I’m super-setting my life! An ethnographic comparative analysis of the growth of the gym market

Abstract

Abstract The fitness industry has undergone an explosive growth in recent decades. Some reasons for this are related to the increase in leisure time in the developed world and the importance attached nowadays to having a young-looking fat-free body. This article, based on ethnographic data from Santiago, Chile and Amsterdam, the Netherlands, seeks to add nuanced and complementary explanations to those reasons already mentioned. For example, the importance of moral, personal, social and identity significances that have also contributed to this rise are explained. I complement this with comparative information that emphasizes and clarifies the cultural factors influencing the culture of gyms.