Gender negotiation among women fitness competitors

This study offers a comparative analysis of two different types of women amateur fitness competitors, namely, bikini competitors and figure competitors. Using insights from gender theory, this project examines how women engage in gender negotiation within the masculinized subculture of bodybuilding. This study is significant inasmuch as it extends the small number of studies on women's bodybuilding. Also, the substantial growth of these fitness competitions over the past decade warrants more scholarly attention. A combination of in-depth interviews and ethnographic research was used to conduct this study. The findings from this project shed light on the diverse strategies of gender negotiation enlisted by women bikini and figure competitors.