An Auto-Ethnographical Exercise in the Gym
The assignment at a glance
For this assignment you will (a) describe how the “institutional gaze” “disciplines” individual subjects in our society (b) by getting them to conform to particular norms. You will focus on (c) the role of surveillance, documentation, and self-regulation in this process. The physical setting for this assignment is a gym or exercise studio. Please clear your selection of location with Daniel or your TA if it falls outside the realm of the gym/training studio.
1) Gym as institution & its norms – CASE STUDY – SPECIFIC example
a) think of the gym as an institution that aims to “discipline” (improve, reform, or correct) individual subjects
b) include an evidence of your case with your assignment. For example, a screen shot of the gym’s website or the training program that you are attending, attached to the assignment.
c) describe the norms that the institution (gym) or the specific program you’re attending (i) uses to judge subjects as inadequate or “deviant” and then subsequently, (ii) trains them to conform to those norms.
2) “Institutional Gaze”: Surveillance and Judgment
a) a. describe how “deviant” or imperfect subjects are identified
i) by reports or examinations produced by authorities, for example trainers and staff (Foucault; Brighton; McMahon) OR
ii) do the subjects “self-regulate” (Sturken & Cartwright): are they trained to identify themselves as abnormal, deviant, or imperfect OR
iii) both.
b) what “evidence” is observed and collected about the individual to determine their normality/abnormality
3) “Discipline”: Reforming “Abnormal”, “Deviant” or “imperfect” Subjects
a) describe the disciplinary method (Foucault): the practices, procedures and/or products prescribed to reform or improve the subject, so they conform to norms
b) is there an “authority” that has developed the practices, procedures and/or products
(experts? expert knowledge?)
c) how are the practices, procedures, and/or products administered (e.g. with a manual or instructions that the subject follows regularly or/and under the gaze of expert and/or other observers?)
4) “Made Visible”: Turned into a Case to be Monitored
a) how do you keep track of your initial condition and your progress recorded? Is it regularly updated and assessed? Do subjects internalise self-regulation, constantly comparing themselves to norms presented and to others involved in the same activities?
b) if the subject is successfully “disciplined” in the context of the gym, what do you think they need to do to maintain their improved or reformed state?
5) Power Relations: Disciplines that “Produce” “Docile Bodies”
a) what dominant “norms” are presented, suggested, or implied by your case study? (e.g. good citizen vs. bad citizen? Leader vs. follower? Masculine and powerful vs. female and “weak”? Slim, hardworking, and in control vs. fat, lazy, and out of control? popular vs. unpopular ? etc.)
b) what gender norms are at play? How are the displayed in your observations of the gym environment? In the interaction between people in the gym? Are gender norms manifested in how classes are attended, for example? Are these gender norms dominant and ideological, or progressive and revisionist?
c) how are these norms “ideological”? (reinforce dominant systems).
d) can you conclude you’ve identified the disciplinary gaze and the procedures through which subjects are trained to conform to norms?
e) is power here visible or invisible? Or both? Explain your answer: How is power visible/invisible?
Specifics and Mechanics
● SOURCESS: Draw on at least three of the readings by different authors from this section of the course: Foucault, Sturken & Cartwright; McMahon et al., Brighton et al. (e.g. for definitions, examples, discussions of ideas and meanings). Cite authors, dates, and page numbers in your text. No outside research or sources needed.
● NUMBER OF WORDS: approximately 1800-2000 words (double spaced)
● FORMAT: Use essay format with an introduction and a conclusion. Ensure that your argument is clear and well supported (see grading criteria in your syllabus). You can also use the five (5) sections of the assignment guideline above as a model to organise your paper.
● REFERENCES: Ensure that you properly cite all references that you make to articles/chapters in the body of your essay and include all references in a bibliography.
● FORMAT FOR REFERENCES: Use APA, MLA or Chicago.
● INCLUDE: word count at the top of your page.
An Auto-Ethnographical Exercise in The Gym
Student Full Name
Institutional Affiliation
Course Full Title
Instructor Full Name
Due Date
An Auto-Ethnographical Exercise in The Gym
The gym is a social institution with its norms on social hierarchies, training techniques, codes of conduct, and spatial practices. Gym spaces and their spatial arrangements affect users’ behaviors, identity creation, connections, embodied experiences. For instance, ‘spit and sawdust’ gyms tend to be minimalistic and the spaces within this type of gyms are socially and culturally constructed to be hypermasculine, chauvinistic, and ragged. On the other hand, modern lifestyle club gyms are opulent, functional, and lavish and the social spaces are constructed to be liberal, private, and inclusive. ‘Spit and sawdust’ gyms tend to be populated by experienced weightlifters keen on reshaping their fitness goals by exchanging corporeal knowledge on lifting techniques, nutrition and supplementation, and body programming. The primal focus of this type of hardcore gyms is utilitarianism and making the body stronger: there is therefore no need for opulence, cleanliness, or any features that communicate any sense of comfort. Hardcore gym goers embrace the crudeness of these gym spaces and interpret their utilitarianism as an embodiment of grit and masculinity in taking one’s training to the next level.
‘Spit and sawdust’ gyms are popular among experienced weightlifters who not only take pride in their physique but also like to be surrounded by hyper-muscled members who are willing to take risks, stick to extreme diets, and even engage in steroid use. On the other hand, modern lifestyle club gyms are sleek, lavish, and sanitized places populated by all kinds of individuals with different ideas about health, work/life balance, or exercise. Unlike hardcore gyms that are focused on optimizing body strength, modern lifestyle club gyms are driven by corporate ideals of inclusivity and liberalism (Brighton et al., n.d.). In addition to well stocked gym floors, these gyms may also include Jacuzzis, cafes, ‘spinning’ rooms, neon-lit swimming pools, sauna, hairdressing, and tanning rooms to appeal to the broad demographic. However, most modern lifestyle club gyms have routinized programs that have become so familiar to the members that they are not only performed mindlessly but have also developed social etiquette of their own. For instance, because of the divergence in training goals, members perform their exercises in private even if they are still in a public space: the gym goers try to destroy and recreate a private self in the nonsocial company of strangers.
Members are supposed to be polite by not staring too closely and practice hygiene by cleaning all equipment after use. On the whole, both hardcore and corporate gym spaces are regulated through cultural codes, user interactions, and bodily performances and significantly shape members’ ingrained experiences of gym-going. Gold’s Gym is an example of a gym franchise that embodies the hardcore approach to training and achieving body strength.
Although the establishment is not strictly ‘spit and sawdust’ and I did not encounter most of the machoism and self-absorption common in most hardcore gyms, there was a distinctive feeling that most members were serious about pushing their training to the next level. I went for a workout in one of their branches in Los Angeles and learnt that it was an inclusive gym that embodied some corporate ideals of privacy and liberalism. No one was especially interested in how I was training although I felt uncomfortable sharing the same space with many experienced trainers who largely ignored me but would occasionally steal furtive glances at my novice efforts. I got the impression that the privacy of the gym’s members was respected even though there was a clear social hierarchy.
The more experienced trainers seemed to know one another and engaged in light banter at the front desk after training, while the novices trained alone or with their personal trainers. There was a strict cultural code among established members and the no-frill approach to weightlifting and strength training was embodied by the utilitarianism of the gym’s equipment and the developed physique of its members. I noticed that there were also strict demarcations in the use of gym spaces: some areas of the gym were reserved for hardcore resistance trainers while others were less intimidating and populated by novices like myself. Gold’s Gym is a blend of raw, functional, and corporate although some users may feel intimidated by the shelves of heavy dumbbells and well-built trainers. After attending the gym several times, I realized that most of the trainers judged subjects by their conformism to the gym’s strict cultural code and commitment to training. I respected the ‘boardroom’ and exclusive relationship among established members and trained alone. I started with a simple training regimen and heightened the intensity of my exercises as my strength developed: even with my low levels of gym capital, I was committed to pushing my training to the next level by taking risks.
The experienced trainers maintained a respectful distance when members observed the gym’s rules on hygiene, use of gym equipment, and social interactions in common areas like the locker rooms. Those who failed to conform to these rules were politely reminded to do so or risk having their membership revoked (Misra et al., 2021). Deviant or imperfect subjects are identified by their unwillingness to observe the gym’s norms on social hierarchies, training techniques, codes of conduct, and spatial practices. For instance, deviant members were identified by their unwillingness to tidy after workout (such as not wiping down equipment or putting dumbbells in their proper place), use equipment properly (such as by training with the wrong equipment or dropping weights on the floor), or respect other people’s privacy (such as by violating other people’s personal spaces while they are training or giving unsolicited advice). All new members were familiarized with the gym’s rules of etiquette and everyone was expected to give each other a certain level of consideration necessary in shared public spaces. According to Foucault, social institutions influence the norms of member by implementing a system of discipline through surveillance.
Social institutions use constant and unveri...