Stroupe 1

Nick Stroupe
Professor Connie Douglas
UWRT 1101
17 November 2014
Why People Strive for Perfection
This is an Ethnographic study of the life of the people who workout to achieve their
perfect body. It is an activity that is very beneficial to the human body and is a good habit
to be formed. The main reason why people push themselves to join a fitness facility or gym
varies throughout the population but one thing is in common, they all work hard.
Field Notes
Observations took place at the Planet Fitness in Gastonia, North Carolina from
roughly six oclock PM to eight oclock PM. During the time there, it was soon found that
there are many different types of people partaking in activities. This was different than
what was expected and this was the main reason why a deeper look into the lives of the
gymnast took place. Before the observations began, a few questions for the discourse group
were developed such as: What motivates people to join a gym is it for the physical
appearance or just to simply be a healthier person? In order to reach a conclusion to this
important question, a covert participant research approach was taken so no one within the
gym would feel invaded.
This specific discourse group was chosen because of the experience within the field
of daily exercise. Due to the fact of the excessive time spent in the gym and running with a
group of people, it was made easy to be an insider within this discourse group and have the
ability to really dig deep into their habits. Even though the people continue to change in

Stroupe 2
this specific gym in Gastonia, the same great environment is still within and the people still
usually feel at home.
Luckily, in this gym, there is no one dominant identity of people or race. Everyone in
Gastonia is their own person and has the ability to express themselves in ways not possible
in other areas. Due to this, gymnasts are generally comfortable while exercising and
everyone seemed to get along with each other. Even though there are many different
cultures and races represented in the gym, there was steadily a larger ratio of men than
women. It would be estimated to be four men to every three women.
Before entering the gym, the assumption was made that woman generally do more
running and less lifting than men. Even though this may seem true, the assumption was
almost proved wrong. Some women stuck to just cardio but it was shocking that the
amount of women that actually lifted weights was large. Generally the men would begin
with a little cardio before heading to the weights. While at the weights, people acted in
ways that most people are not familiar with.
Surprisingly, people interact more than expected. Some men of the gym were trying
to motivate other men while lifting as well as creating some small talk while exercising.
This may be the result of coming to the gym together to benefit both of the individuals. It
seems as if the people that come together enjoy it more than the people that come alone
and listen to music. The people that stay to themselves and have ear pieces in while
exercising have more of a serious face throughout the duration of their workout and is the
main reason for the assumption of they have less fun. The people that interact generally
have a smile on their face and laugh as often as they could.

Stroupe 3
As arrival took place at six oclock, it was very packed with some machines having
someone waiting. As the night progressed, the gym became a little less full. Also, at the
beginning of the time there, it was found that some most people were arriving and then
changing their clothes. The people that were arriving later on were not changing clothes
and were already dressed. This may be caused by the late arrival after work. People
generally do not have the time to exercise during the daylight hours and do not have a
choice but to wait until the night to workout. Also, there were no kids in the gym, which
would lead to the assumption that each participant was single, without kids, or found a
baby sitter. This is probably why each of them looked very relaxed as well and stress free.
This leads me to believe that the women would have to go take care of their children
because most of the women of the gym did not stay as long as the men. This may also be
because it was as if the men would spend more time at the machines, which would in
return cause them to stay longer. The average female stayed for about an hour and then
would leave the gym.
Lastly, it was found that people actually did not form cliques based on their physical
appearance or how fit they were. It was even observed that people were helping each other
out by filling a water bottle. Almost every gymnast had some sort of hydration tool close by
which leads to the belief that most everyone at the gym is healthy and is doing what it takes
to excel in this field. Each and every person was working hard and seemed as if everyone
was working for a unique goal.
Secondary Research: Media and the influence on the body
People generally have a reason for working out but what is that reason? After
research, I found that the most often reason was to obtain the perfect body. Sadly, that

Stroupe 4
perfect body is portrayed in such a way that people feel the need to starve themselves and
become addicted to working out just so they can be fit, or just to be skinny. This can lead to
very unhealthy lifestyles and long-term damage to the body. The main reason for the
research was to find exactly why people felt the need to harm their health just so they have
a better looking body.
Studies found that in children as young as six years old experience body
dissatisfaction and dieting become a problem as early as the age of seven. With children
watching television up to 20 hours per week, it is not surprising that they identify it as one
of their favorite activities (Hayes 2010). This is certainly where all the problems are rooted
from due to the fact that children want to grow up to be just like the people and characters
that they see on the television.
It is estimated that two-thirds of young women and one-third of young men
experience significant dissatisfaction with their body size, shape, condition, or appearance.
This may also be caused by the excessive amount of fashion advertising that the population
is exposed to. Seventy percent of the teenage women who regularly read fashion magazines
in their study considered the magazines an important source of beauty and fitness
information. Nearly one fourth of those girls reported a strong interest in emulating fashion
models (Wagener 2009).
Conclusion
The world of exercise may be easy to people on the outside looking in, but this
Ethnographical Study proves that gymnast have a lot of hard work and dedication to
improving themselves as well as others. It is always said that something great always
comes from something bad. In this case, people feel multiple types of influence that will

Stroupe 5
persuade them to act in a certain way. Unfortunately, the media and advertisements have a
negative message that is portrayed and people across the world feel that they must better
themselves in order to be accepted. This problem is not only rooted within the teenagers
and adults, but also starts as young as the age of six. Characters on the television shows or
even movies are a so-called role model for these children and they strive to be just like
them. Even though this is true, the great thing that comes along with this is more people
becoming healthy and improving their lives. Not only are they healthy, but also developing
great life lessons to practice in the future.

Stroupe 6
References
Hayes, Sharon, and Stacey Tantleff-Dunn. "Am I Too Fat to Be a Princess? Examining

the

Effects of Popular Children's Media on Young Girls' Body Image." British Journal of
Developmental Psychology. 28.2 (2010): 413-426. Print.
Perrier, Maud. "Book Review: the Media and Body Image." Media, Culture & Society.

29.2

(2007): 357-358. Print.

Rabak-Wagener, J, J Eickhoff-Shemek, and L Kelly-Vance. "The Effect of Media Analysis on
Attitudes and Behaviors Regarding Body Image Among College Students." Journal of
American College Health : J of Ach. 47.1 (1998): 29-35.

Print.