MEDIA AND MEDICALIZATION OF THE BODY AND HEALTH IN WOMEN PRACTICING PHYSICAL EXERCISE IN ACADEMY

Abstract

In this study we aimed to understand how social media influence the medicalization of the body of women who practice physical exercises in a gym in Itajaí/SC. The participants were organized into two groups, one from 18 to 30 years old and the other from 31 to 45 years old, and later agruped by generational identities. We used a qualitative approach and for data collection collective interviews with open questions, using thematic analysis as a data analysis technique. We observed that digital media, especially social networks, influence the medicalization of the female body through their own mechanisms, varying their actions and productions according to the generational categories listed here.