若い女性の痩身づくりに関する社会学的考察 : 女子学生9人の事例を通して

Abstract

In recent years young Japanese women have become conscious of their own bodies and many of them are trimming down their weight, led to research focusing on their slimming wish fulfillment. The purpose of this study is to clarify the forming slim body made up concretely between one's body and the social system, and it's interrelationship with socio-cultural context. In order to achieve this, the author have attempted to do field research; the interview and participant observation with nine junior college women. In the analysis of field data, the main results of slimming practice and socio-cultural background of slimness consciousness are summarized as follows. (1) The author makes up perspectives and framworkes in relation to cultural values with sex role and gender identity, beauty, attitudes towards fashion, eatinghabits and health status. (2) Young Japanese women lose their model as a mother, and are not in favor of motherly feminine body type. As a result, ideal feminine among them changes in one's self-image, body image and beautiful figure. They think the dominant ideal of female beauty was androgynous, adolescent body type. (3) Pursuit of slimness may be regarded as adjustment to present social requirement. (4) Popular magazines towards women seriously influence on their ideal body. And slim bodies play an important part in making distinction one's self from others as an opposition to "obesity/slimness". (5) The author discusses the socio-cultural context of forming slim bodies among young women, and explains their forming slim bodies by the concepts of "reforming" bodies. As reforming slim bodies lay self identity in compensation for self-independence in their ways.