Hugo Schwyzer
Encyclopedia
Hugo Schwyzer is an American author, speaker, activist and professor of history and gender studies at Pasadena City College
. In addition to courses on women’s history, pornography, men and masculinity, and gay and lesbian history, he developed the college’s first interdisciplinary course focusing on “Beauty and the Body” in the late 1990s, a class he continues to offer today and which focuses on the historical roots of contemporary eating disorders and distorted body image. Schwyzer was also one of the co-organizers of the 2011 SlutWalk
in Los Angeles.
Schwyzer received his bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Berkeley
and holds a Ph.D. from UCLA. He is the elder brother of the noted renaissance scholar Philip Schwyzer
.
Schwyzer has served as a facilitator, workshop leader, and speaker on issues revolving around sexuality, masculinity, and transforming self-image. He has presented workshops on body image, sexual harassment, rape prevention, and the myth of male weakness at institutions as diverse as Fuller Theological Seminary
and Brown University
. He is also a frequent guest on nationally syndicated radio programs and has appeared on CNN
and CTV as an expert on body image, sexuality and gender justice.
Schwyzer is co-founder of the Perfectly Unperfected Project, a body image transformation program bringing a message of hope and insight to high school students. He also serves as a director of Healthy is the New Skinny and Natural Models LA, a management agency.
Schwyzer is currently a featured columnist as well as "sex and relationships" editor for the Good Men Project Magazine. He also writes the "Genderal Interest" column for Jezebel
. His articles have also appeared in the Guardian
, the Los Angeles Times
, the Huffington Post, Alternet and many other sites. He has been profiled by New York Magazine and Bitch Magazine. Schwyzer co-authored Beauty, Disrupted: A Memoir – the autobiography of famed supermodel Carré Otis
, published in October 2011 by HarperCollins
.
In his blog, Hugo writes openly about his past experiences with religion
, sex
, bisexuality
, marriage
, divorce
and prior alcohol and drug abuse
(prior to July 1998). These posts and disclosures have made him a controversial figure in the feminist and academic communities.
Pasadena City College
Pasadena City College is a community college in Pasadena, California, USA, located on Colorado Boulevard. PCC is the third largest community college campus in the United States. PCC was founded in 1924 as Pasadena Junior College. In 1954, Pasadena Junior College merged with another junior...
. In addition to courses on women’s history, pornography, men and masculinity, and gay and lesbian history, he developed the college’s first interdisciplinary course focusing on “Beauty and the Body” in the late 1990s, a class he continues to offer today and which focuses on the historical roots of contemporary eating disorders and distorted body image. Schwyzer was also one of the co-organizers of the 2011 SlutWalk
SlutWalk
The SlutWalk protest marches began on April 3, 2011, in Toronto, Canada, and became a movement of rallies across the world. Participants protest against explaining or excusing rape by referring to any aspect of a woman's appearance...
in Los Angeles.
Schwyzer received his bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
and holds a Ph.D. from UCLA. He is the elder brother of the noted renaissance scholar Philip Schwyzer
Philip Schwyzer
Philip Schwyzer is an American author and Professor of Renaissance Literature and Culture at Exeter University. Raised in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, Dr. Schwyzer received his undergraduate and doctoral degrees from the University of California, Berkeley...
.
Schwyzer has served as a facilitator, workshop leader, and speaker on issues revolving around sexuality, masculinity, and transforming self-image. He has presented workshops on body image, sexual harassment, rape prevention, and the myth of male weakness at institutions as diverse as Fuller Theological Seminary
Fuller Theological Seminary
Fuller Theological Seminary is an accredited Christian educational institute with its main campus in Pasadena, California and several satellite campuses in the western United States...
and Brown University
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
. He is also a frequent guest on nationally syndicated radio programs and has appeared on CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
and CTV as an expert on body image, sexuality and gender justice.
Schwyzer is co-founder of the Perfectly Unperfected Project, a body image transformation program bringing a message of hope and insight to high school students. He also serves as a director of Healthy is the New Skinny and Natural Models LA, a management agency.
Schwyzer is currently a featured columnist as well as "sex and relationships" editor for the Good Men Project Magazine. He also writes the "Genderal Interest" column for Jezebel
Jezebel (website)
Jezebel is a blog aimed at women's interests, under the tagline "Celebrity, Sex, Fashion. Without Airbrushing". It is one of several blogs owned by Gawker Media.Jezebel was launched on May 21, 2007, as the 14th Gawker blog...
. His articles have also appeared in the Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
, the Huffington Post, Alternet and many other sites. He has been profiled by New York Magazine and Bitch Magazine. Schwyzer co-authored Beauty, Disrupted: A Memoir – the autobiography of famed supermodel Carré Otis
Carré Otis
Carré Otis is an American model and actress.-Early life:Carré Otis was born in San Francisco, and raised in Marin County, California along with her older sister Chrisse and her younger brother Jordan...
, published in October 2011 by HarperCollins
HarperCollins
HarperCollins is a publishing company owned by News Corporation. It is the combination of the publishers William Collins, Sons and Co Ltd, a British company, and Harper & Row, an American company, itself the result of an earlier merger of Harper & Brothers and Row, Peterson & Company. The worldwide...
.
In his blog, Hugo writes openly about his past experiences with religion
Religion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
, sex
Sex
In biology, sex is a process of combining and mixing genetic traits, often resulting in the specialization of organisms into a male or female variety . Sexual reproduction involves combining specialized cells to form offspring that inherit traits from both parents...
, bisexuality
Bisexuality
Bisexuality is sexual behavior or an orientation involving physical or romantic attraction to both males and females, especially with regard to men and women. It is one of the three main classifications of sexual orientation, along with a heterosexual and a homosexual orientation, all a part of the...
, marriage
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
, divorce
Divorce
Divorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties...
and prior alcohol and drug abuse
Drug abuse
Substance abuse, also known as drug abuse, refers to a maladaptive pattern of use of a substance that is not considered dependent. The term "drug abuse" does not exclude dependency, but is otherwise used in a similar manner in nonmedical contexts...
(prior to July 1998). These posts and disclosures have made him a controversial figure in the feminist and academic communities.
External links
- Perfectly Unperfected Project http://healthyisthenewskinny.com/pup-program/
- Guardian Article November 12, 2010 http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/nov/12/reproductive-technologies-men-feminism
- Rate My Professor Interview http://www.mycollegesandcareers.com/2009/06/up-close-and-personal-with-rate-my-professors-hottest-hugo-schwyzer/
- Slutwalk LA http://laist.com/2011/06/02/slutwalk_la_is_this_saturday.php
- Hugo Schwyzer blog http://www.hugoschwyzer.net