Abstract
In this paper I present findings from an ethnographic study of interaction patterns among members and workers in two Curves® franchises in different locations. Curves® International markets rationalized fitness programs for women. Using a mixed methodology of participant observation, staff interviews, and comparison of facilities’ official data, I analyze these patterns in relation to the rules of the Curves® system and the possible factors that contribute to the observable differences across the two facilities. I argue that despite the corporate mandate for rapid and rationalized (McDonaldized) fitness, local Curves® organizational cultures and client preferences may constitute internal resistance to the McDonaldization process.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Notes
A Shining Star club is an elite club, selected by Curves® International. According to Curves® websites, clubs that receive this designation are recognized as exemplars of Curves principles that provide an optimal experience for their members.
Putnam’s (2001) claim that civic engagement and community life has been increasingly eroded during the twentieth century hinges on a critique of the forces of rationalization as they become embedded in contemporary cultural practices, including in the transformation of gender roles in post-industrial society. Michael Schudson (1996) suggests in his critique of Putnam’s primary theses that new configurations of social service activities and phenomena such as memberships in family fitness centers show that civic engagement may not be a thing of the past. My observations at Smalltowne Curves® may also provide some evidence to support Schudson. Indeed, the levels of internal community building and community service at the club were stunning. These activities occur, however, as clear resistance to the concept of Curves® as the locus of McDonaldized fitness.
References
Bordo, S. (1993). Unbearable weight: Feminism, western culture and the body. Berkeley: University of California Press.
Bourdieu, P. (1984). Distinction: A social critique of the judgment of taste. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul.
Canfield, C. (2004). Health-club industry thrown a Curves. Chicago Sun Times, 69, November 26.
Craig, M. L., & Liberti, R. (2007). ‘Cause that’s what girls do’: The making of a feminized gym. Gender & Society, 21, 676–699.
Curves, International. (2005). Curves company fact sheet. Fact sheet available at: http://www.curves.com/about_curves/.
Curves, International. (2007). Science behind Curves: A fitness resource for your patients. Article available at: http://www.curveshealthinformation.com/page4.html.
Freund, J. (1968). The sociology of Max Weber. New York: Vintage Books.
MacNevin, A. (2003). Exercising options: Holistic health and technical beauty in gendered accounts of bodywork. The Sociological Quarterly, 44(2), 271–289.
Maguire, J. S. (2001). Fit and flexible: The fitness industry, personal trainers and emotional labor. Sociology of Sport Journal, 18, 379–402.
Miele, M., & Murdoch, J. (2002). Slow food. In G. Ritzer (Ed.), McDonalization: The reader (pp. 270–275). Thousand Oaks: Pine Forge.
Putnam, R. (2001). Bowling alone: The collapse and revival of American community. New York: Simon and Schuster.
Rifkin, J. (1987). Time wars: The primary conflict in human history. New York: Henry Holt.
Ritzer, G. (2004). The McDonaldization of society, revised new century edition. Thousand Oaks: Pine Forge.
Sassatelli, R. (1999). Fitness gyms and the local organization of experience. Sociological Research Online 4. Article available at: http://www.socresonline.org.uk/socresonline/4/3/sassatelli.html.
Schudson, M. (1996). What if civic life didn’t die? The American Prospect, 25, 17–20.
Smythe, M. (1995). Talking bodies: Body talk at Bodyworks. Communication Studies. Central States Speech Association, Fall/Winter, 1995/1996. Article available at: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3669/is_199510/ai_n8715207.
Snow, D. A., Morrill, C., & Anderson, A. (2003). Elaborating analytic ethnography: Linking fieldwork and theory. Ethnography, 4, 181–200.
U.S. Census Bureau. (2006). Data retrieved from http://www.census.gov.
Waquant, L. (2004). Body and soul: Notebooks of an apprentice boxer. New York: Oxford University Press.
Wolf, N. (1990). The beauty myth. Toronto: Random House.
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank Javier Auyero and three anonymous reviewers for their immensely helpful comments on an earlier iteration of this article. Jessica Schiffman and Margie Kiter Edwards read several drafts with, as always, critical eyes and unflagging support.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
O’Toole, L.L. McDonald’s at the Gym? A Tale of Two Curves®. Qual Sociol 32, 75–91 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11133-008-9120-2
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11133-008-9120-2