THE (HUMAN) BODY AND FITNESS: SOME BASIC ANTHROPOLOGICAL REFLECTIONS

Abstract

In this article, I tackle the issue of relation between the human body and fitness, from a sociocultural perspective. I deploy theoretical standpoints of anthropology of the body, and focus on social and cultural conventions about physical appearance, subsequently defining the human body as a resource shaped by culture, and not just a mere physical entity. The body in sport, athletic body and the fit body are perceived as products of a discourse, in this case – the fitness culture. To gain a comprehensive insight into the concept of fitness culture, I offer the comparation between relation of sport and the body, and relation between fitness and the body. Seemingly, the fitness industry represents a wide polygon for various cultural practices, that are actually a constituent part of a widespread cultural pattern and acquired, self-regulating bodily practices. Fitness is defined as a social and cultural construct, masqueraded as a form of leisure and individual recreation in a contemporary society, and the body in fitness is perceived as a site of subjugation and desire to achieve the ideal (fit) body.