Tamanho e altura dos corpos masculino e feminino: interpretações, desafios e mecanismos de superação na construção de relações sociais na cidade de Maputo

Abstract

This work understands that, based on the theories of Marcel Mauss and Herbert Blumer and on research data, height and body size have an impact on social relationships, including friendly, professional, and even passionate relationships. Marcel Mauss (2005), as cited by Daolio et al. (2012), the body is a social construct, shaped by cultural practices and values. In urban environments, such as Maputo, physical characteristics such as size and height are often associated with power, status, and beauty. The data reveal that slender and muscular men are seen as the most authoritative and confident, responsible, to the detriment of short men, who are seen with an undesirable connotation, as if being short were a disability. Women with certain physical characteristics, thinness, thin waists, prominent hips, etc., are also associated with specific beauty standards. Herbert Blumer (1998), with his theory of symbolic interactionism, reinforces this view by showing that the meanings attributed to the body are formed and adjusted in daily social interactions and relationships. According to Blumer, interpretations of physical characteristics are not fixed, but change as people interact and share experiences in their daily lives. The data from the field research reveal that gym-goers at ProGym and Ginásio 365, of different ages and occupations, seek to improve their physical appearance to respond to the social challenges imposed on the body, such as conforming to standards of beauty, health and youth. These changes can influence how they are interpreted and treated in their social and professional spheres. This work shows that interpretations of the body are complex social constructions that affect identity, the interactions of individuals in different contexts, low and high self-esteem and encourage the recurrence of various and diverse corrective mechanisms of the body such as physical exercise – this includes gyms, sports, among others – aiming to achieve a standardized body, thus being able to be well-regarded and see oneself well, since the human body has these two dimensions: psychological (how the person perceives his/her own body) and social (how the person is perceived by his/her social group)(TRADUÇÃO NOSSA)