History as weapon & A Brief History of Lawns

Although this connection might seem out of place, here it is the best way I can put this into perspective. The main topic or idea for this particular entry is “being told this is not for you” which is something I can relate to in a personal level. In the articles, History as Weapon and A Brief History of Lawns, we observe the idea of how lies are taught, not everything our teachers told us can be true except that it is said from someone else’s point of view and it just continues to spread out in history. However, there is also the idea that because some people have various advantages such as a “lawn” other are of a lesser value because they cannot have it. So, where does Stefi Cohen comes in place you may ask, well she is one of the strongest female in the strength training industry, such as powerlifting.

            The main misconception that many people or men have is that women cannot for the love of god lift heavy because they will look manly, unattractive, fat, muscular, and the list goes on, but let’s be real this are all false accusations. Through history women are seen as objects that are supposed to breed their families, keep the house clean, look weak and feminine inferior to the male figure. But times have changed, we no longer stay quiet and we are no longer comfortable with being skinny figures who cannot fend for themselves. Also just because man were given the advantage of having testosterone  this does not mean they can degrade a woman in a man’s world such as lifting weights.

            Powerlifting is a strength training sport, were women and men train rigorously for periods of time and push their bodies to their full potential with one goal in mind which is  being strong. Now, women in this particular sport are not your typical fitspo chick (Fit inspiration person) they are not focused on booty workouts, carb cutting and endless cardio. We focus on carb, and protein intake in order to perform our best which means we eat a lot, but history says women are only supposed to eat 1,200 calories a day (LIES). Also, cardio is rarely a thing but I guess that is why we are also considered fat. Powerlifting focuses on three main lifts squats, bench and deadlifts (SBD), which is the top priority of the athlete when competing. This means we put up weight on the barbell that can be 3 times our bodyweight and it is the most exciting moment of our existence because god knows we have worked for it. However, history tells us that women cannot bench press because “your back will be huge”, “your arms are gross”, and the list will go on.

            Overall, I think history is there to teach how far we have come as a community but also it only shows partial information to benefit half the equation of said history. I was able to connect these readings to this specific topic because I am also a female in the strength training industry, and I see it when people think I am crazy for doing things only a man should be able to do. Therefor history only benefits them and not the female gender, and although I might be out of topic that is how today we encounter gender inequality and why the grass seems greener on the other side.