健身与男性气质构建——从X市健身房的实践出发

Fitness and Masculinity: Working Out in the Gyms of X City

男性的身体与男性气质的关系蕴含着丰富的理论意涵,然而男性如何通过塑造身体外形来构建其男性气质尚未得到足够的关注,实证研究较为少见。笔者首先对健身与男性气质研究进行理论定位,运用身体社会学的研究框架,研究X市两家健身房中的男性健身活动。基于参与观察,笔者选取了20名男性健身爱好者进行访谈,聚焦男性健身的过程与实践,刻画当代男性如何理解健身并通过这种身材管理方式来构建男性气质。通过深入分析健身活动及健身者的叙述,笔者得出三点结论:第一,健身是一种身体规划,形塑着男性的身体,构建了坚韧、自信的男性气质;第二,健身塑造的男性气质是一种多维度的性别关系和多种性别角色的集合体;第三,健身者通过实践特定的知识与生活方式进行全面的身体治理,而身体治理术背后是消费社会对身体商品化的一系列期待。

The relationship between male body and masculinity has been much theorized. However, how men have constructed masculinity by shaping their body performanee has not reeeived enough attention, and the empirical research in this field is also rare. The authors firstly carry on a review of the theoretical research of men＇s fitness and masculinity, then adopt the sociology of the body as a framework to study the men＇s fitness practice in the gymnasium of X city. Based on observation, the authors have selected 20 male fitness enthusiasts to conduct in-depth interviews,focusing on the process and practice of men＇s fitness so as to understand how Chinese men comprehend fitness and construct masculinity by way of body governmentality. Through an in-depth analysis of fitness process and narrative materials of these men, we identify three discoveries：firstly, fitness is a type of body project, shaping the male bodies and building a tough, co^ffi- dent masculinity. Secondly, the masculinity constructed by fitness is built on a union of muhi-dimensional gender relationships and a multitude of gender roles. Thirdly, fitness men put specific knowledge and lifestyle into practice of comprehensive body governmentality, behind which is a series of expectations of the commercialization of the body in the consumer society.