Forever young: worked-out body, television fiction and the imaginary - Abstract

This article interprets television images of the body as it is shown in the TV series Malhação, aiming to understand the collective imaginary that is found in gyms and the mythological structure of youth culture (PERREIRA, 2004; KHEL, 2004). To achieve this, we used two methodologies: Maffesoli’s (1996; 1998) formism (the appearance game) and the image analysis technique proposed by Aumont (1995). Results have shown a resembling correlation between the sunny bodies and Apollo’s myth, the worked-out body civilization and the hyperborean land, the gym and the healing sanctuary at Epidaurus.