Body Language: Sisters in Shape, Black Women's Fitness, and Feminist Identity Politics

204 Pages·2011·3.17 MB·

by  Kimberly J. Lau

Body Language

Body Language
Sisters in Shape,
Black Women’s Fitness, and
Feminist Identity Politics
Kimberly J. Lau
Temple University Press
Philadelphia
Temple UniversiTy press
philadelphia, pennsylvania 19122
www.temple.edu/tempress
Copyright © 2011 by Temple University
All rights reserved
published 2011
library of Congress Cataloging-in-publication Data
lau, Kimberly J.
Body language : sisters in shape, black women’s fitness, and feminist identity politics /
Kimberly J. lau.
p. cm.
includes bibliographical references and index.
isBn 978-1-4399-0308-7 (cloth : alk. paper) — isBn 978-1-4399-0309-4
(pbk. : alk. paper) — isBn 978-1-4399-0310-0 (e-book)
1. Feminism—United states. 2. Feminist theory—political aspects. 3. Group
identity—United states. 4. African American women—social conditions. 5. self-care,
Health—United states. 6. Women—socialization—United states. i. Title.
HQ1181.U5l38 2011
305.48'896073—dc22
2011002813
The paper used in this publication meets the requirements of the American national
standard for information sciences—permanence of paper for printed library materials,
Ansi Z39.48-1992
printed in the United states of America
2 4 6 8 9 7 5 3 1
For Melanie Marchand and the women of Sisters in Shape

Contents
Acknowledgments ix
1 The Anatomy of a movement 1
2 experience: spirituality, sisterhood, and the Unspeakable 39
3 performance: negotiating multiple Black Womanhoods 77
4 new Bodies of Knowledge 107
5 rearticulating Feminist identity politics 143
notes 165
references 171
index 185

Acknowledgments
One of the ideas that i grapple with in Body Language con-
cerns the limitations of language—the moments when lan-
guage fails us, when our experiences and feelings seem to
exceed discourse. This is one of those moments. Body Language would
not have been possible without the love and labor of many people, and
i attempt to thank them here, though i know that words simply cannot
convey the extent of my appreciation.
melanie marchand and the women of sisters in shape have brought
this book to life, and i thank them for contributing their voices, their
insights, and their stories. i dedicate this book to them, though such a
gesture falls far short of my gratitude.
Countless colleagues and friends have also contributed significantly
to Body Language, some without even realizing it. i have benefited tre-
mendously from critical responses to this project throughout its long
life, and i want to start by thanking those whose names i may not even
know: the conference, colloquium, and workshop organizers and par-
ticipants who asked pressing questions and offered useful citations; the
graduate students at other universities who offered insights and refer-
ences after my talks; the anonymous reviewers and readers who so care-