The Significance of Strength Training as a Lifestyle for Urban Women: A Symbolic Interactionism Study of Fitgoal Members in Bandung
Makna Strength Training sebagai Gaya Hidup Perempuan Urban: Studi Interaksionisme Simbolik pada Member Fitgoal Bandung
Keywords:
strength training, urban women, lifestyle, symbolic interactionism, identityAbstract
The increase in women’s participation in strength training indicates that fitness activities are no longer solely focused on physical condition but are also linked to identity, social relationships, and lifestyle. This study aims to analyze the process of constructing and negotiating the meaning of strength training as a lifestyle for urban women among members of Fitgoal Bandung through the lens of George Herbert Mead’s Symbolic Interactionism. The study employed a qualitative approach with an interpretive paradigm. Data were collected through in-depth interviews, nonparticipant observation, and digital documentation from ten female members of Fitgoal Bandung who were selected via purposive sampling and had been engaging in regular strength training for at least six months. Data were analyzed using the Miles, Huberman, and Saldaña model through data condensation, data presentation, and the drawing and verification of conclusions. The results identified four main meanings: strength training as an investment in health and a strong body; a shaper of identity and self-confidence; the gym community as a space for interaction and social support; and social media as an arena for the representation and negotiation of identity. The findings indicate that the meaning of strength training is formed dynamically through the interconnection of Mind, Self, and Society. This activity becomes part of a lifestyle when it is sustainably integrated with health management, self-identity, routines, social relationships, and self-representation in daily life.
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