Essay On Gym Culture And Social Norms
The college gym: culture and social norms
The gym is a place where a typical American college student goes to work out their bodies to achieve societies idea of the “perfect body.” While I have been to the gym many times before due to swimming obligations I have not taken the time to observe the other people around me. This ethnographic exercise will explore the college gym norms at Roger Williams University. My first step in this was planning out the days and times in which I would go to the gym, I decided to go at three different times on three days. 9:00 am, 3:00 pm. and 6:00 pm. I would go into the gym and do my normal lifting workout for swimming. I’d be careful to take mental notes as to what other people around me were doing and how things made me feel.
DAY I: My initial approach was to go to the gym known for being the busiest time of the day 3:00 p.m. during the week. …show more content…
She decided to come to the gym and run on the treadmill. My first question was why did you choose to come to the gym at this time? She said “I wanted to avoid the normal crowd that comes from 2-5. Also this is the only time I could come during the day that fits in with my schedule.” The second question I asked was about the personal space why did you choose not to run directly next to someone and do you choose a machine based on personal space? Her response was “ Yes I do choose a machine based on personal space. I don’t like the feeling of someone watching over my machine and silently judging how fast or slow I am going.”
The culture of the gym is slowly coming together just after two days of observations. The gym is primarily a male dominant place to do, but in our college the only area that is completely dominant is the weight lifting area and that’s only during prime hours. Also on the note of personal space there is noticeably a tendency for both male and female to have a certain amount of space around them like a personal bubble.
DAY
The gym is a place where a typical American college student goes to work out their bodies to achieve societies idea of the “perfect body.” While I have been to the gym many times before due to swimming obligations I have not taken the time to observe the other people around me. This ethnographic exercise will explore the college gym norms at Roger Williams University. My first step in this was planning out the days and times in which I would go to the gym, I decided to go at three different times on three days. 9:00 am, 3:00 pm. and 6:00 pm. I would go into the gym and do my normal lifting workout for swimming. I’d be careful to take mental notes as to what other people around me were doing and how things made me feel.
DAY I: My initial approach was to go to the gym known for being the busiest time of the day 3:00 p.m. during the week. …show more content…
She decided to come to the gym and run on the treadmill. My first question was why did you choose to come to the gym at this time? She said “I wanted to avoid the normal crowd that comes from 2-5. Also this is the only time I could come during the day that fits in with my schedule.” The second question I asked was about the personal space why did you choose not to run directly next to someone and do you choose a machine based on personal space? Her response was “ Yes I do choose a machine based on personal space. I don’t like the feeling of someone watching over my machine and silently judging how fast or slow I am going.”
The culture of the gym is slowly coming together just after two days of observations. The gym is primarily a male dominant place to do, but in our college the only area that is completely dominant is the weight lifting area and that’s only during prime hours. Also on the note of personal space there is noticeably a tendency for both male and female to have a certain amount of space around them like a personal bubble.
DAY