Disciplined Bodies, Unequal Worlds: Fitness Culture and the Myth of Body Meritocracy

Abstract

Within the framework of body anthropology in Latin America, this article analyzes fitness culture as a device that reproduces social inequalities through body capital. Drawing on Bourdieu (1986) and Foucault (1977), it examines the body as a site of embodiment of advantages and disadvantages, where fitness practices and capital flows prioritize elite bodies, promoting the idea that "we have the body we deserve," that is, a myth of body meritocracy that stigmatizes lower strata. Through ethnographies in Mexican gyms and thematic analysis, it reveals how the inclusive discourse conceals structural pauperization, exacerbating class, gender, and racial gaps in postcolonial contexts. An approach is proposed, reclaiming local practices for equitable well-being, challenging the meritocratic narrative that perpetuates exclusions.