The Re-shaping of Bodies: A Discourse Analysis of Feminine Athleticism.

ABSTRACT: Slender and skinny body ideals have been associated with psychological disorders such as eating disorders. However, the tendency to promote a "healthier" and more athletic female body ideal has received minimal critical attention. This study aims at exploring the underlying conditions for such an athletic ideal through asking: How is the female athletic body constructed in the pseudonymous contemporary women's fitness magazine, "Xrzise"? We investigated the object of inquiry through a modified version of Parker's Foucauldian discourse analysis. We analyzed the interviews of four athletic role models in "Xrzise" and identified four discourses: "Neo-liberal discourse," "Health expertise discourse," "Discourse of surveillance and control" and "Discourse of emancipation." The "Neoliberal disco

SUBMITTER: Aanesen SM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7394218 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature