Postfeminist biopedagogies of Instagram: Young women learning about bodies, health and fitness ABSTRACT: Social media can become a site of public pedagogy (Rich & Miah, 2014) through which young people learn about health and fitness. Photo and video-sharing social networks are emerging as sites of media practices through which images of the perfect fit body circulate, popularly known as 'fitspiration' media. Our research examines how girls and young women negotiate contemporary discourses around body, health and fitness circulating through Instagram and the subjectivities such technology enables. We draw on participatory and collaborative research with young women from three Spanish Secondary schools who each engaged with exercise-related content on Instagram and who self-defined as physically active. Focus groups and semi-structured interviews explored participants' uses, meanings and influences of this digital content over their embodiment and subjectivities. Through the concept of 'postfeminist biopedagogy', we articulate the learning processes that girls experience as they engage with media about 'fit' female bodies on Instagram. This involves a series of pedagogical micro practices through which girls learn about the health and fitness subject and which bring together a postfeminist sensibility (Gill, 2007), neoliberal notions of the self and discourses of health consumption. A postfeminist biopedagogy (Wright, 2009) instructs and regulates girls' bodies and health subjectivities through a language of choice, empowerment and health although, at the same time, framing exercise as disciplined work to achieve the normative body. Although participants criticized such representation of the perfect body, they considered these normative pressures as necessary to 'successful' identities in postfeminist times. Our analysis reveals how some young women learn about exercise as 'aesthetic labour' through the biopedagogies circulating on Instagram, with continual work upon the body associated with performing subjectivities which are confident, happy 3 and powerful. We conclude by exploring the implications of our findings for Physical and Health Education and young women's wellbeing.
This research examines how adolescent males (ages 16-17 years) construct and experience their masculine identities within the context of physical education (PE). A class of 23 boys and 3 girls from a state secondary school in Scotland were observed over a period of 3 months. During the third month, five of the observed pupils volunteered to take part in a conversation with the lead researcher which was guided by their participation in a repertory grid task. The same five participants also took part in a one-to-one semi-structured interview. The analysis of the evidence revealed that the adolescent pupils internalised and performed an orthodox form of masculinity that centred on strength, pain tolerance and the policing of others. More inclusive masculinities appeared to be emerging, however, the hypermasculine and public nature of the PE environment made it very difficult for the pupils to freely adopt or perform these alternative, more inclusive forms of masculinity. Additionally, pupils who did perform traits associated with inclusive masculinity often exhibited a high degree of social and physical capital. In order to facilitate a culture where all individuals feel free to express their gendered identities, teachers are encouraged to recognise, promote and celebrate multiple masculinities. This could create a safer learning environment for pupils and help prevent identities from being 'destroyed' in PE.
Her main research interests are teaching, learning and the curriculum in the physical education context. 'She has like 4000 followers!': the celebrification of self within school social networks. Online social interaction has become integral to contemporary social life, adding new dimensions to how young people learn, interact, and perceive themselves and one another. This paper presents theoretical insights from a year-long ethnographic study within a Scottish secondary school, where participant observation and qualitative interviews were used to explain pupils' informal social relationships. Here, pupils aged 11-18 constructed and negotiated a hyper-surveillanced social space within which many became (or strived to become) visible and 'known' amongst others and where online presentations of self were highly important. This facilitated a celebrity-esque culture amongst the pupil population whereby pupils learnt from and emulated macro celebrity culture and often framed social interactions as entertainment. Central to these practices, was a continual desire to "make gains in distinction" by demonstrating high social status amongst peers. The paper explores the resulting implications for teaching, learning and pupil wellbeing within contemporary educational environments.
Abstract. In many countries around the world, the subject of physical education (PE) is explicitly and directly responsible for the health education of children and young people. However, although the official policy texts for each curriculum describe health in a holistic way, referring to the development of mental, social, emotional as well as physical wellbeing, we highlight concerns that a more prevailing ‘healthism’ discourse relating primarily to fitness and physical wellbeing is influencing the way the PE curriculum is both interpreted and delivered. Consequently, this paper begins by offering a Foucaultian analysis of the healthism discourse that exists within the context of PE in order to provide a more in-depth understanding of the ways in which it is formed, reinforced and how manifests itself in the day to day practices of teachers and the experiences of the learner. From this, we explore the ways in which a broader form of PE might be delivered, a form that places the learner, and the needs of the learner, firmly at the heart of the teaching and learning process. Self-Determination Theory is presented as a useful framework to understand how this might be achieved. The paper concludes by suggesting that there is a need for researchers to work collaboratively with teachers in order to understand their practice and how this impacts on student experience. Such research is important if schools and PE teachers are to construct a more holistic view of health and ultimately enhance their teaching, learning and student health and wellbeing.Resumen. En muchos países de todo el mundo, la asignatura de la educación física (EF) es explícita y directamente responsable de la educación para la salud de los niños y los jóvenes. Sin embargo, aunque el texto oficial ministerial para cada plan de estudios describe la salud de una manera holística, en referencia al desarrollo del bienestar mental, social emocional, así como, físico, resaltamos la preocupación de que un discurso de salud más generalizado relacionado principalmente con la condición física y el bienestar físico está influyendo en la forma en que el plan de estudios de EF es a la vez interpretado y enseñado. En consecuencia, este documento comienza ofreciendo un análisis foucauldiano del discurso sobre la salud que existe dentro del contexto de la EF con el fin de proporcionar una comprensión más profunda de las formas en las que se forma, refuerza y cómo se manifiesta en el día a día en las prácticas de los docentes y las experiencias de los alumnos. A partir de esto, se exploran las vías en que una visión más amplia de la EF podría ser propuesta, una visión que sitúa al alumno y sus necesidades firmemente en el centro del proceso de enseñanza y aprendizaje. La Teoría de la Autodeterminación se presenta como un marco útil para entender cómo esto puede lograrse. El artículo para concluir sugiere que hay una necesidad de que los investigadores trabajen en colaboración con los profesores, a fin de comprender su práctica y cómo esta repercute en la experiencia de los estudiantes. Este tipo de investigación es importante para que las escuelas y los profesores de EF sean capaces de construir una visión más holística de la salud y en última instancia, mejorar su enseñanza, el aprendizaje, y la salud y bienestar de los alumnos.
A comparative study of Canadian and Scottish students' perspectives on health, the body and the physical education curriculum: the challenge of 'doing' critical
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