女性健美選手的身體意象與認同

Abstract

本研究想藉由女性主義學者Iris Marion Young對於女性陰性化身體（Feminine Body）的概念下，探討以女性健美選手為主體的身體意象建構與認同，藉由女性健美選手在健身房、健美比賽，以及日常生活等三個場域中互動的經驗與感受，以理解女性健美選手如何達成身體意象的翻轉與去陰性身體的可能，並建構理想身體意象及自我身體認同。因此，本文的研究目的有三：一、從健美選手打造健美身體的過程，看到女性身體意象翻轉的可能；二、探討健美運動文化與女性健美選手在比賽中的處境；三、從健美選手日常生活的經驗，看到理想身體意象與自我認同的關係。 研究發現，女性健美選手從健身房、健美比賽與日常生活，透過重量訓練打造自我健美體態，企圖克服原先的客體化狀態與陰性身體的處境，使自己能在運動的過程中找回身體的主體性與自我認同，並翻轉主流身體意象以重新打造自我理想的身體意象，以看到女體更多元化的樣貌。

This study used the “feminine body” concept proposed by feminist scholar Iris Marion Young to examine body image construction and identification among female bodybuilders. The experiences and feelings of female bodybuilders during interactions in gyms, bodybuilding competitions, and daily life were examined to understand how such individuals achieve a body image reversal, develop a traditionally nonfeminine body, and establish an ideal body image and self-body identity. Therefore, this study had three main objectives: (1) to decipher the process of bodybuilding from a bodybuilder’s perspective to recognize the potential for body image reversal in women; (2) to examine bodybuilding culture and the circumstances surrounding female bodybuilders when participating in competitions; and (3) to delineate the relationship between ideal body image and self-identity according to the experiences of female bodybuilders in their daily lives. This study observed that in gyms, when participating in bodybuilding competitions, and in daily life, the analyzed female bodybuilders engaged in weight training to form and maintain their bodybuilder physiques and overcome their original perceptions of being objectified for having traditionally feminine bodies. Forming a bodybuilder physique enabled each female bodybuilder in this study to develop a subjective self-identity in relation to her body through the process of exercise, thereby rejecting the mainstream female body image, creating a self-ideal body image, and demonstrating an alternative type of feminine body.