Myten om den vältränade kroppen: kvinnliga atleters upplevelse av femininitet inom gymvärlden och hur deras kroppar passerar och orienteras i olika rum

Sammanfattning: The purpose of this qualitative study is to explore female athletes experiences of being a women in a space that has historically been dominated by men: the gym. Using Sara Ahmed’s idea of orientation and spatiality it analyzes how sportswomen moves through different positions in different rooms, the position as a woman and the position as an athlete. The concept of orientation examines how different types of bodies either fits in and ”feels as home” in a room while other bodies are hindered and seen as misplaced. With Beverley Skeggs understanding of femininity this thesis elaborates on how the notion of femininity plays a role in how some women are seen as feminine while some women are considered lacking in femininity by not looking or performing normative femininity. Struggling with the two different positions either as women or an athlete, the women of this study shows us how norms of masculinity and femininity still plays a big part in who is seen as an athlete and whom is just considered ”strong for a woman”.