ABSTRACT
In Westernised societies, women are subjected to cultural pressures to be slim. Women participating in sport and exercise are under these broad cultural pressures, as well as additional pressures to conform to a particular body type relating to their sport or preferred mode of exercise. For instance, in sports with an aesthetic, antigravitational, or weight category component, there is pressure to be lean; in other sports, there may be pressures to conform to a muscular ideal to confer a performance advantage. These subcultural and societal expectations may sometimes clash and can also lead to body dissatisfaction if women perceive a mismatch between their own body and these body ideals. In this chapter, the effects of subcultural and societal pressures on body image among women who exercise are analysed, along with a consideration of what kinds of interventions might promote positive body image among exercising females.
