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三鶯研究

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瘦身管理之社會學初探:一個階級與性別的觀察
(碩士班:黃駿逸) (指導教授:沈幼蓀)

刊登日期:2007-01-31  
友善列印


  • 研究生:黃駿逸
  • 論文名稱:瘦身管理之社會學初探:一個階級與性別的觀察
  • 指導教授:沈幼蓀
  • 關鍵字:瘦身 ; 階級 ; 性別
  • [摘要]

    在台灣身體商品化的發展中,瘦身、時尚產業的擴張、蓬勃,相應媒體的理想體型論述,削瘦苗條不僅符合當代身體美學,其背後苦行的監控、鍛鍊,更在道德層次,被視為具自我控制力的人格象徵,蔚為當今主流身體文化。廣告為挑起閱聽人在相關產品與服務的消費誘因,更推廣瘦身在維持身體健康的明顯助益;諸此論述,也相當普遍地受到國家衛生機構在制度與科學上的支持。然而,從國人飲食攝取、體型指標,運動表現的官方統計,似乎社會中主流的身體文化與其成員的總體實踐之間,仍存在一定程度的距離。

    本研究依女性氣質再製的社會建構論述,以及學界關於瘦身管理之兩性差異的既有立場,將性別納入考慮。另外,從Pierre Bourdieu階級位置、慣習,實踐之社會地位秀異邏輯,和階級與體型管理相關討論歸納中產(供他人凝視的身體)、勞工(讓生活得過且過並當下滿足的工具),支配階級(以輕鬆、自信體現秀異於大眾之符號)的身體概念;以教育程度、收入做為文化、經濟資本的觀察指標。最後,以身體質量指數、出生年建立體型、世代群體之控制變項。依上述基礎,本研究假設:一、中產、支配依序相對於勞工階級;教育程度、收入之中層群體;女性相對於男性,有較高的瘦身態度、行為表現。二、納入教育程度與收入群體變項後,各階級位置差異則不顯著,即此差異與兩者有相當程度的關係。

    本研究單因子分析結果,確實與假設一一致。然而,至少在性別於同一水準的條件下,若依「支配、中產依序相對於勞工階級(因文化、經濟資本差異)在瘦身管理積極度所展現的社會距離」,則瘦身文化可被定義為「被行動者(除勞工階級)視為具秀異價值的正統文化。」先前中產階級所展現的積極性,以及支配與勞工階級差異的不顯著,實為女性相對於男性較親善於瘦身文化的態度、行為傾向,而中產、勞工,支配階級,前者相對於後者,較偏向女性的成員傾向,進一步反應在社會總體層次,瘦身管理大眾文化定位之表象,以致於壓抑、扭曲其原本具有的秀異價值。

    雖然教育程度與收入群體相對於階級位置獨立的解釋力,即納入階級與彼此前後,皆以文化、經濟資本頂層群體最親善於瘦身文化;甚進一步地,文化資本在各社經地位變項中最具獨立的解釋力,然而,綜觀本研究所觀察,仍回到性別為行動者間,瘦身態度、行為差異之社會結構因素核心。從單因子到多變量結果的一致性,女性苗條身體的社會運作無關乎階級、教育程度,收入…等群體差異,而是全面的女性氣質再製困境;更因為兩性社經地位不平等的延續,扭曲地,再製了另一場域之高低尊卑。男/女在瘦身管理的差異,不僅單純地被理解為不同性別身體素性的再製;此一差異本身不僅獨立於社經地位等結構,更有解釋社經地位在其他場域之權力關係的意義。

  • [ 英文摘要 ]

    Along with the commodification of the body in Taiwan, the industries of slimming and fashion flourish. What follow are the discourses of the ideal body figure in the mass media. The slim body not only conforms to current aesthetic, but is regarded as the symbol of self-controlling on the basis of ascetic monitoring and exercise. Slenderness becomes the main stream of the type of build. In order to seduce the audiences into buying the goods and services, the advertisements preach the advantage of slimming for health, and this kind of statement is supported by the authority of sanitation. However, from the observation of official statistics such as fat-absorbing, BMI index, and the habit of exercise, it seems that there is a gap between the mainstream cultural statement and the practice of agents.

    According to the constructionism about the reproduction of femininity and the common view about the difference in the weight-reducing behavior between the two sexes, the “gender” is included into the analysis. Furthermore, in light of Pierre Bourdieu's logic about the distinction of social status that is established with “class position”, “habitus”, and “practice”, and other discussions on class and body management, first, the distinct body concepts of the middle class (the body for other's gazes), the working class (a tool of scraping along and immediate enjoyment), and the dominant class (a sign of its own ease and self-assure to set a distance from the other groups) are generalized; second, level of education and income are treated as indicators of cultural and economic capital. Finally, BMI index and year of birth are constructed for the control variables of body figure and cohort groups. Based on the above-mentioned points, the hypotheses are as follows: First, according to priority, middle and dominant classes are more active to working class, the middle groups of the level of education and income are more active to the others, and females are more active than males in the slimming attitudes and behavior. Second, after including the variables of education and income in the models, the differences between classes are not significant; accordingly, the differences between classes in their attitudes and behavior have a high degree of correlation with the indicators of cultural and economic capital.

    Although the outcome of the univariate regression models is consistent with hypothesis one, after controlling the variance of the gender, what can be detected is that according to priority dominant and middle classes (really based on the differences of cultural and economic capital) are more active than the working class in slimming attitudes and behavior. Therefore, the slimming culture can be considered as the legitimate culture possessing the function that distinguishes the social statuses. The reason why the middle class is the most active one of all classes and the reason the difference between the dominant and working classes is not significant is that the female is more active than the male and the middle class has the higher proportion of female members to working and to dominant classes; it's further reflected in the appearance of the mass culture orientation of slimming and the true function that dominant class distinguishes itself from the others is suppressed and distorted.

    The tops of the cultural and economic capital groups are still the most active in the slimming attitudes and behavior after including the variables of class, income and education groups in the models, and accordingly the variables of capital group have more independent character than class; furthermore, the cultural capital is the most independent concept in the observation of this phenomenon. However, summing up the process of analysis, the conclusion is inevitably that “gender” is the core of these social structures. According to the consistent outcomes from univariate to multivariate regression models, the social operation of female slenderness is independent from the other structural factors. Additionally, based on the inequalities of class, education, and income, the form of social status of gender is distortedly reproduced in another field. The difference of slimming between the two sexes is not purely a reproduction of distinction of body hexis independent from the other structures, but is also a factor to explain the power relation of class, cultural, and economic statuses in another field.