6533b86dfe1ef96bd12c9e2e
RESEARCH PRODUCT
The influence of body discourses on adolescents’ (non)participation in physical activity
José Devís-devísVicente J. Beltrán-carrilloCarmen Peiró-velertsubject
05 social sciencesSelf-concept050301 educationPhysical Therapy Sports Therapy and RehabilitationGender studiesPerformative utterance030229 sport sciencesPhysical activity levelEducationPhysical education03 medical and health sciences0302 clinical medicineHealth promotionEmbodied cognitionOrthopedics and Sports MedicineHealthismPsychology0503 educationSocial psychologySocial influencedescription
ABSTRACTDrawing on semi-structured interviews with older adolescents, this article examines how healthism, ideal body discourses and performative body discourses influence their (non)participation in physical activity (PA) and their identity construction concerning exercise, sport and physical education. We illustrate that body transformation through PA, and related slim body desire and the fear of masculinised female bodies, affect adolescents’ decisions to engage in or drop out of sport. Also, a non-hegemonic body shape combined with a display of low physical competence triggers classmate and teachers’ rejection and marginalisation, affecting adolescents’ construction of embodied identities and preventing them from being active. Finally, adolescents who are competent in sport are less influenced by ideal body discourses than by performative body discourses. We highlight the health promotion effects of these hegemonic discourses and suggest strategies to challenge them.
| year | journal | country | edition | language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016-05-01 | Sport, Education and Society |