Sophie Javerlhiac

The metamorphosis of female bodybuilders: Judging a paroxysmal body?

Female bodybuilding raises an obvious question: how should we judge these metamorphosized bodies and associated practices? We will reframe this question as part of a short communication on what many people judge to be a paroxysmal body that is deservedly discredited. Drawing from Kant’s distinction between ‘free beauty’ and ‘adherent beauty’, our commentary revolves around the notion of aesthetic judgment. Different expressions of this are considered. For our purposes, manifestations of these judgments are discussed in two ‘ideal typical’ interactional contexts: one between bodybuilding enthusiasts and the other between female bodybuilders and non-affiliates within the cultural mainstream. The issue of judgment within sociological writing on female bodybuilding is also raised alongside our endorsement of an embodied, interactionist approach and qualitative research.

La « mauvaise réputation » ou la violence comme moyen de renversement du stigmate

Each season, 12,600 acts of violence are reported on amateur football pitches. This is a significant figure, but still small compared to the 780,000 official matches played. The identification of violent acts by the ‘Observatoire des Comportements’ at the French Football Federation revealed a number of famous clubs known as ‘problem clubs,’ involved repeatedly in verbal and physical confrontations surrounding the matches. Even if their bad reputation is not always merited, it poses a simple problem: the significance of violent phenomena. Ignorance of the other, the construction of an antagonist identity, the process of rejection, and provocations accompany these matches. Even when these young people behave well, they are the objects of suspicion and rejection, which leads them, through challenge, revenge, or provocation, to behave in a violent manner. The violence thus has an affirmative as well as a confirmatory function and becomes a means of reversing the stigma.