Negotiating female fitness doping: gender, identity and transgressions

Abstract

On the basis of qualitatively gathered interview material and data from various postings on a pro-doping online community called Flashback, the aim of this article is to describe and analyse how female users of performance and image enhancing drugs (PIED) understand and negotiate their use in relation to gender and the body. Positioned within post-structural feminism, the results show that there is an increasing amount of knowledge that not only targets but is also developed by and for women concerning PIED use. Traditionally scholars have connected female PIED use more or less exclusively to female bodybuilders, but as new body and femininity ideals develop the demographics of female fitness doping are widening. Although PIED use in the context of gym and fitness culture remains primarily a masculine domain, the results point towards a development in which women are increasingly becoming more integrated into a fitness community of PIED users.

Challenging Hegemony Through Narrative: Centering Women’s Experiences and Establishing a Sis-Science Culture Through a Women-Only Doping Forum

“…Gender designations and conceptualizations are in a constant process of being made, remade, and redefined. Explanations of how the body is socially molded and constructed, and how power relations are inscribed on the flesh, also suggest that the body can be seen as the starting point of a discussion about how to counteract and eventually change social representations, power structures, and dynamics (Andreasson & Johansson, 2021).…”

“…Gender designations and conceptualizations are in a constant process of being made, remade, and redefined. Explanations of how the body is socially molded and constructed, and how power relations are inscribed on the flesh, also suggest that the body can be seen as the starting point of a discussion about how to counteract and eventually change social representations, power structures, and dynamics (Andreasson & Johansson, 2021). This line of thinking, which not only aims to dissect and analyze structures of oppression but also tries to work towards more utopian goals concerning women ´s emancipation and empowerment, is eminently present in the writings of many feminist scholars, such as Donna Haraway (1990), Judith Butler (1990), Sara Ahmed (2006), and others.…”

Marketing strategies of the female-only gym industry: A case-based industry perspective

“…Participating in sports and leisure activities even becomes a promoter of social class mobility, thereby creating and accumulating social capital. The increasing amount of people partaking in sports and fitness activities has brought social and economic benefits, making it a thriving business (Chang, 2020;Andreasson and Johansson, 2021).…”

“…In recent years, studies have demonstrated the importance of marketing to women and have begun to analyze the consumer behaviors of female consumers. Furthermore, researchers emphasize the particularity of women in the field of sports and leisure activities (Cuneen and Claussen, 1999;Chang, 2020;Andreasson and Johansson, 2021). To improve women's health, foster sports empowerment, and construct a friendly environment in which women can play sports and leisure activities, the Sports Administration of the Ministry of Education in Taiwan implemented the first and the world's second white paper on the promotion of women's sports in 2016 (Hsu et al, 2020).…”

“…According to Andreasson and Johansson (2021), when companies formulate marketing strategies for female customers, they should be aware of the feelings of each individual customer rather than attempting to apply the same approach to all women. In order to stand out in today's ever-changing and highly competitive market, companies should expel the existing stereotypes, accept new female-oriented trends, and replace old-fashioned marketing strategies with new ideas (e.g., ingrained male-oriented marketing mindset) (Kotler, 2000).…”