Visual Negotiation: How Female Athletes Present Intersectional Identities in Photographic Self-Representations

Barak, Katie Sullivan; Krane, Vikki; Ross, Sally; Mann, Mallory E.; Kaunert, Chelsea A.

doi:10.1080/00336297.2018.1461661

Cited by 7 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…The participants were positioned as the experts in their experience of athletic identity, with the role of the researcher to support the exploration of meaning given to an image by the athletes themselves. This study extends the work of Krane et al (2011) and Barak et al (2018) by investigating how English based high-performance male and female athletes perform an athletic identity, and seek to act as role models, through photographic self-representation. The context of Krane et al and Barak et al's research (where participants were competing at US National Collegiate Athletic Association Division 1 Universities) is different to that of the present study.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 82%

“…These two themes illustrate continued existence of female/athlete paradox through the messages female athletes looked to convey. Many female athletes felt the need to balance their athleticism with femininity (Barak et al 2018;Krane et al 2011). Further illustrating the power of heteronormative standards and the policing of these through ongoing self-surveillance, findings also highlight the ways in which male participants seek to adhere to narrow masculine ideals (Butler 1993;Foucault 1972).…”

Section: Intended Messagesmentioning

confidence: 91%

“…In identifying how female athletes sought to challenge such stereotypical imagery, Fink, Kane and Lavoi (2014, 207) found that female athletes want to "be respected for what they do instead of what they look like". In a recent study, Barak et al (2018) noted that female athletes tended to favour passive, feminine, smiling photographic self-representations over in-action photos; but did not replicate overtly sexualised images often seen in traditional sport media. They suggested that female participants may not have felt a need to depict strong female athletes in-action because they perceive the fight for equality has already been won.…”

Section: Featured In Actionmentioning

confidence: 94%

“…They generally disliked images perceived as lacking motivation, poor sporting attitudes, and non-athletic poses. More recently, Barak et al (2018) examined the way in which 17 female college athletes chose to represent themselves through self-directed photo-shoots, albeit this time without an explicit focus on targeting the image for a younger audience. Four themes were identified, being a female athlete highlighted athletic identities; being a female athlete described negotiations between femininity and athleticism; being a student-athlete represented stereotypes about college-athletes; and contested choices presents the social transgressions that athletes faced and navigated.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Examining the construction of identity among high performance male and female athletes using photography

Devonport

Leflay

Russell

2019

Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health

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This study, adopting a feminist perspective explored two research questions: 1) how do male and female athletes perform an athletic identity through photographic selfrepresentation, and 2) what are the messages they look to convey, as role models, through these images? Eighteen culturally diverse high-performance athletes (12 female, six male; mean age = 20.56 years, SD = 2.83) representing a range of sports took part. Following an individual photo session with autonomy over image capture, participants selected their favoured image and provided a caption symbolising the message they wished to convey to others. Participants were then interviewed to obtain their thoughts, feelings, and stories with regards image capture and selection. Analysis of photographic data revealed a tendency for participants to select full body action shots, located in the field of play, and wearing sports clothing. Captions emphasised hard work, psychological assets, technical precision, and encouraged sports participation. Interview data were organised under two broad themes aligned with the research questions; 'performing an athletic identity' and 'intended messages'. Participants typically wanted to appear in action shots, emphasising good technique, displaying a sporting physique, and in relevant uniforms. Intended messages reflected how to be a good role model and comprised of ideals of hard work and giving sport a go. Findings suggest that whilst athletes sought to champion their sport and the physical and psychological qualities that participation produces, gendered performances were also evident in production and interpretation of many images, thus highlighting the pervasive nature of gendered sporting participation.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 82%

Section: Intended Messagesmentioning

confidence: 91%

Section: Featured In Actionmentioning

confidence: 94%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Examining the construction of identity among high performance male and female athletes using photography

Devonport

Leflay

Russell

2019

Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…As posited below, intentionality and bodylanguage are key factors for Williams's reshaping of traditional gender conventions. Indeed, shoots for traditional magazines such as Sports Illustrated are now a collaborative process, and one assumes that social media platform accounts such as Instagram are mediated by the athlete themselves (Barak et al 2018). Goffman's (1979) extensive content analysis study has been further developed in semiotic categories as an analytical method for 'reading images' (Kress and Van Leeuwen 2006;Leeuwen and Jewitt 2001), and Goffman's work has been continuously revitalised by feminist scholarship for visual analysis (Mager and Helgeson 2011;Zotos and Tsichla 2014;Döring et al 2016).…”

Section: Goffman Visual Representations and Content Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

Speaking Pictures, Silent Voices: Female Athletes and the Negotiation of Selfhood

Intezar

2020

Integr. psych. behav.

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Combining Mikhail Bakhtin’s (1990) theoretical position on Architectonics and Erving Goffman’s (1979) writings on visual content analysis, the aim of this paper is to explore how female athletes are caught in a complex matrix of power, post – feminist neoliberalism, and self – presentation. The visual images they choose to portray are, therefore, perfect for determining how this cohort of women negotiates social discourses around identity and femininity. Appropriating the Bakhtinian notion of architectonic unity, not only provides an alternative theoretical lens for enquiries concerning the body, identity, and selfhood, but also initiates some thought provoking questions around neoliberal feminism and ‘new femininity.’ This paper advances on previous research by exemplifying how Serena Williams (considered the greatest female tennis player of all time) combines both her femininity and strong physicality to self – shape a myth – like persona, setting her apart from traditional stereotypes of femininity and ‘femaleness.’

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Operationalization of intersectionality in physical activity and sport research: A systematic scoping review

Lim

Jung

Jodoin

et al. 2021

SSM - Population Health

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Participation in and opportunities for physical activity (PA) and sports (PA inclusively hereafter) are known to vary across individuals with different social positions. Intersectionality theory may help us to better understand the complex processes of multiple interlocking systems of oppression and privilege shaped by intersections of individuals’ social categories. The objectives of this systematic scoping review were (1) to summarize the findings of articles examining PA claimed operationalization of intersectionality and (2) to identify the scope and gaps pertaining to the operationalization of intersectionality in PA research. A search was conducted in September 2019 in seven electronic databases (e.g., SPORTDiscus, Scopus, Web of Science) for relevant research articles written in English. Key search terms included “intersectionality” AND “physical activity” OR “sport”. Database searches, data screening and extraction, and narrative synthesis were conducted between September 2019 and May 2020. Of 16564 articles identified, 45 articles were included in this review. The majority of included articles used qualitative methods (n = 41), with two quantitative and two mixed-methods articles. The most frequently observed intersectional social position was sex/gender + race/ethnicity (n = 11), followed by sex/gender + race/ethnicity + sexuality (n = 6) and sex/gender + race/ethnicity + religion (n = 6). Most qualitative studies (n = 38) explicitly claimed operationalization of intersectionality as a key theoretical framework, and over half of these studies (n = 27) implicitly used intra-categorical intersectionality. Two quantitative studies were identified which examined a number of intersections simultaneously using inter-categorical intersectionality. Complex processes of individual and social-structural level factors that drive inequalities in PA opportunities and participation could be better elucidated with the operationalization of intersectionality theory. Intersectionality theory may serve as a useful framework in both qualitative and quantitative investigations. Advancement in quantitative intersectionality is critical in order to produce knowledge that could inform more inclusive PA promotion efforts.

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Visual Negotiation: How Female Athletes Present Intersectional Identities in Photographic Self-Representations

Cited by 7 publications

References 27 publications

Examining the construction of identity among high performance male and female athletes using photography

Examining the construction of identity among high performance male and female athletes using photography

Speaking Pictures, Silent Voices: Female Athletes and the Negotiation of Selfhood

Operationalization of intersectionality in physical activity and sport research: A systematic scoping review

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