‘Working out’ for two: performances of ‘fitness’ and femininity in Australian prenatal aerobics classes

Picturing mothers: A photovoice study of body image in pregnancy

“…As the women began to feel 'properly' pregnant, they saw visible pregnancy as the opportunity to be seen in 'new' ways -a resolution to 'in-betweenness' (Nash, 2012a(Nash, , 2012b.…”

Shapes of motherhood: exploring postnatal body image through photographs

“…Although participants discussed their inability to conform to such high standards of bodily maintenance following childbirth, undeniably they also felt pressure to conform to contemporary models of postnatal femininity that emphasise slenderness. This group's visual and narrative accounts of trying to manage the appearance of their postnatal bodies points to what Dworkin and Wachs (2004, p. 114) have referred to as a 'third shift' of bodywork in which women must labour (literally) in order to maintain a body that is in line with normative feminine ideals (see Nash 2011Nash , 2012c.…”

“…The media coverage of US actress/singer Jessica Simpson's goal to shift nearly 30 kg of weight gained during her first pregnancy is a testament to this -one feminist media blogger pointed to 109 news articles scrutinising her attempts at weight loss (see Stewart 2012). In conjunction with viewing images of slender postnatal celebrities, everyday mothers are encouraged to act on their aspirations to 'get their body back' using the advice found in pregnancy fitness magazines which are premised on controlling the negative effects of childbearing on the body (see Nash 2011Nash , 2012c. As I have discussed elsewhere (see Nash 2012a), the celebration of slender pregnant and postpartum bodies in visual culture has encouraged a problematic postfeminist view that regaining control of the body following childbirth is 'empowering' and that it should be a primary goal for all mothers (see also Gow et al 2012).…”

Glocalised fitness: the franchising of a physical movement, fitness professionalism and gender

“…On the one hand, many fitness professionals and models can be said to be found on a global level, and images of perfect bodies are often manufactured and sold on a global commercial market through franchised fitness programmes (George, 2008;Smith Maguire, 2008). On the other hand, research has also shown that there is no streamlined way of enacting global fitness and that there are national discrepancies regarding how this culture is perceived and enacted in different countries and contexts, and in relation to gender, sexuality and ethnicity, among other things (Andreasson & Johansson, 2015a;Nash, 2012;Yang, Gray, & Pope, 2005).…”