The #Fitmom : qualitative study on Singaporean mothers, their bodies and the reproduction of class inequality

• Main Author: Pandiyarasi Chidambanathan Subramanian
• Other Authors: Premchand Varma Dommaraju
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2018
• Subjects: DRNTU::Humanities; DRNTU::Social sciences
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/73692
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

This study seeked to explore the malleability and the vulnerability of a mother’s body, under the influence of Instagram, in the Singaporean context. Interviews with nine mothers were conducted to gain insight into how the #Fitmom phenomenon had influenced the body ideals of mothers in Singapore. Beyond this, this study was pursued to decipher the implications of the postnatal weight gain experienced by mothers and how it further reproduces and perpetuates class inequality in Singapore. Drawing on in-depth interview data and content analysis, it was found that the #Fitmom construct had negatively influenced the body ideals of mothers in Singapore. Furthermore, findings revealed that income and/or class position, to a larger extent, play a role in reaching the #Fitmom body, resulting in inequality. Inequality reproduces itself through unfairness in terms of employability and biases in everyday treatment. Nonetheless, despite the income, the priorities of respective mothers play a significant role as to whether the #Fitmom body can be achieved. Notwithstanding a person’s income, willingness to choose to achieve the #Fitmom body could be rooted in physical and cultural capital.