From: coleman@rocky.cs.ucla.edu (Mike Coleman)
Subject: Book Rec.: _Bodies: Overcoming the Tyranny of Perfection_
Organization: UCLA, Computer Science Department
Date: Mon, 28 Sep 92 03:59:04 GMT

A quick recommendation for a book I'm halfway through: _Bodies: Overcoming the
Tyranny of Perfection_, by Barry Glassner (a sociologist at USC).  I find it
quite well-written and fascinating.  Glassner makes his points with numerous
interviews, generally sparing the heavy theoretical analysis.

Here's a passage that raised my eyebrows (from pp. 121-2):

   According to Larry, it's hard to have much success on the
   singles scene when you're out of shape.  An analysis I
   conducted of "personals" ads in ten newspapers and magazines
   from across the U.S. and from London bears him out.  Words
   like "athletic" and "well-built" appear in a majority of the
   men's descriptions of themselves and women's descriptions of
   their desired mates.

   Women who advertise in these publication are primarily
   upper-middle-class, well educated, and looking for men of
   the same stripe.  Since they've broken out of traditional
   roles themselves to some extent, they might be expected to
   be more receptive to less traditionally masculine men.  In
   fact, they often prefer to have rather macho men around,
   perhaps to offset their fears that they may not be
   sufficiently feminine.

   Christine, for instance, the corporate vice-president, made
   it very clear she has no interest in "pale hairless guys who
   make great pasta," whom she calls "newts."  She dates tall,
   well-built, handsome fellows.  "I don't need to be taken
   care of," she said, " and I can forge my own way and make a
   lot of money.  I'd sort of like the feminine side of me
   reinforced by being with a man who is more male than I am.
   Dealing with a man who has a real female side is
   unsettling."

   Politically left-leaning women can also be suspicious of men
   with sunken chests.  One woman I interviewed, who has
   refused to wear make up her entire adult life on the
   grounds that the cosmetics industry is a capitalist plot
   to enslave women, said sternly about men: "The obligation to
   be beautiful is oppressive, the obligation to be strong is
   empowering.  A woman who refuses to 'fix her face' is simply
   rejecting patriarchal oppression, but a man who refuses to
   build up his body isn't making any kind of statement at all,
   except that he's lazy."


I've been wondering where that whiff of hypocrisy was coming
from, and I think this passage lays it out pretty well.

If we divide men and women into four groups, like so:

	A.  "male" men
	B.  "male" women
	C.  "female" men
	D.  "female" women

I see a preference relation like so (where 'A -> B' means
"individuals in A will tend to prefer individuals in B over
the alternative, all things being equal"):

	A -> D
	B -> A
	C -> B
	D -> A

based upon Glassner's passage and my own experiences.  Some
ramifications:

1.  Male men have it made, as all women prefer them.
2.  Conversely, female men are screwed.
3.  Female women are in pretty good shape, as those they're
drawn to are likely to be attracted to them as well.
4.  Male women are in an ironic position since those they're
drawn to aren't likely to be attracted to them, and they
themselves are not attracted to the men drawn to them.  They
do have adherents, though, which puts them in better shape
than female men.


Recommendations:
A.  To male men: If women's attitudes change, you might have
to change yours, but for now, just keep it up.  Despite
their bitching, women are relatively at your mercy.

B.  To women: Take a look at female men.  (Hyuh! Right.)

C.  To female men: The gender role revolution isn't doing
shit for you.  Time to hit the gym!  Work on those male
traits.  Once you have it down, the male women will be easy
marks.  (Of course, by that time, you may no longer be
interested.)


My two cents.  (1/2 :-) on all of this, of course.)

Mike

-- 
--Mike Coleman (coleman@cs.ucla.edu), Lord High Executioner of Anhedonia-----
		    Where are you when I need you, Nikki?