Gendered Body of Turkish Bikini Fitness Athletes on Instagram

Abstract

This study sought to understand how Turkish bikini fitness athletes discipline their bodies on Instagram by using Foucault’s theorization of self-surveillance. We examined Instagram photos of 10 bikini fitness athletes and completed interviews with them. We analysed data by conducting quantitative and qualitative content analysis. The findings show that both bikini fitness and Instagram are modern forms of self-surveillance for Turkish female athletes. Bikini fitness dictates (hetero)normative femininity norms such as femininity, sexuality and heterosexual desirability with a feminine glance, silicone breast implants, make-up, long hair, jewelry, and so on. However, Turkish female athletes build a docile body image by confirming that they do not share sexually suggestive poses on Instagram, because of religious and patriarchal norms in Turkey. However, bikini fitness and Instagram are also considered to be potential tools of resistance against religious norms and patriarchal power for these athletes.

Rethinking Women’s “Performance and Image-Enhancing Drug Consumption”: An Agenda for Ontopolitically-Oriented Research

“…In non-Western digital cultures, resistance is explored not only in relation to patriarchal and masculinist norms, but to the religious and cultural norms that enact appropriate feminine embodiment and styles of presentation. For example, Kavasoğlu and Koca (2022) note that for Turkish women, criticisms around muscularity are shaped not only by sexism but by religio-conservative ideals that frame the display of the body as a transgression of social and religious expectations for women to remain concealed and docile.…”

A Space of One’s Own? The Tensions of Being Visible on Instagram for Turkish Female Athletes

“…Since gender-based power relations are complex, it is important to understand the experiences of cyber violence specific to the gender regime of sportswomen and ways to combat it. For example, while Western sportswomen are exposed to forms of cyber violence such as racism, sexism, homophobia, misogyny, sexual harassment, physical threats, and sexual propositions (Kavanagh et al, 2019;Litchfield et al, 2018;Osborne et al, 2021), sportswomen in Muslim countries may struggle more often with religious patriarchal norms (Kavasoglu & Koca, 2022). Rahikainen and Toffoletti (2021) applied the theoretical framework of the "athletic labor of femininity" to explore sportswomen's decision-making processes in producing social media content by interviewing 27 sponsored female climbers and 5 industry professionals.…”

“…These studies revealed the opportunities and risks that social media presents for female athletes. However, in Turkey, research addressing representations of women via social media is both limited and new (Kavasoğlu & Koca, 2022). We need further studies to understand the opportunities and challenges of using social media for female athletes from Turkey and room for their voices must also be made.…”

“…Since gender-based power relations are complex, it is important to understand the experiences of cyber violence specific to the gender regime of sportswomen and ways to combat it. For example, while Western sportswomen are exposed to forms of cyber violence such as racism, sexism, homophobia, misogyny, sexual harassment, physical threats, and sexual propositions (Kavanagh et al, 2019; Litchfield et al, 2018; Osborne et al, 2021), sportswomen in Muslim countries may struggle more often with religious patriarchal norms (Kavasoğlu & Koca, 2022).…”

“Your Hair or the Team!” Body Politics and Possibilities of Resistance in Women’s Football in Turkey

“…Örneğin erkek kimliğinin inşasında önemli görülen vücut geliştirme alanında kadın sporcular, cinsiyet kimlikleri ve cinsel yönelimlerinin sorgulanmaması için cisheteroseksüel kadınlıklarını vurgulamak durumunda kalmaktadırlar (Kavasoğlu ve Macit, 2018;Kavasoğlu ve Koca, 2019). Dahası vücut geliştirme ve fitness alanının bikini fitness kategorisinde kadın sporcular kaslı fakat seksi olduklarını göstermek için tepeden tırnağa tüm bedenlerine ve beden hareketlerine, bakışlarına, jest ve mimiklerine dikkat etmektedirler (Kavasoğlu ve Koca, 2021).…”