2022

Iron Game History: The Journal of Physical Culture

Rocznik: 2021 | Tom: 16

artykuł naukowy

angielski

EN Fitness is a popular physical activity among women. Most studies pertaining to women’s fitness culture focus on the representation of female body in the media or on the lived experiences of the exercisers. Furthermore, fitness is often criticised for being a disciplinary practice and for contributing to the promotion of unrealistic body ideals. However, fewer works tackle the issue of the experiences of elderly female participants of fitness culture taking part in group training, concentrating on their sense of belonging in the recreational fitness context. The aim of this work is to explore the experiences of elderly participants of fitness culture associated with their sense of belonging and/or exclusion in the recreational fitness context. Drawing from the assumption that belonging is not something that emerges naturally but is constructed and that achieving belonging is a multifaceted, nuanced and relational process, the work intends to determine when elderly female exercisers decide that they belong or do not belong to the social world of female fitness culture participants, how they communicate their sense of belonging, and why their experiences of belonging carry important implications for their identity formation. It concludes by re-examining the concept of aging in relation to gender in the recreational fitness context (Laz 2003). The results of the research add complexity and a more constructive understanding of the construction of belonging where negative representations and stereotypes are challenged. This work is based on ethnographic qualitative methods, including: observant participation, semi-structured in-depth interviews, informal conversations.

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https://www.academia.edu/75342441/Between_Belonging_and_Fitting_In_Exploring_the_Intersections_of_Aging_Gender_and_Physical_Activity_from_an_Anthropological_Perspective

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