Female Fitness in the Blogosphere: Gender, Health, and the Body

SAGE Open

Jesper Andreasson¹ 

关键词: blog culture;    gender;    femininity;    fitness;    personal trainer;    hegemonic masculinity;   

DOI  :  10.1177/2158244013497728

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Sage Journals

【 摘 要 】

This article analyzes self-portrayals and gender constructions among female personal trainers within an Internet-mediated framework of fitness culture. The empirical material comes from a close examination of three strategically selected blogs. The result shows that some of the blogs clearly build upon what Connell calls emphasized femininity, as a means of legitimizing and constructing appropriate female fitness. In addition, there are also tendencies of sexualization in text and imagery present. As such, these self-representations are framed within a cultural history of body fitness dominated by stereotypical ways of perceiving masculinity and femininity. However, this does not capture the entire presentation of the self among the analyzed fitness bloggers. The blogs also point in the direction of ongoing negotiations and subversions of traditional gender norms. Among other things, they show how irony and humor are used as a means of questioning normative gender constructions while empowering female fitness and bodyliness.

【 授权许可】

CC BY