Girlie Girls Aren’t “Real” Athletes: A Critical Examination of Girls’ Experiences of Aesthetic Sports within a Post-Feminist Masquerade

The purpose of this feminist research was to understand the experiences of adolescent females currently participating in aesthetic sports. Specifically, I aimed to critically examine the ways in which the new feminine ideal and a post-feminist girl culture shape girls’ experiences. A social constructionist grounded theory approach was used and a purposive sample of eight girls, between the ages of 12-15, participated in this study. Three major themes that best reflect my interpretation of the experiences of the participants emerged: 1) Masculinities and revealing a higher social status in the school environment, 2) Framing success through gendered and neoliberal discourses, and 3) Constructing an ideal image. Moreover, the major themes resulted in the culmination of experiences leading to the core theme “Falling short of the neoliberal ideal.” The study highlights the need for educators and sport practitioners to advocate for a diversity of gender expression.

Name thesis:degree_name

M.A. Social Justice and Equity Studies

Level thesis:degree_level

Masters

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Faculty of Social Sciences

Department dc:contributor.department

Social Justice and Equity Studies Program

Grantor

Brock University

Year dc:date.issued

2017

Author dc:creator

• Kovac, Laura

• Gender
• Girls
• Neoliberalism
• Sport
• Post-feminism

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/10464/13146

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:brocku.scholaris.ca:10464/13146