Mr. America

Fair, John D.

doi:10.7560/760820

Cited by 8 publications

(2 citation statements)

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“…Judging criteria was often used to reinforce a very strict sense of white American masculinity in which the man with the muscular build, who was patriotic and intelligent, was favoured. 43 Somewhat illustrative of this was the fact that several African-American and Black bodybuilders won the physique portion of the competition but lost the competition based on their 'personalities'. This led to multiple accusations of racism within the Mr. America show but also in American bodybuilding more generally.…”

Section: Gironda and Raw Milk Bodybuildingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This led to multiple accusations of racism within the Mr. America show but also in American bodybuilding more generally. 44 This situation changed somewhat in the 1960s as Black and African American bodybuilders won contests, but media attention within bodybuilding still tended to favour muscular, white physiques. 45 By this time, the excessive muscularity decried by Gironda had come to dominate the sport.…”

Section: Gironda and Raw Milk Bodybuildingmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Milk, Modernity and Muscles: Raw Dairy and Bodybuilding in 1960s America

Heffernan

2022

Gender & History

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In the mid-1960s, bodybuilding coach Vince Gironda began promoting raw milk. Done alongside nutritional supplement entrepreneur Rheo H. Blair, the pair claimed raw (unpasteurised) milk was the most anabolic and 'pure' substance available to men. Accordingly, raw milk and cream were presented as effective as anabolic steroids used by bodybuilders. Studies of milk have often focused on the manufacturing, trading and politics surrounding the foodstuff. Few studies have associated milk with masculinity in the same way that scholars have done for meat. This article examines Gironda and Blair's nutritional plans with reference to modernity and masculinity and highlights the hyper-realised masculine bodies and personalities linked to raw milk. I helped pioneer certified raw milk in my gymnasiums and feel it is the most important factor in gaining weight which I have to offer my members … Vince Gironda, 1966. 1 In the mid-1960s, American bodybuilding coaches Vince Gironda and Rheo H. Blair began promoting raw milk to clients. The two men claimed that raw (meaning unpasteurised) dairy -whether milk or cream -was the most anabolic and 'pure' substance for men seeking to build muscle and strength in equal measure. Raw milk and cream were presented as just, if not more, effective than the newly emergent anabolic steroids used by professional bodybuilders. 2 Studies of raw dairy have mainly focused on the manufacturing, trading and politics involved in the production of these products, with some attention to gender. 3 Few works, however, have examined the gendered dimensions of dairy in a sporting or athletic context. 4 Bodybuilding, which is typically understood to be a hyper-masculine activity, offers a wonderful opportunity to explore this phenomenon. This article will argue that raw dairy, as part of a restricted diet, was linked by bodybuilding coaches like Gironda and Blair to a specific kind of American masculinity, a highly embodied form of gender identity in which the muscular body came to signify and represent traits like determination, ambition, discipline and virility.Gironda and Blair's specific form of American masculinity privileged lean and muscular bodies as the most prized form of manhood. For Gironda, Blair and their

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Section: Gironda and Raw Milk Bodybuildingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Gironda and Raw Milk Bodybuildingmentioning

confidence: 99%