Health and Physical Activity: A Context for Exploring Indigenous Youths’ Views of Their Bodies

The bodies of indigenous peoples are continually compared to the slim ideal and the “norm” of white people (Moreton-Robinson, 2000). Furthermore, the bodies of indigenous peoples are often of interest to government organizations, and Nelson (2012) argued that “Aboriginal” or “Torres Strait Islander” have become common, unproblematized markers of health risk. In light of the manner in which indigenous people’s bodies are scrutinized, the purpose of Nelson’s study was to explore urban indigenous youths’ perceptions of their bodies in the context of health and physical activity. This qualitative study was part of a longitudinal Australian Research Council funded study called the Life Activity Project (LAP). Within this narrative, 14 Australian indigenous males (n = 6) and females (n = 8) between the ages of 11 and 15 years were interviewed seven times over two and a half years. Most interviews were individual interviews, but upon the requests of participants, some were completed in pairs or small groups. Various forms of media (e.g., magazine images) were used as stimuli during interviews, and each interview lasted between 20 and 60 min. Data were analyzed using thematic and discourse analysis. Findings suggest that youth engaged in and resisted discourses around (1) bodily appearance, (2) worked on and working bodies, (3) the ideal (white) body, (4) authentic (black) bodies, (5) marked (black) bodies, and (6) achieving/performing bodies. This research highlights the complexities surrounding indigenous youths’ perceptions of their bodies, and the findings contribute to the modest physical activity and health literature that has highlighted the experiences of indigenous youth.