What Do Boxing and Oysters have to do with it?
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The artwork we viewed in class leaves a lot to be assumed about the Downtown Athletic Club. There are definitely some sexual undertones going on through a variety of symbols within this image, but it leaves a lot to the imagination. I believe each piece of this image was perfectly crafted to represent exactly what was speculated of the DAC. Here’s my speculation (hot take): This picture is representative of men fearing their sexuality. The location is in the locker room because it references “locker room talk” which typically includes the discussion of sexual conquests between men. The men are naked to represent the desire these men have for one another, but they are wearing the boxing gloves to represent that they can’t have what they want- they must refrain from any acts (because of their preconceived notions that being gay is wrong). Oysters are a natural aphrodisiac and are commonly used to increase sex drive and desire. This may be a placebo effect but I don’t think including an oyster bar was a coincidence. I believe this space gave men the option to feel comfortable in their own skin because they didn’t feel comfortable doing so beyond the walls of the Downtown Athletic Club.
Following my speculation, I found this quote by Koolhaas which confirms a lot of my assumptions, “In the Downtown Athletic Club, the Skyscraper is used as a Constructivist Social Condenser: a machine to generate and intensify desirable forms of human intercourse.” So I guess it wasn’t much of a hot take at all.
This depiction of masculinity is peak bro culture. If you aren't slinging dong while eating oysters with your guy friends, are you even friends? I can almost count the number of times I've eaten seafood naked and not once have I thought "this would be better if I was doing it by myself". I encourage all male readers of this blog to give it a chance. If you aren't into oysters try lobster, a couple crab rangoons, or even some Bonefish Grill™ Bang Bang (no pun intended) Shrimp.
ReplyDeleteIf you are female sorry this probably just isn't for you ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
The image shown while describing the Downtown Athletic Club gave me two initial reactions. The first was more in line with what you, Kesey, said. That given the context of time era and stigmatisms of same sex relationships, the scene and building can easily be seen as an oasis for gay men to feel included within the harsher realities of society at the time. They could leave their wives and go have some fun at the Athletic Club (probably with the Village People). The second rection I had was that everything in the picture made sense by not making sense. To Jake's point, men do not always have a reason for doing the things we do when we are with other men. Without supervision, a group of guys will do some of the dumbest things imaginable, for no apparent reason other than entertainment. Much like having some fresh oysters in the locker room post Greco-boxing.
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