Thorpe, Holly Aysha2012-04-182012-04-182004Thorpe, H. (2004). Embodied boarders: Snowboarding, status and style. Waikato Journal of Education, 10, 181-201.1173-6135https://hdl.handle.net/10289/6225The body is a symbol of status, a system of social markings and a site of distinctions. Drawing on documentary and visual sources, combined with participant observations, this article explores the body as a signifier through an examination of numerous cultural practices used by snowboarders to distinguish themselves from non-snowboarders and each other. In examining embodied snowboarders I firstly analyse their cultural tastes and styles of dress, language and bodily deportment. Secondly, I consider how boarders earn symbolic capital through demonstrations of commitment, physical prowess and risk taking. This analysis implicitly views the body as a social phenomenon, that is, it conceptualises the body as a possessor of power, a form of status, a bearer of symbolic value and a form of physical capital. The body now plays a central role in producing and reproducing social groups and the "embodied boarder" is an important case study for understanding how contemporary youth both construct and make sense of their worlds.application/pdfen© 2004 Waikato Journal of Education. It is posted here by permission for personal use.educationJournal Article