The Depiction of Beauty Standards Inside and Outside a Sports Context
Author
Nielsen, Bente Møller
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2024
Abstract
Dette speciale undersøger, hvordan kvindelige atletkroppe fremstilles og opfattes inden for og uden for sport, og hvordan gældende skønhedsidealer former disse fremstillinger. Med fokus på Simone Biles, Serena Williams og Katelyn Ohashi analyseres magasin-forsider, nyhedsbilleder og Instagram-opslag for at sammenligne repræsentationer i konkurrencesammenhænge, i medier og på atleternes egne sociale medier. Studiet anvender en multimodal, semiotisk tilgang (Chandler; van Leeuwen) og trækker på teorier om køn og repræsentation, herunder Butlers performativitet, Connells hegemoniske maskulinitet og betonet femininitet, Mulveys male gaze, Goffmans kønsfremvisninger, Simmel om mode, Hall om repræsentation og Foucaults selvteknologier. En kontekstualiserende del skitserer Iris Marion Youngs begreb om feminin habitus og udviklingen i kvinders sportstøj. Specialet diskuterer også konkurrerende diskurser om skønhed og sundhed, herunder WHO’s definitioner, kropspositivitet og kropsneutralitet. Resultaterne viser, at fremstillingerne skifter på tværs af kontekster: Atleterne er stærkt påvirket af dominerende skønhedsstandarder og bidrager ofte til at reproducere dem, samtidig med at de udfordrer normer for feminin habitus i sportslige sammenhænge. I ikke-sportslige medier indrammes de oftere gennem betonet femininitet og seksualisering, til tider i samspil med racestereotyper. På sociale medier forhandler de forskellige diskurser. Forståelser af sundhed varierer tilsvarende mellem atleterne og afspejler modstridende krav fra skønhedsidealer og sportslige hensyn.
This thesis investigates how female athletes’ bodies are depicted and perceived inside and outside sport, and how prevailing beauty standards shape those portrayals. Focusing on Simone Biles, Serena Williams, and Katelyn Ohashi, it analyzes magazine covers, news images, and Instagram posts to compare representations in competition settings, in the media, and on the athletes’ own social media. The study adopts a multimodal, semiotic approach (Chandler; van Leeuwen) and draws on theories of gender and representation, including Butler’s performativity, Connell’s hegemonic masculinity and emphasized femininity, Mulvey’s male gaze, Goffman’s gender displays, Simmel on fashion, Hall on representation, and Foucault’s technologies of the self. A contextual chapter outlines Iris Marion Young’s account of feminine comportment and the evolution of women’s sportswear. The thesis also discusses competing discourses on beauty and health, including WHO definitions, body positivity, and body neutrality. Findings indicate that depictions shift across contexts: the athletes are strongly influenced by dominant beauty standards and often help reproduce them, while also challenging norms around feminine comportment in sport. In non-sport media, they are more frequently framed through emphasized femininity and sexualization, sometimes intersecting with racial stereotypes. On social media, they enact different discourses. Understandings of health likewise diverge among the athletes, reflecting conflicting pressures from beauty ideals and sport-specific demands.
[This summary has been generated with the help of AI directly from the project (PDF)]
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