When we step into a gym, onto the sidewalk for a run, or into a grocery store to buy food for our meal prep, we bring along with us complex identities that influence the choices we make or that determine whether or not we even have those choices. There is a particular aesthetic that is associated with being a fit woman that we have been told represents fitness, and while these women are arguably fit, it renders invisible the multitudes of women who embody fitness but don’t reflect those images in any way. Looking back at the Google image search of “fit woman,” we can see a recurring image of a white woman with low body fat, visible muscles, an hourglass figure, no visible physical disabilities, feminine characteristics, and trendy workout gear, with access to well-equipped gyms.
Importantly, these dominant messages about fitness also inform the assumptions that are made about what we have access to, our time constraints, what we value, and what we desire for ourselves. So, what does intersectionality have to do with fitness? Actually, a lot! How we “see” fitness culture and fit bodies is profoundly shaped by the imagery and advice that dominates magazines covers, advertisements, meal plan suggestions, and fitness routines, as well as by our own lives. While as women we may share some important common experiences, there are so many variables that can potentially make our lives very different from one another. But, what intersectionality asks us to do is consider how other women might experience those identities in profoundly different ways. Maybe you’re aware of how you experience all these identities. Intersectionality insists that examining women’s experiences through a lens of gender alone is not enough because how we experience womanhood is shaped by these other parts of our identities. The point in the center at which all those lines cross is you. These lines will represent, minimally, race, ethnicity, gender, sex, sexuality, age, ability, and religion, to name a few.
Each of those lines represents one aspect of your identity. Now, imagine an asterisk with many lines. What the judge failed to see was how they were being uniquely discriminated against for being both Black and women. The judge dismissed their complaint, pointing out that Black men were working in the factory and (white) women were working in the front office. 1 Crenshaw investigated a court case in which a group of Black women argued that because they were both Black and women they were unable to access jobs within their company. Kimberlé Crenshaw who coined and theorized intersectionality to give meaning to the ways that identities and their oppressions overlap. Intersectionality 101įeminists, particularly Women of Color, had been advocating for a more complex analysis of women’s multiple identities for years, but it was black feminist legal scholar Dr. This can be dangerous for those who are taking their first steps toward changing their activity and self-care practices. If we consistently see images of the same thing, we begin to believe that that recurring image is the standard or the definition. It reflects, perpetuates, and creates norms that we internalize about fitness. Visual imagery is powerful, particularly in fitness culture. While none of these women are problematic themselves, the problem lies in who is not there and what that says about the way we frame our visions of fitness. Now repeat the search with “healthy woman.” Again, you see a very similar and consistent image. More than likely, you’re looking at dozens of images reflecting a very similar look. Now, do a Google image search for “fit woman.” We tend to see the top search results as the “truest” or best representations of whatever it is that we’re looking for. When we search for images, we are often looking for representative images of that person, object, or idea. I’ve used it to find pictures of specific muscles and proper lifting form, and even cute fitness attire, among many other things.
As you’ve scoured the Internet throughout the course of your fitness journey, have you ever used the Google image search engine? I know I have.
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