In 2010 we wrote about how gender ideology inflects even the most “objective” of spheres. In this case, we featured four examples of anatomical illustration, portrayals of human beings used to educate viewers about biology. In each case, while the man faced forward with his weight evenly distributed on his two feet, the woman placed her hand on her hip, cocked a knee, or even turned slightly sideways. In other words, he was posed in a masculine way and she in a feminine way.
When we see this kind of gendered posing in drawings that are ostensibly neutral, we are being told that our particular historically- and culturally-contingent version of masculinity and femininity is natural.
In this vein, Courtney S. sent in a Design by Hümans Size Chart. The chart is supposed to help buyers decide what size to purchase, but the accompanying images do more than just illustrate how measurements are made; by torquing the female torso, they send a message about gender too:
Comments 39
Guest — March 23, 2012
Interestingly, I don't think we'd see this kind of "funky" diagramming in the more sexist 50s.
It looks like a way to look more avant guarde and loose, rather than old and boring. Their next step would be to engage the masculine diagram in some kind of stereotypical pose.
Owly — March 23, 2012
I'm a woman with broad shoulders so I hate women's shirts. The sleeves ride up into my armpits. I like to buy men's shirts but it's hard to find the correct size. It's like smaller people who want them don't exist.
my real name? — March 23, 2012
Women are not supposed to be XX-Large unlike men.
Anonymous — March 23, 2012
I'm having a hard time understanding why there needs to be a separate diagram for men and women? Both shirts are measured in the same place for both the width and the length.
Anonymous — March 23, 2012
Did anyone else notice that a woman's Extra-Large is actually smaller than a men's Small? How is this possible? I think that speaks more to gender norms than anything else. The smallest size that they offer for men is STILL BIGGER than the LARGEST size shirt that they offer to women. How is that possible? Basically, they cut smaller men and larger women out of the marketplace.
pduggie — March 23, 2012
Quick, name five cultures or historical periods where men and women did not tend to stand that way.
Owly — March 23, 2012
It's possible that the women's shirt is twisted to show that it's tailored at the waist.
Patrick — March 24, 2012
That women's shirt is gonna have some real back pain by the end of the day.
Blix — March 24, 2012
Women tend to have breasts, and the larger breasted a person is, the bigger the shirt size. Also, the drawing looks more like a person with scoliosis than whatever they're trying to pull. Heh, maybe they're actually using a minority in that case. I'm sure...
Anonymous — March 25, 2012
It looks like the artist might've traced the shirt diagrams over some posed pictures of a man and a woman that they found in an internet search. In this case, the torque of the female shirt torso would be a biproduct of gendered posing.
ak — March 26, 2012
Funny thing is, as a woman with scoliosis, that T-shirt measurement diagram actually looks like me. Too bad the shirts are not actually designed to fit someone with a crooked back...