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Shields Library is closed through January 1. Requests for books, digitization services, and interlibrary loan will be fulfilled after the new year.

Mikayli Moore

2nd Place

Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences, 2023

I refined my writing and resource gathering skills, learned how to ask questions that generate valid and reliable results, and demonstrated how those results fill a gap in the sociological research canon.”

— Mikayli Moore

Female Weightlifters’ Presentation of Gender on Instagram

Honors thesis in Sociology

Read Mikayli’s Paper (pdf)

Project Description

In a society where social media reinforces beauty standards, Moore sought to understand the attitudes of women who post weightlifting content on Instagram. Moore conducted 10 semi-structured interviews to learn what motivates women who post in defiance of gender norms, how they enact femininity in a masculine gym space and online, and how they manage the stigmas they experience. 

In Their Own Words

Read Mikayli’s reflective essay from their Lang Prize application.