Living the paradox: female athletes negotiate femininity and muscularity

Sex Roles: A Journal of Research,  March, 2004  by Vikki Krane,  Precilla Y.L. Choi,  Shannon M. Baird,  Christine M. Aimar,  Kerrie J. Kauer

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      I look so stupid in a dress. It's like my dress, and then I have
      these legs. (laughter) They just don't match. Like it looks so
      weird. Like I have fancy shoes on, and I have these legs that are
      just like muscles, and they look really weird.

The clothes problem was merely pragmatic, yet a deeper issue remains. Athletes do not fit into regular clothes and, consequently, they were reminded about how they differ from "normal" women.

Social Attention

Another reminder that female athletes were perceived as different came through the social attention that the athletes received. As the athletes said:

      I don't feel like less of a girl [because of my muscles] but I
      feel like other people think I'm less of one. (Track Athlete 1)

      Some people that don't [know that I'm an athlete], they'll come up
      to me like, 'what the heck is she?' (Distance Runner 1)

Social attention from men particularly reinforced that athletes differed from other women. At times the athletes were teased about their size and muscularity as Gymnast 2 stated: "I get made fun of like with the guys you know, calling me Roids and that kind of stuff." The Basketball player reported similar experiences: "All the guys are like let me see your hands 'cause they're so big or like what size shoes do you wear? And I'm like I'm so self-conscious about that." She later added, "they're like 'oh my god, she's just like a guy." At other times, when the women dressed up people reminded them that they were "girls." "When I dress up or anything it's like 'wow, you are a girl.'... even my boyfriend comes up and is like 'oh my gosh, you're all done up" (Gymnast 2). All of the athletes described situations when friends and other people acted surprised when they wore feminine attire.

Dating

The distinction between being a "normal girl" and an athlete also was acknowledged during discussions about attractiveness and dating. All references to dating were in a heterosexual context and were consistent with the script of hegemonic femininity as heterosexual. The athletes explained that to be attractive to men, it was important to act in an "appropriate" manner. As Hockey Player 2 stated: "If you want to attract a guy, then you have to be [feminine] sometimes." VB/Hockey Player explained:

      If you're trying to attract a guy, you're not gonna be like
      (laughs) punching them in the shoulder, be like 'did you catch the
      game Friday?' You're gonna be, you know, tiny, cute, demure, and
      whatever. Not that I can pull off the demure thing, but I mean
      you're gonna want to act more like a female than a male or, you
      know, than more so a female than an athlete.

Similarly, Tennis Player 1 stated: "[it's important to be feminine] when you go out and you want to, you know, look nice and impress the boys (laughs)."

The athletes also complained that men were not attracted to women with large, athletic bodies. A hockey player said: "it's really hard to date around here, if you're not like this big [gestures making hands in small box].... The ones that get chased after all the time it always seems to be like the little itty bitty girls." VB/Hockey Player agreed, "I'm so tall and big and it's hard to get a date."