The metamorphosis of female bodybuilders: Judging a paroxysmal body?

Roussel, Peggy; Monaghan, Lee F.; Javerlhiac, Sophie; Yondre, François Le

doi:10.1177/1012690209353371

Cited by 16 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…Due to social disapprobation of fitness doping (Roussel et al 2010), and legislation prohibiting the use of PIEDs, such as in Sweden, it is not surprising that those seeking information or wishing to share and discuss their expertise and experience with PIEDs turn to online forums (Henning and Andreasson 2019). The online path to learning about and potentially entering the doping experience exists in a context that is not bound by national laws, policies, or prevention strategies.…”

Section: Background and Survey Of The Fieldmentioning

confidence: 99%

‘Sis Science’ and Fitness Doping: Ethnopharmacology, Gender and Risk

2020

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This article is part of a larger investigation looking into recent changes in the demographics of fitness doping and the possible consequences of such changes. Contesting the historical alliance between masculinity and fitness doping, the article focuses on women’s narratives and experiences of fitness doping in a male-dominated open online community called Flashback. The article builds upon a qualitative and netnographic approach to the research. Employing the lens of the potential emergence of a woman-based ethnopharmacological culture, this article investigates the ways in which women talk about and rationalise their use of performance and image enhancing drugs (PEIDs), their potency and potential gendered side-effects. The results show that although fitness doping can be largely understood in terms of hegemonic patterns, women have gained ground in the context of online fitness doping, heralding a changing doping demography and a movement towards a ‘sis science’ ethnopharmacology. Although critiqued by men, the context enables women to freely discuss harm reduction, risks and the potential potencies of various drugs, and to share knowledge that is relevant to female biology and discuss their own experiences, an activity that also makes visible the negotiation of new gender positions.

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Section: Background and Survey Of The Fieldmentioning

confidence: 99%

‘Sis Science’ and Fitness Doping: Ethnopharmacology, Gender and Risk

2020

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“…Despite shifting attitudes and improved body image through playing football, some of the current participants described conflicting body image on-field and off-field. This finding highlights the deep impacts of societal ideals related to beauty and the struggle female athletes face to find a balance between the muscular body they prefer for their sport and their desire to conform to societal feminine ideal (Howells & Grogan, 2012;Porter, Morrow, & Reel, 2013;Roussel et al, 2010). Future research should continue to explore how women negotiate this struggle and how this negotiation can be facilitated by leisure professionals.…”

Section: Limitations and Directions For Future Researchmentioning

confidence: 72%

“…However, the connection between body image and physically active leisure is moderated by the type of activity and by features of the leisure setting (Frederick & Shaw, 1995;Prichard & Tiggemann, 2005). For example, some activities such as body building or swimming inherently promote the development of a large and/or muscular body type that may contradict societal feminine ideals (Howells & Grogan, 2012;Roussel et al, 2010). To better understand the connection between body image and physically active leisure, more research is needed to identify the characteristics of activities and leisure settings that impact body image.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

‘It Doesn't Matter How Big or Small You Are…There's a Position For You’: Body Image Among Female Tackle Football Players

et al. 2015

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The purpose of this study was explore the body image experiences of women who play tackle football. Data included semi-structured interviews with 15 players on a women's tackle football team in Western Canada. Data were analyzed thematically and objectification theory was used to interpret the findings. Themes that emerged included: a) improved body image through physical change, appreciation of function over appearance and shifting ideals of beauty; b) importance of a social atmosphere that celebrated diverse bodies; and c) negotiation of body image on and off the field. Research has documented a connection between body image and physically active leisure, but much about the nature of the relationship is still unclear. The findings of this study provide insight into elements of physically active leisure (e.g., social atmosphere or nature of the activity) which can be used to promote positive body image, health, and wellness in leisure settings.

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“…Female bodybuilding has often been considered a threat to the 'natural' gender order in public discourse, and discussions about female athletes have tended to focus on boundaries between male/female, natural/unnatural, and about potential gender transgression with or without the use of PIED. To this end, female bodybuilders historically have found themselves trapped in conflicting discourses that pit sexual difference against an ethic of a universal, transcendent, and undifferentiated body culture (Lindsay 1996;Richardson 2008;Roussel et al 2010). Wesely (2001) has also argued that PIED use and other body technologies should be viewed as a continuum between 'natural' and 'unnatural' bodies, emphasising that the gender line between men and women is negotiable and changes over time and across contexts.…”

Section: Female Bodybuilders-crossing the Boundariesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bodybuilding and Fitness Doping in Transition. Historical Transformations and Contemporary Challenges

Andreasson

Johansson

2019

Social Sciences

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This article describes and analyses the historical development of gym and fitness culture in general and doping use in this context in particular. Theoretically, the paper utilises the concept of subculture and explores how a subcultural response can be used analytically in relation to processes of cultural normalisation as well as marginalisation. The focus is on historical and symbolic negotiations that have occurred over time, between perceived expressions of extreme body cultures and sociocultural transformations in society—with a perspective on fitness doping in public discourse. Several distinct phases in the history of fitness doping are identified. First, there is an introductory phase in the mid-1950s, in which there is an optimism connected to modernity and thoughts about scientifically-engineered bodies. Secondly, in the 1960s and 70s, a distinct bodybuilding subculture is developed, cultivating previously unseen muscular male bodies. Thirdly, there is a critical phase in the 1980s and 90s, where drugs gradually become morally objectionable. The fourth phase, the fitness revolution, can be seen as a transformational phase in gym culture. The massive bodybuilding body is replaced with the well-defined and moderately muscular fitness body, but at the same time there are strong commercialised values which contribute to the development of a new doping market. Finally, it is possible to speculate on the development of a fifth phase, in which fitness doping is increasingly being filtered into mainstream gym and fitness culture, influencing the fitness doping demography.

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The metamorphosis of female bodybuilders: Judging a paroxysmal body?

Cited by 16 publications

References 13 publications

‘Sis Science’ and Fitness Doping: Ethnopharmacology, Gender and Risk

‘Sis Science’ and Fitness Doping: Ethnopharmacology, Gender and Risk

‘It Doesn't Matter How Big or Small You Are…There's a Position For You’: Body Image Among Female Tackle Football Players

Bodybuilding and Fitness Doping in Transition. Historical Transformations and Contemporary Challenges

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