Masculinity and female bodies

The visibility of feminine-to-masculine (FTM) transgenderism increased considerably in the 1990s. The late modern/postmodern concept of the body as malleable in service of (gendered) identity presentation facilitated this upsurge in two ways: first, transgenderism became intelligible in society through this discourse. Second, representations of masculinity became increasingly corporeal, performative, and thereby more adoptable for a female-bodied person. In addition, certain developments in the politics and circumstances of the transgender organizations, previously dominated by MTF transgenderists, now advanced the activity and participation of FTMs in particular. The rise of female masculinity underlines the general change of masculinity towards more emphasized corporeality.     

Behavior problems of handicapped adolescent female students

Adolescent girls aged 12 through 16 years, identified as either educable mentally retarded, behaviorally disordered, learning disabled, or nonhandicapped, were rated by their teachers on the Behavior Problem Checklist. Analysis of these ratings revealed significant differences for pupil category, Behavior Problem Checklist dimension, and category-by-dimension interaction. Behaviorally disordered students showed a greater degree of maladjustment than the retarded and nonhandicapped students on all four checklist dimensions, and exceeded the learning disabled on three dimensions (not Personality Problem). Implications for further research and special educational practices based on the present findings are discussed.Received Ed.D. from University of Virginia. Main interest is the handicapped adolescent.Received Ms.Ed. from Northern Illinois University. Main interest is emotionally disturbed children.Received Ed.D. from University of Virginia. Main interest is educational programming.Received Ms.Ed. from Northern Illinois University. Main interest is educational research.     

Physical activity and adolescent female psychological development

This study explored the relationship between self-reported past and present physical activity levels and high school adolescent women's self-image, sense of mastery, gender role identity, self-perceived physical ability, and self-perceived attractiveness. The Offer Self-image Questionnaire and the Bem Sex Role Inventory were administered to 149 high school adolescent women who were categorized as either physically active, physically inactive, decreasing in physical activity, or increasing physical activity. Results indicated the physically active group members reported self-image and coping characteristics that were significantly more positive than those reported by the physically inactive group members. They also reported significantly more masculine and feminine characteristics and higher physical ability ratings than inactive group members. The decreased activity group did not differ from any of the other groups. These results suggest that physical activity in adolescence, in comparison with physical inactivity, is associated with healthier emotional expression and emotional control, and higher levels of perceived mastery and coping skills for adolescent women. A decrease in physical activity over the course of adolescence does not necessarily result in psychological distress for adolescent women.Received Ph.D. in counseling psychology from Michigan State University. Major interests are concepts of the self, psychological health, and developmental psychology.Received Ph.D. in sport psychology from The Pennsylvania State University. Current research interests include social cognitions in sport and physical activity and the role of sport and physical activity in adolescent development.     

Fashion culture: creative work,female individualization

This article explores some of the key dynamics of the UK fashion sector as an example of a post-industrial, urban based, cultural economy comprising of a largely youthful female workforce. It argues that the small scale, independent activities which formed the backbone of the success of British fashion design as an internationally recognized phenomenon from the mid 1980s to the mid 1990s, represented a form of female self-generated work giving rise to collaborative possibilities and co-operation. However without an effective lobby or association (despite the expansion of the fashion media) and under conditions of rapid individualization and in an increasingly harsh climate of neo-liberalization, this creative economy has been overtaken and virtually demolished by the joint forces of a re-vitalized high street fashion culture and the aggressive presence of corporate fashion (‘Prada-ization’). While the UK government celebrates the growth of the cultural economy, it also overlooks the processes making the livelihoods of its predominantly female workforce either untenable or else requiring de-specialization and ‘multi-tasking’.     

Should female circumcision continue to be banned?

Conclusion This paper has attempted to steer a middle course between two opposing views. Although the examination tilts in favour of the conservationist, by proposing legal regulation of the practice, it also seeks to contain the fear of the abolitionist. The proposed regulation will make it illegal for minors to undergo female circumcision, and only those adults who wish to have it done will be permitted under the strict scrutiny of the law.Female circumcision has returned to mainstream debate again and one hopes that this time a compromise acceptable to the abolitionists and the conservationists will be forged. The latter group should be given the opportunity of expressing its view without fear of being regarded with contempt. Such a cordial approach will foster a fair debate between the various interest groups that is long overdue.This paper is a modified version of an earlier one delivered at Exeter College, Oxford, at the forum of The Oxford Civil Liberties Society in November 1994. I would like to thank the reader forFeminist Legal Studies for the comments made and to James Peniston for the editing.     

A Lebanese contemporary female mystic and her counter-conducts

ABSTRACT

A network of Christian female mystics in Lebanon and Syria has been forming since the early 1980s. Composed of women from large cities, such as Beirut or Damascus, it is characterized by its denominational and social diversity. This article will focus on one of these mystics: Catherine Fahmi, who has been living, and officiating, in her apartment in the suburbs of Beirut since the late 1990s. Catherine is a Maronite. She is a married mother of three, in her forties. Each Tuesday morning, she experiences a public ecstasy. Every year, on Good Friday, surrounded by a number of faithful followers, she sees and experiences the Way of the Cross. My aim here is to grasp the complex interplay between this female mystic, her followers and the Maronite Church. Her activities, and the rituals surrounding her stigmatized body, will be analyzed in terms of ‘counter-conducts,’ a notion developed by Michel Foucault.     

Female genital mutilation: implications for female sexuality

The purpose of this study was to find out how female genital mutilation (FGM), also known as female circumcision, affects the sexuality of female students at Delta State University, Abraka, Nigeria. A 20-item questionnaire was developed by the investigators and administered to 400 respondents using a variety of sampling techniques. The study found that the students who were circumcised favored circumcision more than those who were not circumcised. It also found out that being circumcised did not lead to early sexual experience. Based on the findings of this study, it was recommended that campaigning against female genital mutilation should be waged against those women who are already circumcised and women with low level of education.