"... då brukar jag be dom ta fram en man som är kort och lite rund, som inte framställs som komisk och som en... förlorare i TV." - en kvalitativ intervjustudie kring unga mäns beskrivning av hälsa, träningsvanor och kostvanor

The aim of the study has been to examine how young men describe training habits, eating habits and good health. In order to achieve this, six qualitive semistructured interviews were held with six men between the age of 20-30 who are practising or have been practising some sort of exercise. The interview contained questions regarding training habits, eating habits and view of good health, but also questions revolving their conception of the ”ideal man” and how they feel these ideals are portrayed in the media. Due to the need to examine if and how male gender norms and ideals are internalized by these men, questions regarding social comparison and status were also asked. Furthermore, these interviews were transcribed, coded and analyzed against a theoretical framework, such as the theory of social constructivism and theory concerning conformity to male norms, categorized into eleven categories. The study found in the analysis several examples of conformity to male norms such as winning, emotional control, primacy of work and disdain for homosexuals. The men described experiences of body dissatisfaction, social comparison, society expectations and methods of meeting said expectations, such as training frequently, eating right and also using various kinds of dietary supplements to increase potential during training. Furthermore they all had a clear view of what an ideal man should look and act like, but some also described experiencing an on-going change, meaning that society is becoming more and more tolerant towards men being standard diveating, and that the definition of ”masculinity” is slowly changing