We call it like we see it: The connection between grilling and masculinity is wildly outdated.

So why does it persist today?

Im also the pitmaster for KCBS Team Girls Can Grill.

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Her research explores food, the body, health, and identities in contemporary U.S. media and popular culture.

manning the grill for a weekend family dinner.

Enter the 1950s, during which suburbanization and theideal of the nuclear familytook hold.

Broth in Bowl on gray background, healthy food, top view.

I’m the editor and publisher of GirlsCanGrill.com, an online magazine dedicated to sharing grilling tips and recipes to encourage more people to get outside and grill. I’m also the pitmaster for KCBS Team Girls Can Grill.

Again: Smellsstronglyof diet culture.

Marketing has, of course, played a huge role here.

Historically, advertising fueled the positioning of grilling as a masculine activity.

Close-up of sliced purple cabbage,

(Remember, were talking about the real-life heyday of theMad Menera.

But what came first: the dude food concept of meat and grilling or marketing it as such?

Take, for instance, mens gift guides that come around like clockwork every year.

soba noodles

After all, as Dr. Contois notes, the cooking activity itself is named for the equipment it requires.

To grill at home, you have to purchase a grill and related accessories, she adds.

Its often masculinized in both private and public, but in different ways.

A hand is stirring a sourdough starter in a glass jar, on a kitchen countertop. The light casts a warm glow, highlighting the ingredients inside the jar.

I’m the editor and publisher of GirlsCanGrill.com, an online magazine dedicated to sharing grilling tips and recipes to encourage more people to get outside and grill. I’m also the pitmaster for KCBS Team Girls Can Grill.

She herself was inspired to enter the world of competition barbecue by female pioneers likeLee Ann Whippen.

When launching Girls Can Grill in 2015, my first priority was to inspire other women and girls.

When I started Girls Can Grill, there were maybe 10 female-led social media accounts dedicated to grilling.

Frozen beef steaks on brownish packaging paper. Light effect.

Today, there are dozens, if not hundreds, Vanover says.

And anyone whos not a man is still underrepresented in media coverage of grilling.

After all, we all need to eat and drink to survive, right?

Woman shopping in a grocery store with a basket

I have found that the lessons and recipes I share help more than only women.

I really didnt think so much change was possible in seven years.

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