Bulk is the large size or mass of something, especially when it is big and heavy. It can also mean buying or handling goods in large quantities instead of in small packages.
From Old Norse “bulki,” meaning “cargo, heap, or ship’s load.” It originally referred to the main body of goods on a ship.
“Bulk” began as the weight of a ship’s cargo, so it’s always had an ocean-sized feel to it. When you buy in bulk at a store, you’re acting like a tiny shipping company, moving big loads instead of neat little packets.
“Bulk” has been associated with gendered body ideals, where muscular “bulk” is valorized for men and stigmatized or treated as unfeminine for women. Fitness and diet industries have marketed “bulking” and “cutting” along stereotyped gender lines.
Use “bulk” descriptively (e.g., volume, mass, muscle) without tying body size or muscle to gender norms. Avoid implying that muscularity is inherently masculine or undesirable for women or nonbinary people.
["volume","mass","size","muscle gain"]
Women and nonbinary athletes and bodybuilders have significantly expanded public understanding of strength and muscle development, challenging narrow gendered ideals of acceptable body types.
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