"Does my bum look big in this?": The impact of the pressures to adhere to the unwritten rules of feminine beauty on female trampoline-gymnasts at UWIC Academy

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Author
Strange, Bethan
Date
2013Publisher
Cardiff Metropolitan University
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Show full item recordAbstract
Speculation suggests gymnasts are required to meet specific aesthetic requirements
and take part in dramatic behavioural and lifestyle changes to meet high standards
of feminine beauty. The purpose of the investigation was to deduce what impacts
elite female trampoline-gymnasts experience due to the pressures to adhere to
unwritten rules of femininity. Using Foucault’s Panopticon metaphor (1975) and
Bourdieu’s theory of Habitus (1990b), a feminist-cultural studies framework was
employed to further the knowledge behind the relationships between female
trampoline-gymnasts and body ideologies. Participants [n=4] engaged in in-depth
interviews regarding their eating patterns, body image, feminine ideals and
competition attire. Results revealed that universally the ideal figure desired was
dangerous and unrealistic: skinny with no excess fat. Due to feelings of a Panopticon
gaze and imprisonment, the impacts of the pressures to appear feminine proved to
be mainly negative. Disordered eating, negative body image, low self-esteem and
financial anxiety due to purchasing new clothing to feel accepted within training
groups were impacts experienced. The research concluded that although the
gymnastics world enhances the desires and pressures to be considered ‘feminine’,
they may occur naturally within Western society. Future rule changes regarding attire
may improve gymnasts’ experiences within their sport and help them to feel more
accepted. For a greater reflection regarding impacts experienced by trampolinegymnasts,
further research needs to be conducted using a comprehensive widespread
participant sample.
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