Exploration of Fatness in the Meaning System of Women in Shiraz City

Over two past decades, the prevalence of overweight and fatness in most developing and developed countries has increased, significantly. The current study aimed to investigate overweight and fatness in the system of meanings of women in the bodybuilding clubs of Shiraz. And for this purpose. The grounded theory has been used as one of the qualitative research methods. The participants were women who attended bodybuilding clubs in Shiraz for Wight loss. Overall, in the current study 12 participants have been selected and interviewed. Data analysis was performed using open, axial and selective coding. The result of analyzing was access to seven axial categories and one core category. Axial categories are fluid reading of overweight and fatness, the plurality of beliefs and opinions about body size and attractiveness, having dreamy images about the ideal body, social and cultural conceptuality of the body, and social perception of the otherness, body fitness medicalization. In addition, the core category is a pluralistic narrative of the ideal body. The emergence of this phenomenon has brought some consequences such as duality, ambiguity and plurality.