Governing Bodies Through Water: Turning Boys Into Men and Reducing Bodies to Biology

Abstract

Drownproofing, a swimming technique focused on the prevention of drowning, became popular in the United States in the mid-twentieth century. Although women performed better in drownproofing, they still had to conform to masculine standards, methods, and expectations. In this article, I explain why drownproofing instructors used masculine standards to teach a technique in which women performed better. I argue that the reason for that had less to do with drowning and more with the need to protect students’ masculinity and to turn them into “real” men. Men not only tolerated the harsh swimming drills, but they also learned, through science, that inequalities among bodies are natural, biological, innate, and, therefore, inescapable. Relying on archival materials and interviews with former students of drownproofing, this article shows how masculine values are sought after and used as norms even when women’s characteristics would be more advantageous. This research advances conversations about masculinity, sport, and national identity.