2004: “The Cage: The Lives and Experiences of Female Bodybuilders and Anorexic Women” by Alison Marie Holby ’04

Title: 2004: “The Cage: The Lives and Experiences of Female Bodybuilders and Anorexic Women” by Alison Marie Holby ’04
Description: Alison Marie Holby ’04’s English honors thesis entitled “The Cage: The Lives and Experience of Female Bodybuilders and Anorexic Women” is an example of literary journalism guided by Dr. Lewis’s teachings. In this project, Holby explores how female bodybuilders and anorexic women respond to cultural expectations of women in different yet related ways. Literary journalism departs from traditional journalism in the sense that it blurs a line between objectivity and subjectivity, often placing the writer and their experiences into the story. Structurally, these pieces are organized like fiction, with plot and arc, in order to create a story and engage the reader. Literary journalism aims to inspire the reader to look at some aspect of the world — in Holby’s case, “gendered expectations about body and performance” — in a slightly different way (Holby 2).
Creator: Alison Marie Holby
Date: May 2004