Reinvention Identity of Code

¶ … confusing gender roles in our society. With women putting in as many hours at the office as men and 'take your daughter to work day' now implying bring a son if you have 'em -- gender roles in America continue to become blurry and obsolete lines in the sand. For example, I can not believe the number of professional athletes in Football and Baseball who have been caught abusing illegal steroids. I am sure that the recent media hype, the pressure from congress and the disgust from fans was meant to curb illegal use of anabolic steroids by younger boys, teens and men. And hopefully the message is getting through to the male population. Ah -- but, did we, ah, forget to tell the girls? "An alarming number of American girls, some as young as 9, are using bodybuilding steroids -- not necessarily to get an edge on the playing field, but to get the toned, sculpted look of models and movie stars, experts say. Girls are getting their hands on the same dangerous testosterone pills, shots and creams that have created a scandal in major league baseball and other sports. Often, these are the same girls who have eating disorders, according to some research." (The Associated Press)

(MSNBC)

There was no doubt in my mind that steroid use was a male thing. I assumed that sports and body building were the reason to take these types of drugs. "Researchers say that most girls are using steroids to get bigger and stronger on the playing field, and they attribute some of the increase in steroid use to girls' rising participation in sports. But plenty of other girls are using steroids to give themselves a slightly muscular look, they say." (The Associated Press) With the exception of Olympic athletes like Marion Jones, professional female body builders and of course all East German female athletes, I would have bet money that steroids was one area where the gender gap was safe.

In other words, I would have agreed that a small minority of women use the drugs for competitive advantage, but there would be no way that some middle school aged girl in rural Iowa or urban New Jersey was involved. "Overall, up to about 5% of high school girls and 7% of middle-school girls admit trying anabolic steroids at least once, with use of rising steadily since 1991, various government and university studies have shown." (The Associated Press)

Suddenly I will be forced to look at teens, both male and female, a little differently. Since the article provided information on how to spot girls abusing steroids, I am sure I will from this day forward be checking for the 'numerous physical and psychological changes' and symptoms offered in the online article. These include: "sudden weight gain of 20 or 30 pounds of muscle, rather than fat, and greater muscle strength; increase in facial and body hair, and loss of hair on the head; deepening of the voice, a decrease in menstrual cycles and stunted growth, including smaller breasts; sudden development of severe acne on the face and back; increased appetite; blood clots; aggressive behavior or angry outbursts, known as "roid-rage"; paranoia, hallucinations and psychotic behavior; development of liver abnormalities and tumors; elevated blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels, indicating premature onset of hardening of the arteries." (The Associated Press)

Oh yeah, these are the types of things that I would want a little brother or sister to have. Give me a break here because even the notion of a kid getting these drugs seems mind boggling. "Researchers say youngsters generally get illegal anabolic steroids on the black market from relatives or friends, from the local gym and over the Internet. At least one study indicates some parents and coaches supply steroids to teen athletes." (The Associated Press)

I suppose there is a constant in all of this. We as a society have in fact gradually cut through some of the more blatant gender roles that have historically been a foundation of stereotypical labeling. But, as the U.S.A. Today has made clear in my minds eye, both boys and girls want Olympic medals, perfect physiques and all of the trappings that come with those things. It is not a gender specific need to seek some internally defined perfection in our culture. Basically, it does not matter if these needs are being felt by a boy, a girl, or Barry Bonds.