I'm working on a book about gravity. A recent discussion here reminded me of a theme I intend to explore - that gravity is gendered. It is experienced differently by different bodies.
Exhibit 1. Gravity is said to be unkind to women in particular. As they age, gravity causes their breasts to sag. THE HORROR. There are huge numbers of jokes around this. #gravity
I loathe these jokes, but in case you're under the misapprehension this isn't a thing, here's an example: 
Gravity is often cast in the role of enemy to women's bodies. Exhibit 2:
I won't go into detail about the patriarchal values around women's appearance and fertility, but we could go ON. You get the idea. #gravity
So what about different gravities? A while ago, @arrroberts dug up a quote from Arthur C. Clarke's Rendezvous with Rama, a book I read as a teen. This passage stuck in my mind long after I'd forgotten everything else about the book.
SYMPATHETIC BREAST VIBRATIONS CAUSE ACCIDENTS IN SPACE BECAUSE THE MEN CAN'T NOT LOOK. This is why we can't be astronauts, ladies.
Last year I was at a space conference and a performer in the opening ceremony joked about how, as a woman of a certain age, she'd like to be an experiment in the drop tower so she could have perky breasts again, even for 10 seconds
Drop towers are experimental (and amusement park) facilities where microgravity is created by acceleration. So you see that gravity is the enemy of women and microgravity is the friend. #gravity
Microgravity, however, has different impacts and effects for women depending on where you're at in terms of monthly and life cycles ie menstruation, pregnancy and birth. #gravity
Taking a break for various tasks but note to self to talk about the Family d'Alembert later!
I'm nowhere near finished on this topic but numerous people have made very interesting contributions so I'm going to explore these a little first. #gravity
Sage and style icon @DrJaneLS points out the connections between gravity and age. This works not only for the bosom region, but for the danger of elderly women falling and breaking hips with post-menopausal weakened bones.
Microgravity can be seen as an advantage for women too because, as @birdofmytongue relates, there are jokes about losing weight or being weightless in space. So gravity has been co-opted in the policing of women's bodies. #gravity
'Gravitas', says @interactivate, is a quality associated with masculinity. Here's a definition of gravitas. Weightiness is associated with seriousness and leadership. #gravity
Can women have gravitas? Of course not: they are flighty and lightweight. However, there is this from the Urban Dictionary: google.com/amp/s/www.urba…. And there's that word 'perky' again.
Women can't have gravitas in their demeanour/personality, but they can be gravid, which means pregnant. This is the kind of weightiness associated with femininity.
To put another twist on it, there is evidence that suggests being in microgravity could alleviate some of the symptoms of late pregnancy. Maybe not a good idea in early pregnancy though, as microgravity can also cause foetal abnormalities. #gravity
Here's the anti-gravity edition of the breasts thing, from the Dilbert cartoon by Scott Adams (ht @GabeMoshenska) #gravity #bleurgh images.app.goo.gl/Q6WymLD1H6ZVc9…
In aviation and defence, women have been thought incapable of withstanding high Gs. Here's a great thread from @JDKightly about that. #gravity
So much to say and thanks everyone for great contributions - time for sleep now! #gravity
Back to #gravity. @LouiseKenward makes an interesting point that gravity may have differential effects on people with different conditions, such as EDS and chronic pain. We've already mentioned osteoporosis.
Microgravity has been suggested as a therapeutic environment for people with disabilities - e.g. you don't need legs to function on the International Space Station. #gravity
This outstanding article by @roseveleth talks about how microgravity creates different opportunities and affordances for bodies which are considered to have 'disabilities' in full terrestrial #gravity.
google.com/amp/s/www.wire…
google.com/amp/s/www.wire…
And of course you don't get bedsores in space! #gravity
