ABSTRACT

Taking off from the theory of social semiotics and using the methods of multimodal critical discourse analysis, this paper demonstrates how the communicative affordances of a Swedish reality makeover show, The Great Health Journey, are used to promote discourses normalizing extreme fitness ideals. It is a show that reduces health to body fitness and supports a particular health consciousness gaining prominence today, an ideology here depicted as fitnessism. Progressing the ideas put forward by Crawford with the notion of healthism, fitnessism accentuates the careful submission to strict fitness-related regimes as crucial for a healthy lifestyle. It turns the very fit body into a sign of good morals, indicating the values of self-discipline, self-control, and willpower, personal characteristics seen as crucial in the neoliberal era. But the healthiness of this fitness ideal can be questioned. Rather than serving the interest of public health, fitnessism seems to mainly encourage “aesthetic labour” and support commercial interests to exploit body dissatisfaction.

摘要

本文从社会符号学理论出发，运用多模态批判性话语分析方法，展示了瑞典真人秀节目“健康之旅”的交流启示如何被用来促进话语规范化极端健身理想。这是一个将健康归结为身体健康的节目，并支持一种特定的健康意识在今天变得突出，这种意识形态在这里被描述为健身主义。用健康主义的概念推进克劳福德提出的思想, 健身主义强调认真服从严格的健身相关制度，这是健康生活方式的关键。它将非常健康的身体变成良好道德的标志，表明自律、自我控制和意志力的价值观，这些在新自由主义时代被视为至关重要的个人特征。但这种健身理想的健康性值得质疑。健身主义似乎不是为公众健康服务，而是主要鼓励“审美劳动”，支持商业利益以利用身体不满。