Part Five: Sports and Bodies: Global Synthesis

Bodies are sites of representation, oppression and resistance. Bodies are constructed in different cultures and societies as normative ideals of masculinity and femininity. Women’s bodies inscribe nationalist ideals and values, and are subject to more scrutiny and regulation than men. Proper attires in public to show modesty, codes for physical expressions of identity and affection, acceptable fashion and comportment to belong, ability and self-confidence are some of the issues associated with bodies. With the spread of western pop culture to other parts of the world, a new globalizing beauty ideal of whiteness contributes to the rise in cosmetic surgeries and proliferation of bleaching products in some predominantly non-white populations in the world. Bodies are central to notions of inclusion and exclusion, with parameters based on a complex intersection of materialism and social psychology together with other context-specific variables. In sports, certain body types and gender are perceived to ideally inhabit athletic spaces in basketball, gymnastics and the like. But the introduction of inclusive sports enabled the participation of more diverse bodies today, and growing. Awareness into the many ways in which human bodies are able to express strength, agility, flexibility or simply for fun have motivated further moves for inclusion by sports organizations regardless of gender. As body constructs change with time and place, so are the ways of engagement and negotiation. And, while these continue to be contested by particular interest groups we have broaden our understanding of bodies and its autonomy.