The article “Throwing Like a Girl: A Phenomenology of Feminine Body Comportment Motility and Spatiality” was written by Iris Marion Young in 1980, yet the problems raised there are relevant for modern society. According to Young’s essay, the distinctions between masculine and feminine bodies determine the movement style, and throwing is an example of an activity performed differently depending on gender. The author explored philosophical perception and consequences of being born in a specific situation based on that notion. Young included Straus’ statements that the differences between genders are only biological and argued with de Beauvoir’s ideas regarding the female body’s weakness and transcendence. These authors try to confront the opinion that in the modern industrial society, women cannot perform tasks to achieve the goals in a particular time.
The essay is divided into four parts, and throughout them, Young proves that oppression of women exists in society due to their bodily comportment and moving capabilities. In the first fragment, the author reveals that the social perception of the female body as weak prevents them from engaging in men-like activities and inadequately assess the difficulty of physical tasks. The second part is dedicated to the structure of feminine mobility and why women do not push themselves to any potential risk. Young defined such behavior as ambiguous transcendence where female consciousness attempts to engage only the necessary body parts and protect others from being hurt. Moreover, the author developed such terms as inhibited intentionality – willingness to underestimate own capabilities due to the notion that women are weak, and discontinuous unity – perceiving the body as an object of activity.
The third part of Young’s essay compares female modalities in their lived spaces and the uncommon, objective ones. The author emphasized that women tend to be stuck in their inner spaces and perform with higher mobility. In contrast, the outer world is perceived as a risk, making female people consciously decrease their bodies’ efficiency and involve only the separate parts into the processes. The last section summarized the analysis and observations Young had regarding feminine bodily comportment and mobility. The author concluded that the notions and biases about women prevent the former from engaging in tasks at their fullest. Consequently, Young states that modern society is sexist, and female oppression must be urgently addressed.