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Matthew Sandoval
Professor DerOhanessian
English 114A
23 November, 2014
Building Your Body
Today in society there are an endless amount of stereotypes that put people down because
of their physical appearance. Early stages of stereotypes began dealing mostly with race or
ethnicity, eventually growing to judge all aspects of a persons image. One topic that seems very
unfair is being judgmental against those who decide to build their body. Too many times in
society people are put down because of how they look and judged for the actions they take in
changing their own body image when it is completely up to them to build their body any which
way they please.
Sports are a huge form of entertainment in American culture. So many stereotypes have
been made up about all sports and all cultures being related to one another with no physical proof
of these assumptions. Baseball is a white man sport people said in the early 1940s, until Jackie
Robinson and the Brooklyn Dodgers said otherwise. So many people put him down and
wouldnt allow him to play and kicked him and spit on him all because he was an African
American (Goldstein, 1991). Staying strong and having the will to prove them wrong, Robinson
became one of the all time best players in the MLB (major league Baseball association) and
started a new revolution for African Americans in the MLB. Robinson served a perfect example
of someone who rises above the stereotypes and performed at amazing level. Another African
American stereotype is that basketball is there sport because of this extra muscle in their leg.

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This third leg some people refer to it as, is responsible for African Americans ability to
jump higher, run faster, and overall perform better than other Athletes. Though there is no
physical proof, many people still degrade African American athletes from their athletic
accomplishments (Kage, 2003). Although, there are many spectators always saying bad, have
any of them ever thought maybe they perform so hard because of their work ethic? Have they
ever watched a training session with any of these Athletes? Not only in the gym for hours upon
hours working on their shot technique, running plays and dribbling sessions. But in the weight
room as well building their bodies in preparation for the taxing job they have coming up for the
next Friday night game. Not only have African Americans been degraded from the performance
they do put on, but they are also doubted in being able to perform well in certain sports.
An example of African Americans being put down for their body anatomy, is shown in an
article by Salim Muwakkil, a senior editor for In These Times, in which he says how they have
been told they lacked the qualities for certain athletic pursuits like tennis, golf and distance
running (Muwakkil, 2002). This is extremely racist and not even true. Tiger words is an
African American male who has been pronounced one of the best all time profession golfers.
Another example of these stereotypes being proved false is Serena Williams. Another African
American who exceeds in a sport that many say they are not meant for. These amazing athletes
have all proved otherwise and have not only done well, but have become one of the best. If
youre going to put a label on someone, label them for their work ethic and dedication when
nobody is looking, not because of their skin color.
What someone does to their body is up to them and them only. Parents can be against
tattoos and piercings all they want, but it is still up to the individual to do as they please. Body
modification is the altering of the human body for aesthetics, religious views, or sexual

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enhancement. Society takes one look at these people and call them freaks or are afraid of them.
They say they are all bad kids who do drugs when in reality, they know nothing about that
person. They could be a college student about to graduate who simply enjoys modifying their
body, but to society, they are all bad kids who do nothing with their life. Some people paint or
draw or sketch images, but these special individuals have their own kind of art, and it involves
disfiguring their own bodies (Ammon). Society doesnt find the beautiful art in what these
amazing individuals do and it is a shame because it is truly amazing. There is nothing wrong
with wanting to be different, or wanting to stand out in a crowd. These people are unique and
beautiful in their own ways.
Another example I would like to bring up is the Homeless population. Over the years the
homeless population has grown tremendously for a number of reasons that society takes no time
to pay attention to. People instantly assume all homeless people are school drop outs or got
involved in drugs and are unsuccessful in life. They dont take the time to consider the fact that
many homeless people are veterans of war and received no help when returning from the war.
Some homeless were children who lost both parents and had no body there to provide for them
so they went to the streets. Others could be wealthy families who unfortunately lost their job and
now the whole family is homeless. When society see homeless people they are afraid and
instantly assume the homeless person might attack them. Does that mean you should trust all
homeless people, no, but dont make these accusations that they are all crazy or drop outs.
My personal experience with society judging someones physical appearance is in the
sport of body building. Building my body is a hobby of mine along with many other people.
The fitness industry has grown rapidly over the past years although many people are still
skeptical towards bodybuilders. When society looks at bodybuilders or even typical gym rats

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who simply want a nice physique, they instantly assume they all took steroids and overnight they
look like this. This is very upsetting to me because they degrade the sport, and dont give these
people the respect they deserve. Steroids alone will get you nowhere, you still have to work
extremely hard both in and out of the gym to get the physique they have. Everyday being in the
gym pushing your body past its limits, reaching new goals and always striving to do better the
next day. Outside the gym being very strict and precise on their diet making sure they consume
the right foods in order to grow. Late nights doing cardio chasing the ideal physique. Most of
society doesnt see that so they simply pre judge and instantly think they just take steroids.

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Works Cited Page

Goldstein, Warren. Jackie Robinson. History. 12 June, 1991. Web. 23 November, 2014.
<http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/jackie-robinson>
Muwakkil, Salim. Blacks, sports and lingering racial stereotypes. Chicago Tribune. 17 June,
2002. Web. 25 November, 2014. <http://articles.chicagotribune.com/20020617/news/0206170135_1_tennis-stereotypes-black-athletes-dominate-sports>
Ammon, Rabecca. Body Modification. Creative Loafing. 10 July, 2009. Web. 23 November,
2014. <http://cltampa.com/dailyloaf/archives/2009/07/10/body-modification-canimprove-sex#.VHUrzcnl30o>
Kage, Akuma. The extra leg muscle in African Americans. The Straight Dope. September
2003. Web. 23 November, 2014.
<http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=211927>