Fit and Firm Pregnancy

In this article, I analyze prenatal dance fitness classes created by Heidi Murkoff, Denise Austin, and Keaira LaShae. I ask, when intended for pregnant women, how is movement described, and how does this language teach pregnant persons about the ways their bodies work, what their bodies mean, and their personal agency and capabilities? This research shows that prenatal dance videos tend to teach individuals that they should dance for their health during pregnancy, but that they are not able to do so well or at full capacity. Drawing from Iris Marion Young’s theories of “feminine body comportment motility and spatiality,” I show how workouts by Austin and Murkoff place unrealistic and potentially damaging emphasis on pregnant individuals’ appearances. Ultimately, I propose ways that pregnancy could provide the impetus for more inclusive communities, and that dancing could be an opportunity to cultivate body awareness and body acceptance, as well as offer tools for personally meaningful self-expression

Beauty · Dance · Idealization · Normative · Romance · Diversity and Impact of Dance · HIV, TB, and STIs Epidemiology · Posthumanist Ethics and Activism