Gender, Food and the
Body
Reeves-Sanday reading
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“pulling train” in college fraternities
 Reinforces
cultural values of patriarchy
 Creates solidarity between fraternity members
 Rite of passage into manhood – communitas
 A behavior that is not acceptable by society.
Disordered Eating
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Reinforces the thin body ideal, in Western cultures,
especially for women.
Perceived as primarily a female problem, related to
female identity.
A form of solidarity between women.
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Is a resistance to the role of social reproduction
through the control of consumption of food.
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1993 Canadian study of adolescent women
Refusing food breaks down social relationships, especially the
family
It reflects the control of food as power.
Role of Food and Eating
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Are of interest to anthropologists regarding the
role they play in systems of subsistence,
exchange, ritual and the negotiation of social
relationships.
Important means through which human beings
construct reality.
Reflect social concerns.
Instrumental in the construction of gender
identity.
The Power of Food
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A primary resource for human biological survival
Integral part of forming social relations
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Kinship
Gender
Alliances between individuals, families, states
Creates inequalities
Enables humans to adapt to their environment
A tool to transmit culture
The Canada Food Guide
Food and Gender
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Division of Labor
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Historically, women have been assigned the role of
social reproduction, which includes both the
production of social relations and biological
reproduction.
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Procreation and nurturance of future generation.
Food preparation, family nutrition.
Subordinate status – private or domestic realm.
Historically, men have been assigned the role of
provider and protector.
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A position of power.
Dominant status - public realm.
Stereotypical Gendered Roles
Gender and Food
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Women and men are associated with
different types of foods and portion sizes:
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Men – heavy foods like meat and potatoes;
large portions
“man-sized” meals
 Foods that ‘stick to your ribs’
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Women – light foods like chicken and salads;
small portions; sweets
Dainty
 Creative and intricate preparation and presentation
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Food Across Cultures
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Is coded as feminine
Women associated with the preparation and
serving of food.
Men associated with the eating of food that
others have prepared
Creates a gender hierarchy
Socialization of gender roles associated with
food
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American example (Roos, 1995)
Gurage example (Shack, 1997)
Socialization of Gender Roles
3rd World “Market Women”
Life Cycle Rituals
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Enforce and reinforce gender status
Rites of passage
Involves exchange of food
Production and reproduction of culture
Not static, varies across families, societies,
and cultures.
The Body, Food and Gender
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Food and eating habits as the embodiment
of social issues.
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Disordered eating
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Anorexia
Bulimia
Obesity
Type 2 diabetes
Heart disease
Hypertension
The Body as Historical
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The body is a symbol – social meanings
are inscribed on the body.
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Social roles and statuses attached to
maleness and femaleness.
Changes in size and shape over time,
especially for women.
Victorian Women
Modern women and pop icons:
Mid-1900s Betty Grable, and Marilyn
Monroe
Late 1900s: Twiggy and Cindy
Crawford
Early 2000: Britney Spears and
Gwen Stefani
Body Shape Across Cultures
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The thin body ideal does not hold across
cultures
Samoa, Fiji, Rural Jamaica
Sociocentric
Egocentric
Recap
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Western cultures are patriarchal with capitalist
economies based on production, consumption, and
profit.
Food is a pawn in the political and economic strategies
of states and households.
Food creates solidarity but also inequalities and subject
positions.
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In industrial societies, there is a problematic link between food
and body image.
Issues such as “fraternity gang rape” and “disordered
eating” are embedded in gender identity and thus
socially constructed.
Gender and food are sources of inequality and power