Finding the Right Fit A Sociology of Bodies in Gyms

Abstract

The thesis argues that physical transformation of the body becomes a crucial marker of the practitioners identities as fit bodies and the gym becomes a space where new social relationships and communities are formed. It elaborates on the three main constituents which were found to order bodies of the individual gym users into a sub-culture of fit bodies. A regimen of fitness is achieved through a specially selected system of exercises and diet combined with a preoccupation with the ideal body image which is internalized from the larger social world. It concludes with a discussion on the ways a fit body which is constructed within the mainstream framework of health and body aesthetics inside the gym can also get involved in the production of new social meanings or transform the existing social order.