Redefining the Body

Construction of Urban Commercial Fitness and Leisure Space from the Perspective of Emotional Geography

“…They think they don't reflect the typical gyms' femininity. Studies have shown that the existence of mirrors "supports a continuous monitoring state, including the monitoring of themselves and others", which means that everyone has the opportunity to see others without the other party knowing that they are being monitored [13] . Mirrors produce self-monitoring, both obvious and hidden.…”

Is this working out?

“…In other words, very few people would choose their gym self as the one they would present in any other setting: work, a restaurant, a shopping mall. Rooney (2005) calls this "impersonal intimacy" and Klein (2001) further explains the unusual relationships that occur in the gym:…”

“…One of the most obvious means of surveillance is through mirrors. Their presence, Klein (2001) writes, "encourage[s] a constant state of surveillance, both of oneself and of others as well" (p. 125). The ubiquity of mirrors means that everyone has an opportunity to see others without the other knowing he or she is being surveyed.…”

“…Is exercise in the gym purely an exercise in failure (J. Klein, 2001)? Does the high attrition rate among gym goers (18 percent) indicate that we are constantly failing at fitness?…”