Fifteenth International Conference on Sport & Society

Abstract

This paper is based on my new book that will be published in November 2023 by Lexington Books. The goal of the book is to examine everyday experiences of ordinary women who became bikini competitors. Despite the increasing popularity of the bikini division of drug-free female bodybuilding in the past two decades, prior research examined this category only marginally. The majority of existing studies are non-academic and non-sociological. Unlike prior academic research, this study challenges the prevalent perception that the lifestyles of bikini competitors are restrictive, unhealthy, and deviant. Not all female athletes follow drastic measures to achieve the desired physique. The study uniquely frames bikini fitness as an empowering and positive experience–not as deviant behavior that has negative health consequences. By highlighting positive aspects of bikini fitness, the study challenges prevalent stereotypes about female bikini competitors who are often portrayed as hyper-sexualized women with unhealthy lifestyles. The study offers a chronological account of competition preparation in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. In an autoethnographic overview of the author’s experiences beginning with the transformation stage to the competitive stage, the book examines the challenges faced by the author in her personal life, social life, professional life, as well as in her finances and health, and the strategies used to cope with these challenges. Life stories from an autoethnographic lens are supplemented by in-depth qualitative interviews with bikini competitors to provide a detailed account of events, obstacles, and experiences.