| Summary: | Thesis (M.A.)--Memorial University of Newfoundland, 2002. Sociology Bibliography: leaves 116-122 This study explores the body image and weight consciousness of women taking part in aerobic exercise in an Atlantic Canadian fitness centre. Their reasons for participating in aerobics and their perceptions of the role of cultural institutions such as the media in shaping their body image are also explored. The participants consisted of twenty-seven women who are moderately or highly committed to aerobic exercise. A short questionnaire was used to obtain information about their backgrounds. This was followed by an intensive, semi- structured interview. It was shown from these interviews that the discussion on diet, exercise and the body emanated from the perception that to be thin is to be fit, healthy and beautiful. The findings of this study attest to the existing dissatisfaction that women in western societies feel about their physical appearance. It also revealed that there was a link between being physically fit and healthy and experiencing a healthy mind.
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