Presentation at the 2021 Popular Culture Association / American Culture Association National Conference , 2nd June 2021 - 5th June 2021, in Boston, MA

Abstract:

Our perceptions of health, fitness and wellness are in a constant state of evolution. What was once perceived as desirable – being thin – is being replaced with aspirations of strength – #strongisthenewskinny. The use of hashtags and images in the world of Instagram is emblematic of this shift. By hashtagging, Instagrammers – so-called ‘Fitsagrammers’ – are able to link their pictures and profiles to specific keywords and, by extension, specific online fitness communities.

The act of hashtagging, however, is a subjective one; it is the person who posts a picture that decides which tags to use, and therefore which communities they belong to. This means that differing perceptions of health and fitness, and different depictions of fit and unfit bodies, could end up grouped under the same hashtag.

Does this variation strengthen online fitness communities or weaken them? Is this difference accepted, or do communities fracture and break off when there is little to no consistency among the images and bodies that are associated with them? Why do some hashtags thrive while others die? To answer these questions, this paper uses content analysis to examine the role of language and images in the creation, growth and maintenance of online fitness communities created on Instagram.

Presentation at the 2020 Popular Culture Association / American Culture Association National Conference , 15th April 2020 - 18th April 2020, in Boston, MA

Abstract:

Our perceptions of health, fitness and wellness are in a constant state of evolution. What was once perceived as desirable – being thin – is being replaced with aspirations of strength – #strongisthenewskinny. The use of hashtags and images in the world of Instagram is emblematic of this shift. By hashtagging, Instagrammers – so-called ‘Fitsagrammers’ – are able to link their pictures and profiles to specific keywords and, by extension, specific online fitness communities.

The act of hashtagging, however, is a subjective one; it is the person who posts a picture that decides which tags to use, and therefore which communities they belong to. This means that differing perceptions of health and fitness, and different depictions of fit and unfit bodies, could end up grouped under the same hashtag.

Does this variation strengthen online fitness communities or weaken them? Is this difference accepted, or do communities fracture and break off when there is little to no consistency among the images and bodies that are associated with them? Why do some hashtags thrive while others die? To answer these questions, this paper uses content analysis to examine the role of language and images in the creation, growth and maintenance of online fitness communities created on Instagram.

Presentation at Monsters: An Inclusive Interdisciplinary Project, 1st December 2019 – 2nd December 2019, in Prague, Czech Republic

Abstract:

A monster can be, and in fact often is, marked physically by difference. Werewolves have claws, excessive body hair, and animalistic facial features; zombies are covered in gashes, are missing appendages, and wear torn clothing; vampires are pale, have elongated teeth, and lack a reflection. These physical differences allow audiences to easily identify monsters, but they also marginalize them.

In the world of Anita Blake, The Vampire Hunter, where zombies, werewolves and vampires literally walk among us – vampires actually have citizenship status in Blake’s United States of America – it is not only monsters that are physically marked by difference. The main character, Anita Blake, bears scars from injuries that she sustained in the line of duty as a monster hunter. While some characters are drawn to her scars, others are repulsed or frightened by them. Healed claw marks, vampire bites, bullet and blade wounds all signal that she is other. They associate her with the supernatural world and call into question her humanity.

Using the book series and graphic novels from Anita Blake, The Vampire Hunter, this paper explores how notions of ability and disability are articulated through the use of the monster metaphor. In particular, this paper considers how physical difference marks the abled body from the disabled body by comparing how physical differences mark the monstrous and non-monstrous in the series.

For more information on this Interdisciplinary Conference, click here.