Strong And Hard Women: An Ethnography Of Female Bodybuilding (routledge Advances In Ethnography)
by Tanya Bunsell /
2013 / English / PDF
2.5 MB Download
Females with large muscles evoke strong reactions from men and
women, often involving disgust, discomfort, anger and threat. The
controversial nature of female bodybuilding has caused a
significant rupture on feminist ground. Whilst proponents claim
that female bodybuilding is a way of empowering and liberating
women, others see it as a form of corporeal entrapment. This book
investigates the controversy. Do women who pump iron resist
physical restrictions of imposed femininity, or are they engaged
in an ultimately oppressive quest for ‘perfect bodies’?
Females with large muscles evoke strong reactions from men and
women, often involving disgust, discomfort, anger and threat. The
controversial nature of female bodybuilding has caused a
significant rupture on feminist ground. Whilst proponents claim
that female bodybuilding is a way of empowering and liberating
women, others see it as a form of corporeal entrapment. This book
investigates the controversy. Do women who pump iron resist
physical restrictions of imposed femininity, or are they engaged
in an ultimately oppressive quest for ‘perfect bodies’?
In an original two year ethnographic study based in the South of
England, Tanya Bunsell immersed herself into the world of female
bodybuilders. By mapping these extraordinary women’s lives, the
research illuminates the pivotal spaces and essential lived
experiences that make up the female bodybuilder. Whilst the women
appear to be embarking on an ‘empowering’ radical body project
for themselves, the consequences of their activity remains
culturally ambivalent. This research exposes the ‘Janus-faced’
nature of female bodybuilding, exploring the ways in which the
women negotiate, accommodate and resist pressures to engage in
more orthodox and feminine activities and appearances.
In an original two year ethnographic study based in the South of
England, Tanya Bunsell immersed herself into the world of female
bodybuilders. By mapping these extraordinary women’s lives, the
research illuminates the pivotal spaces and essential lived
experiences that make up the female bodybuilder. Whilst the women
appear to be embarking on an ‘empowering’ radical body project
for themselves, the consequences of their activity remains
culturally ambivalent. This research exposes the ‘Janus-faced’
nature of female bodybuilding, exploring the ways in which the
women negotiate, accommodate and resist pressures to engage in
more orthodox and feminine activities and appearances.
This book will be of interest to academics and students in the
fields of gender studies, the sociology of sport, the body and
research methodology.
This book will be of interest to academics and students in the
fields of gender studies, the sociology of sport, the body and
research methodology.