration of the many struggles of women to find a place for themselves in sports. On an individual level, defying societal stereotypes is extremely difficult. The buriers that the first person must overcome are often extreme. However once the first person breaks down those buriers, it becomes increasingly easier for others to follow in their footsteps. Diana's struggle demonstrates both how far women have come and how far women still have to go.
Female educators in the early 1900’s strived to control the participation of women in sport, establishing certain constraints in order to maintain a male-dominated sports sphere. Athletic activity was healthy; yet too much athletic activity was rigorous and harmful to the female body. At the same time, though, these educators made a point to stress the presence of femininity in sport—which directly contributed to the introduction of sexuality into sport. If the educators of the early 1900’s did not have such an overbearing presence in female sport, maybe there would be no discussion about the swimming suit modeling of Amanda Beard, or the sexy, controversial, eccentric outfits Serena Williams shows off while playing at Wimbledon.
Today’s cheerleading maneuvers, according to Pennington, are “. . . turning cheerleaders into daredevils” (Pennington). Pennington’s perspective of how the sport has continued to maintain its sense of glamor while knee braces and ice bags are as common as mascara appeals to the emotions of the reader. However, Pennington shifts his thoughts to the fact more than four million participants cheer at different levels. The author suggests “. . . cheerleaders now commonly do tricks atop pyramids or are tossed 20 feet in the air to perform flips and twists” (Pennington). The Cheerleaders quoted by Pennington, focus on how accidents occurred and the cumulative results. In essence, by inserting personal injury stories, the author has appealed to his reader’s sympathy and compassion. Throughout this article credibility and appeals to ethos are consistently strong as Pennington builds and supplements his article with credible examples. Using an intelligent and familiar tone, while incorporating common language allows Pennington to develop greater and added reliable
In 1970 only 1 in 27 girls participated in high school sports, today that ratio is 1 in 3. Sports are a very important part of the American society. Within sports heroes are made, goals are set and dreams are lived. The media makes all these things possible by creating publicity for the rising stars of today. Within society today, the media has downplayed the role of the woman within sports. When the American people think of women in sports, they think of ice skating, field hockey and diving. People don’t recognize that women have the potential to play any sport that a Man can play, with equal skill, if not better.
• This experience made her very secluded and reserved. She thought a lot about suicide but found comfort in writing. She became an observer rather than a participator in everyday life.
Fraser, Allen. “What a great gymnastics movie should be.” The New Yorker. conde Nast, n.d. May. 17 Feb. 2014
While there is little diversity in many sports, gymnastics is starting to make giant leaps toward multi-racial integration. Gabby Douglas and Simone Biles are creating waves in the gymnastics community, sparking national pride with each gold medal. They are leading the fight against racism in gymnastics by proving that they are just as good, if not better than the traditional gymnasts due to their hard work and persistence, combined with raw talent. They are inspiring girls everywhere to follow their dreams, no matter what obstacles get in the way. They are the American heroes who made gymnast history.
The sheer energy of a gymnast alone can be felt by audiences of all ages, but what the spectators lack the ability to feel is the pounding of the bodies that bear the impact of the athletes in action. Gymnastics consists of a mixture of acrobatic performances of four different events for females, and six different events for males (Gianoulis 1). Gymnastics is demanding in a multitude of ways, including: physically, emotionally and mentally. It requires countless hours of dedication. The concerns of most gymnasts are moving up to the next level, or getting a more advanced skill, while the concerns of the doctors, coaches, and parents revolve mostly around the athlete’s health, which is put at stake for the adored yet dangerous sport. Injuries are common among both male and female gymnast alike, but due to the fact a female gymnast’s career peaks at the same time of major growth and development, a female gymnast’s body as a whole is more likely to undergo lifelong changes or affects (Gianoulis 2). Among the injuries of the mind blowing athletes, the most common ones affect the ankles, feet, lower back, wrist, and hands of individuals (Prevention and Treatment 1). From sprains, to the breaks, the intriguing sport of gymnastics is physically demanding on a gymnast’s body.
Over the years the perception of women in sport has changed considerably. In this course we have viewed several films all dealing with the depiction of female athletes in an attempt to gauge society's current perception of women in sport. I will briefly summarize each film and the main themes of the films before providing a description of the female athlete which I will infer from commonalities between the films.
Ballet is a beautiful and romantic type of performance art. It originated in the Italian court systems in the 15th century (Jonas). Since its origination, ballet has undergone many changes and gained worldwide recognition. Filled with elaborate costumes, cheering audiences, lights, weightless movements and beauty; ballet is admired by many. On the magical stage ballerinas can become whoever they wan to be, and perform in a world of fantasy. For these reasons, children, especially little girls, all over the world dream of becoming ballerinas when they grow up. However, becoming a professional ballerina is an extremely difficult accomplishment, in which few will achieve (Kelso 1). The world of ballet may seem to be filled with glitz and glamor but, behind the curtain there is an entirely different story. There are extreme demands and pressures put on these young dancers to be very thin and nearly perfect. Some of which include body and weight demands, competition, and social pressures. These constant pressures can lead to a negative body-image and even debilitating eating disorders (Price and Pettijohn).
In the face of the universal fact of death, attitudes to the corpse are various and changeable. These attitudes are formed through the practices of treatment of the dead and are embodied in various ways (Parker Pearson 1999, p. 45).
In addition to being used as an artistic demonstration, ballet can also be used as a sport. There is a saying among ballerinas, “Ballet. Like sport, only harder.” Why harder? you might think. It is undertaken mostly by girly girls. It is demanding because...