Self-Objectification in the Fitness Center Environment: A Qualitative Perspective

Year 2018, Volume: 9 Issue: 2, 54 - 72, 15.05.2018

Urska Dobersek , Karin Jeffery

Abstract

The
purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions and experiences of
physically active individuals in the fitness center environment.  We adopted the interpretive description methodology
to examine the question of whether, and how, this environment played a role in
individuals’ experiences of self-objectification and their body image.  Interviews were conducted with 16 college-age individuals,
who were exercising in a fitness center, at two time points separated by 12
weeks.  Deductive and inductive content
analyses of the semi-structured interviews revealed three general themes: (a) body
image and body (dis)satisfaction, (b) reasons and goals for exercising, and (c)
the physical environment.  This interpretive
description inquiry provided a preliminary framework for future studies of self-objectification
in potentially objectifying fitness and exercise environments.

Keywords

Fitness centers, Self-objectification, Interpretive description method

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