Identifier

219

Date

2022

Document Type

Honors Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Major

Political Science

Committee Chair

Matthias Kaelberer

Abstract

This paper will look at the dichotomy between female athletes in gender-appropriate and gender-inappropriate sports, using an intersectional approach to analyze how the media reinforces this divide and how female athletes' bodies becomes objects for male consumption. Female athletes face gender bias in both gender-appropriate and gender-inappropriate sports, yet this sexism tends to take different forms between the two. Gender-appropriate athletes are primarily portrayed as either sex symbols or children, with either framing disguising their athleticism in a more traditionally feminine identity. Gender-inappropriate athletes may face pressure to feminize themselves to compensate for their presence in a masculine sport. The media frequently highlights those athletes in gender-inappropriate sports who conform to traditional femininity. It is also necessary to acknowledge that most media coverage of female athletes, and subsequent analysis of it, centers white heterosexual women.

Comments

Undergraduate Honor's Thesis

Library Comment

Honors thesis originally submitted to the Local University of Memphis Honor’s Thesis Repository.

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