Adolescent Girls' Embodied Identities

Schools are institutions that produce and reproduce
the meanings society has given to the construction of
the body. Adolescent girls try to navigate the
physical changes that occur within their bodies and
compare themselves to their peers and the socially
constructed idealized female body. Girls lack of
knowledge about their own bodies combined with power
influences challenge girls ability to understand
their embodied selves. These issues are magnified in
physical education due to the public nature of the
environment, where students bodies are on display
and can be surveyed and judged by others. This book
provides insight on how adolescent girls perceive and
feel about their bodies and how they navigate ways to
feel comfortable within their own bodies and the
physical education environment. Girls voices are
represented through student-centered exploratory
projects that are also provided in this book. The
results should inform physical educators, parents,
and students on factors that influence girls
embodied identities and why it is important to
provide opportunities for their voices to be heard.

Autorentext

Jennifer L. Fisette, EdD: Studied Physical Education TeacherEducation at University of Massachusetts Amherst. AssistantProfessor of Physical Education Teacher Education at Kent StateUniversity, Kent, Ohio, USA.

Klappentext

Schools are institutions that produce and reproducethe meanings society has given to the construction ofthe body. Adolescent girls try to navigate thephysical changes that occur within their bodies andcompare themselves to their peers and the sociallyconstructed idealized female body. Girls' lack ofknowledge about their own bodies combined with powerinfluences challenge girls' ability to understandtheir embodied selves. These issues are magnified inphysical education due to the public nature of theenvironment, where students' bodies are on displayand can be surveyed and judged by others. This bookprovides insight on how adolescent girls perceive andfeel about their bodies and how they navigate ways tofeel comfortable within their own bodies and thephysical education environment. Girls' voices arerepresented through student-centered exploratoryprojects that are also provided in this book. Theresults should inform physical educators, parents,and students on factors that influence girls'embodied identities and why it is important toprovide opportunities for their voices to be heard.