RESEARCH PROJECT

Name: Kayanne - Gym goer

Age: 26

Sex: Female

Status: Single

Occupation: Working

• Have you ever been to a place where you feel less body self - conscious?

Yes, I do exercise regularly the reason why I do it is because it makes me feel better about myself, physically and mentally. I prefer the way I look when I exercise, when I have more muscles and more lean muscle mass. It makes you feel healthier. I usually train 5/6 times a week and maybe twice a day. If I were to do cardio, I would perform my morning cardio and then weight training later on in the evening.

• In order to lose weight, have you ever deprived yourself from eating? What makes you do this?

Yes, when I was prepping for show two years. I was on a 1000 calories deficit. I was carb cycling but I guess if you are dieting to lose fat you are depriving yourself from eating.

I asked ‘what made you do that’

In her response she said “I wanted to be lean and be ready for the stage, I really wanted to compete at that time. It was then UKBFF was beginning to grow in the UK. It was something everyone was doing for that competition and I wanted to do it as well.

• Do you know about healthy eating? Have you ever been on a diet? Was it successful?

Yes of course,

Yes, it was successful as I was 1 week away from the stage however I could not compete as I had some personal issues, so I never made it to the stage. Even since then I have been eating very healthily anyways.

• Are you dissatisfied with your current body image?

No, not really but you are never entirely satisfied once you’re in the bodybuilding world.

Once you’ve built some gluteus you will always see someone better than you and that makes you not satisfied. I’m not unhappy with it because I know I’m better than the average person who doesn’t exercise but there is always room for improvement.

• Do you care about your body image, if so why?

Yes, I do, I would not want ‘fat rolls’.

I then asked ‘why’

In which she said ‘I guess it’s also about success, the more successful people can make time in their lives to take care of themselves and their careers and it just makes you feel good about yourself. It would improve your self confidence as well. When I’m a bit heavier after Christmas, my clothes definitely aren’t as loose and I wouldn’t wear tight clothes.

• Have you ever compared your body with other people’s?

I guess as I use a lot of social media such as Instagram and Facebook, you see these fitness, bikini models who are lean all year round and it makes you want to be just like them.

• Do you think that there is an ideal body image for people conform?

I think it’s different all around the world for example my body type is quite muscular and it fits well here in the UK as oppose to when I go to Hong Kong, everyone is just like ‘why are you building so much muscle and why is your bum so big’. To summarise that, In the UK people like my body type where as in Hong Kong it is less approving.

• If you could change one thing about your physical appearance, what would it be? 

Probably my breasts but that stems from the competing world. Like you can build your gluteus but you can’t build your breasts. I went to a posing workshop and asked one of the UKBFF judges ‘Do you need big breasts to be ahead’ and her answer was ‘I shouldn’t really say this but on the down low, you do as it helps with the hourglass figure’. *Kayanee mentioned having bigger breasts – surgery

• If there’s a particular favourite body part, which one or two would it be?

My favourite body part would probably be my Glutes and legs.

• Is it possible to feel comfortable in society if you’re not thin? female

Yes, It’s all about self confidence. There are lots of plus size models who are really pretty and gorgeous face however they are not thin. I do get self conscious sometimes because for a Chinese girl I’m not typically thin. I have to remind myself that I’m working for my muscles and I’m working for my shape.

• Why do you think the ideal body trends has changed through history?

I suppose it’s more publications, social media and more magazines. People focus on it more with more articles.

• How do you think the media affects the way we view ourselves? 

I think it does affect it people a bit, like you will never really see an ugly person on the front of a magazine cover. If they do they might see a fall in sells or something.

• Has it ever crossed your mind to look like the models in advertisement when you see them on posters and television?

I think you can use them as an inspiration but in the back of my mind I know it’s not achievable as they have been Photoshopped and it is not 100% real!

• Has social media affected you, influencing you to change your body image?

Yes, it has most definitely affected me as I use my social media for motivation, you know like when you see athlete’s looking amazing and you think that that’s the ideal body image I want. It inspires me to look just as good. You see their abs, you see the way they eat and it’s like a popularity thing as well, like how many likes you can get. If a photo has a lot of likes, then you can see that people like their image and want to perhaps be like them. I think a sociological thing; you just want to be liked.

• If social media was not as advanced as it were 10 years ago do you think people would care less about their body image.

Probably yes, as social media makes more people accessible, you see what is out there. Where as ten years ago, you only see celebrities who are out there so now you can see celebs and non celebs. There’s all these fitness models that you might not necessarily know unless you’re into the bodybuilding world. So there’s more people for you to be inspired to be like I think.

• How do you feel about your body image when you are in an exposed area such as being on a beach or in a changing room?

I have no shame; I really don’t mind it. In the gym, everyone is getting naked in the same place so I don’t really mind. On the beach, I feel a little bit self conscious but I know that because I work out, I am better than the average person. Even if I think I’m fat and a little bit bloated it’s ok.

• Have you ever been to a place where you feel less body self - conscious?

Yes, it was in Korea and we were in a Korean spa like the springs. The girls and boys were in different changing rooms but everyone had to be naked to keep the spring pure. There was a lot of bits on show everywhere. I didn’t feel so exposed as everyone was just butt naked.