In March the Moving Bodies Lab hosted Dr Meridith Griffin from McMaster University in Canada to continue their collaboration on movement through menopause, before heading to the WoMaHN symposium with Cassie Phoenix to co-deliver an interactive workshop.
During her visit, Meridith delivered a seminar for the Lab, titled ‘Is Physical Activity for Any-Body?’ where she unpacked the relationship between health and/or wellness imperatives (the neoliberal and moral obligation to engage in health or self-care related activities), the #bodypositivity movement, sport and physical activity participation, and bodies of difference (bodies that do not conform to the norms of a society or culture on the basis of dis/ability, age, body size, gender, socioeconomic status, race, and/or sexuality).
Meridith discussed findings from her multi-phased project titled Physical Activity for Any-Body, which was a collaborative ethnography and appreciative inquiry employing social media analyses, narrative interviews, body mapping, and focus groups. She shared insights that she and her research team had gleaned thus far, interpreting data using critical (disability, queer, and race) theories and the lens of embodiment. Collectively, the work sought to understand and ultimately strengthen the facets of physical cultures that make them inclusive of all community members and the bodies that they live in. It called for the celebration of different types of movement that allowed for ebbs and flows across and over time, stillness and reflection; emphasising fun, pleasure, and joy over improvement and performance.
You can watch a recording of the seminar below.
Research Papers
Published papers by Meridith and her team referred to in the presentation are linked below. Please contact Meridith direct (griffmb@mcmaster.ca) if you would like copies.
Rethinking the ‘Fit’ in Fitness: Misfitting (Loudly) to Transform Physical Activity Futures
About Meridith Griffin
Dr. Meridith Griffin (she/her) is an Associate Professor in the Department of Health, Aging and Society at McMaster University. Her research focuses onembodied lived experiences of physical activity and active leisure participation. She often takes a life course perspective to understand how and why peoplemake choices and engage (or not) in movement-related pursuits and other health-conscious behaviours. Rooted in a critical perspective that straddles thedisciplinary boundaries of social gerontology, sociology of sport/physical activity, leisure studies, and sociological social psychology, she employs qualitativemethodologies, including participatory, ethnographic, narrative, visual and arts-based methods.
