Consumption of the commoditized body

Based on theories from sociology and social psychology， this book employs qualitative research methods to provide a multidimensional interpretation of the phenomenon of participation of the middle class in marathon fitness.

Wang Jian

Associate professor of Primary Education Department， Normal School of Changzhou Institute of Technology， member of Chinese Psychological Society， member of Jiangsu Psychological Society， Wang Jian’s research focuses on adolescent psychology， social culture， and mental health. He has edited and translated several domestic and international psychological works.

I Run， Therefore I Am： Marathons， Body Conditioning， and Middle-Class Self-Identification

Wang Jian

China Social Sciences Press

April 2022

98.00 （CNY）

With the development of the scientific and instrumental approaches to the body adopted by the general public， commercialization has extended to the physical fitness field. For example， during the 19th century in Europe and the United States， the goal of physical fitness in many countries was to cultivate better citizenry by enhancing the usefulness of their bodies and improving physical health. After WWII， gyms aimed at sports consumption enhanced public health and catered to the individual’s need for exercise， recreation， and self-improvement. The de-elitism and de-competitiveness of contemporary physical fitness have been accompanied by new forms of sports organizations， moving from the state to the individual， and from collective principles to individual needs， a process in which commercialization has gradually emerged. Scholars who have analyzed consumer culture have emphasized the increasing centrality of the commercialized body in people’s conception of self-identity.

Concerning the perception of the body as commercial， Baudrillard argues that “the individual has to take himself as an object， as the finest of objects， as the most precious exchange material， for an economic process of profit generation to be established at the level of the deconstructed body， of deconstructed sexuality.” The body in modernity has become an “invested body” for the individual， a body that increasingly submits to social control and interventions designed to direct and manage its power to “act on its behavior” （Harvey amp; Sparks， 1991）. Eventually， under the influence of consumer culture， people’s internal and external bodies are connected， and the main purpose of maintaining the internal body becomes improving the external body’s appearance. According to Shilling， “these techniques are transmitted by initiation and education in which the surfaces of the body are penetrated and in which social symbolism enters the heart of the individual’s physical self.” Thus， a successful image requires a successful body， and people’s bodies are trained， conditioned， and orchestrated to enhance personal values. As a result， the commoditized body has become the focal point of the fitness industry， supported by fiber diets， recreation centers， dietary manuals， and outdoor sports （Turner， 1984：112）. In addition， the commercialization of physical training means that the body becomes the subject of training and the individual willingly pays for the equipment used in the sport. Just as it is said that “to be responsible for your body， you must invest in it to make it productive” （Wang Minan and Chen Yongguo， 2003： 50）， middle-class runners tend to pay great attention to the feeling brought by running equipment to their bodies. In the interviews with middle-class runners， they directly or indirectly mentioned the importance of good running shoes to bring them a good experience.

There are many types of running shoes， such as cushioned， air-cushioned， and shock-absorbing types. In the very beginning， one is at trial and error. The so-called trial and error is to spend money， and if this does not work， then buy that， and you have to try and try until finally， you get to know： “Oh， so this is the most suitable for me.” When you find the one that suits you， you will find that it makes a difference to your sporting experience. （C04， female runner from government agency）

My criteria is that I feel comfortable. For example， the right running shoes are different for each person. For the first two years， I kept changing shoes until I found the ones I felt comfortable in， and then I stayed with that brand and continued to buy from them. （S06， male runner from an IT company）

At the same time， consumer society raises the banner of “good feelings in the body，” and “feeling good” means having a body that is easily adaptable， adjustable， and absorbent （Bauman， 2018： 138--139）. The popularity of the outdoors is symbolically linked to post-modernism and individualism， and ecologicalization and the rise of ecological consciousness are linked to the ideology of individuals wanting to return to the natural world. The urban marathon became an expression of consumer desire with an emphasis on personal strategies. Further， the urban marathon offers middle-class runners a form of resettlement， a temporary space where they are integrated with urban life and the environment and where their bodies can temporarily return to a state of nature and relaxation. C10， a male runner who is a self-employed businessman， talked about the role of running in contributing to a good physical feeling：

I let my body get “wild” by running， forming a good exercise habit and getting good feedback. At the same time， because in the running group， we all have a common hobby of running. We can communicate with each other before and after running when we are more relaxed and pure， so there is no competitive pressure like among colleagues， or the subordinate relationship.

As Baudrillard said， “In the consumer package， there is one object finer， more precious， and more dazzling than any other. That object is the BODY.” What makes the body the finest object is that the consumer， who is in a consumer society， will try desperately to treat his or her body as a crop in order to satisfy the demands of the production-consumption system （Fan， 2018： 166）. Because only in this way can consumers comply with the demands of the mass media to modify， beautify and perfect their bodies through various contemporary forms of consumption. In order to perform at their best， middle-class runners exert all-round maintenance on their bodies at the consumer level：

It’s my habit to make sure I’m fully carb-loaded before a run. I usually take some carbohydrates in the morning， and then I make sure to bring an energy drink for nutrition. Besides， because of my nearsightedness and long hair， for equipment， I will definitely wear sports glasses and a hair band to ensure that my eyesight and hair will not disturb and affect me during exercise. Other things to bring may be some body-related things， such as sunscreen and lubricants to prevent friction on sensitive spots. （N08， male runner from a real estate company）

In short， the existence of the body becomes a world that brings together tastes， group differences， and individual tendencies， and an issue that middle-class runners need to choose and construct， showing the penetration of the market and health system in physical fitness. Meanwhile， the consumerist discourse on the body is mainly about physique， appearance， adornment， clothing， and beautification， all of which further indicate the tendency to commoditize the body.