This paper provides a critique of the processes by which health and fitness have moved
forward on the cultural agenda. It is argued that the development and promotion of cultural …

In contemporary western societies, the “fit body” has replaced body decoration as a potent
symbol of status and character, both for men and women. Fitness gyms and health centers …

What follows here is an essay—a rather one-sided viewpoint that is both tentative and,
within the limits of a journal article, incomplete. I attempt to understand how our recent …

Exercise for women is a heavily-laden social and embodied experience. While exercise
promotion has become an increasingly visible part of health campaigns, obesity among …

There is an argued and marketed link between health, fitness and fatness within the western
culture. Some of the negative implications associated with the cult of slenderness are …

An antifat ethic is pervasive in fitness cultures, and perhaps most clearly evidenced in the
fitness gym that provides a cultural space in which people manage the twin corporeal …

Since the 1970s, fitness has developed as a cultural field—a network of producers,
consumers, products and practices that focuses on the exercising body. This article …

Drawing upon a review of related literature, our primary purpose in this paper is to outline
and highlight the socially significant aspects of the body, with particular reference to active …

Physical activities, fitness, and sports can be considered cultural practices reflecting multiple
meanings. The Sport, Culture and Society series deals with issues intersecting sport …

Individual lifestyle was held accountable for health and disease throughout much of
American history. Since the advent of the germ theory of disease, the focus on the etiology of …