Dyer - White Mans Muscles - Essay Example

According to the whites, a strong body stature is not an indication of masculinity. Rather, masculinity is not only displayed through the physical body but also through the mind and how people conduct themselves nobly (Dyer, 148).

The change of interest in bodybuilding from solely African Americans to whites made a big impact in the showbiz sector. The rise in many white males who were actively involved in bodybuilding was appealing and led to several analyses of the ‘whiteness’ masculinity. Currently, bodybuilding has been portrayed as an art that white men ought to go through to have the ultimate figure. Bodybuilding involves several sacrifices, and it has been portrayed similarly to crucifixion (Dyer, 84). Lifting weights is a painful task in that the participants endure substantial pain and suffering to attain the supreme body shape.

Dyer’s 1997 White: Essays on Race and Culture
Richard Dyer, in his book, discusses the white culture and its effect on history, films, literature, and other areas. In this book, dyer writes of the importance of black culture over that of white one. Dyer brings out the difference in cultures between the black race and the white race and how the media portrays it. The symbolism of how the two cultures are dependent on each other is quite amazing. The example of how black lighting is used to bring out whiteness, for example of a blonde and how a white dress in a wedding brings out the glow in a black lady, shows the interracial relationships that can be achieved (Dyer, 104). In this chapter, a lot has been about the representation of the different races on camera, especially the problems that are encountered during the filming of the black race, and the necessary steps taken to counter the problems.

Mixed Signals
Several artists were given the assignment to define masculinity, and the results given were more confusing than defining. However, these artists had a common sentiment of masculinity in sports. The images shown by the artists refute the black-and-white depiction of masculinity and harmonize it with images of American football, Michael Jordan in basketball, and a few others. The recent focus on the male athlete by artists has led to the common belief that masculinity is defined by race, gender, and sexuality of a person (Bedford, 01).

Hard Targets by Christopher Bedford
In 1976, an exposed picture of the well-built body of Arnold Schwarzenegger was publicized. The photo, being the first of its kind, led to the release of another homoerotic picture of Mark Stevens. These pictures brought out a new aspect of masculinity, homosexuality. Before the publicized release of the photos, homosexuality was not considered a masculine trait and led to several debates on the issue regarding masculinity in sports. As a result of the new aspect, there was an upsurge in the sexual portrayal of bodybuilding male athletes.

Artists began having images depicting well-built males in commercials and endorsements for several companies. These images had the males costumed with female attire led to an outburst against the new portrayal of men. The growing indifference to the images led to a study of ‘homosociality’ by Sedwig. The study described the different relations between men and the different factors that affect these relations of the masculine male. In sports, hard targets, high performance in activities, and a symbol of royalty are qualities that have been portrayed in the bodybuilding fraternity.

Conclusion
Currently, body-building scenarios have been rampant. Despite the positive images mentioned above, the body-building empire also contains several negative stories. Many people do not have the time and financial muscle to spend in the gym. As a result, some persons resort to the use of medication like steroids. Some of these medications cause non-proportional growth of body muscle; hence leaving an unevenly developed body (Dyer, 162). In the recent past, there have been instances where people end up with ugly body shapes after using the medication as a shortcut to achieving an ideal figure. Read More