Ibarra 1

Josue Ibarra
Professor Corri Ditch
English 113A
8 December 2015
Female Athletes Viewed to Be Feminine
American society has an inclination to separate males from females and is under the
belief of male dominance. Gender roles reflect the ideology underlying the dominant gender
schema in American society where masculinity is usually connected to aggression and
dominance, while femininity is characterized by being nonaggressive and submissiveness. If an
individual tends to appertain to opposite norms, American society gravitates on criticizing the
individual. In 2012, ESPN released their magazine featuring UFC fighter Ronda Rousey on the
front cover. The particular cover is controversial because she appears unclothed in order to sell
the magazine. Rousey is probably one of the best female athletes in the world and it seems
advertisers are hiding Rouseys talents. The pink gloves and cover stands out because pink is a
feminine color and it is going back to the gender stereotypes in which girls are supposed to wear
pink. This problem reinforces the socially constructed norms that females are expected to be
feminine even when they are performing a masculine sport.
People could look at Rouseys front cover on ESPN and notice several controversies.
Advertisers are using Rouseys body to sell the magazine by having her half naked. The big
problem behind this is the advertisers purpose behind the photo shoot because advertisers are
hiding Rouseys talents and it is something most people know her for. Rousey could be on the
front cover holding her UFC Womens Bantamweight Champion belt. If this was the case, the
image itself would mean a lot because it would show that Rousey can dominate a sport that was

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built for men. If we take a look in other ESPN magazines, do advertisers have men half naked?
When men do appear half naked, the majority of the magazines acquire men showing off their
athletic ability like catching a football in midair or batting a baseball. In 2012, Walter Dix is on
ESPNs body issue and he is running on a track course unclothed. Walter Dix is an American
sprinter who specializes in the 100 and 200 meters. In regards to Rouseys front cover, she is
covering her boobs and cannot pose in a fighting position. The fact that she is wearing pink
gloves reinforces the issue about females are expected to be feminine even when performing a
masculine sport. When do we see Rousey wearing pink gloves during a main event fight? She
uses dark colors which represents masculine colors. Rousey seems to look feminine when she
attends an award show. Rousey possesses both masculine and feminine characteristics, but media
hides her masculine characteristics.
Individuals become gendered in society by members of their culture. Gender schema
theory suggests that individuals learn the difference between the classifications of male and
female from society and then just their behaviors to meet expectations (Greer and Jones, You
Dont Look Like An Athlete). In other words, American society forms expectations for individuals
through stereotypes and norms. When it comes to sports, society usually depicts stereotypes in
America. Female athletes do not really get credit for their athletic talent. Because female
athletes often sweat, play aggressively, wear athletic wardrobes, develop muscles, and have
masculine builds, they do not fit the expectations (or schemas) of society (Greer and Jones, You
Dont Look Like An Athlete). To put it another way, American society expects young men to
participate in sports because girls are supposedly delicate due to their delicate features. In
regards to Ronda Rousey, she is in a sport where her face usually gets beat up. There have been a
couple of times when she ended up with bruises on her face. On the front cover of ESPN, Rousey

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has makeup on, apparently making it seem that Rousey must look feminine in order to sell the
magazine. Rousey does not have makeup on or has her hair down during a fight. Rouseys
appearance on media contributes to gender stereotypes.
Media is such a powerful source that contributes to gender schemas in order to reinforce
gender stereotypes. Media representation in line with gender schemas to reinforce gender
stereotypes. Media represent the societal gender schemas by underrepresentation of female
athletes (Greer and Jones, You Dont Look Like An Athlete). In other words, female athletes do
not really receive media attention, their femininity receives more attention. A reason why most
magazines have female athletes exposing their bodies by wearing bikinis or being half naked.
ESPNs front cover issue of Rousey was a surprise because she is one of the best female athletes
in the world and she is in sport that is extremely rigorous. UFC fans expected Rousey to be in a
fighting position like kicking or performing a submission. Instead, Rouseys femininity receives
more attention on the front cover. Advertisers do have Rousey wearing gloves, but the gloves are
pink. Going back to the issue, females are expected to be feminine even when preforming a
masculine sport. Pink is a feminine color according to American society.
Men and women are categorized to be either feminine or masculine. American societys
traditional belief is that men are supposed to perform in a masculine way and women in a
feminine way. In the article Becoming Members of Society: The Social Meanings of Gender
by Aaron Devor, states that These two clusters of attributes are most commonly seen as mirror
images one another with masculinity usually characterized by dominance and aggression, and
femininity by passivity and submission (39). In other words, Devor states that masculinity is
seen to be on the top or viewed in a hierarchical way and femininity is submissive. According to
Devor, body postures that show no treat to anyone is characterized as feminine. They

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demonstrate subordination through a minimizing of spatial use: people appear feminine when
they keep their arms closer to their bodies, their legs closer together (41). In relation to Rousey
on the front cover, she has her arms closer to her body to cover her boobs. Rouseys appears to
look feminine. People who hold their arms and hands in position away from their bodies, and
who stand, sit, or, lie with their legs apart- appear most physically masculine (42). In other
words, a typical masculine body posture needs to be aggressive and expansive. Advertisers
disguise Rouseys masculine performance by having her arms closer to her body. Advertisers are
avoiding Rouseys appearance to look aggressive or intimating because they know that Rouseys
body can sell more. Another way of analyzing this issue, people that do not know Rousey and
look at the front cover might say, She is beautiful and pretends to be a fighter. In other words,
people might think she is a model or a random fighter. If Rousey was holding her championship
belt or showing off her athletic ability, people might think she is important in her sport. Rouseys
masculine performance is taking over her feminine performance in her daily life, but we have
people believing that females must be feminine when preforming a masculine sport.
In American society, gender stereotypes are also used when parents characterize their
newborn babies. In the article, From Women, Men, and Society written by Claire Renzetti and
Daniel Curran, say that parents usually use gender stereotypes when they describe their babies.
Boys are described to be as tall, large, serious, athletic, and having board wide hands (pg77).
Whereas girls, they are described as small, pretty, delicate, and having sensitive features. In other
words, parental gendering is one of the main reasons why American Society is under the idea of
separating females from males. There are some female athletes who are not fully feminine, but
are mostly masculine like Rousey. She does seem to be strong, tough, and large in body mass,
and athletic. When Rousey steps in the ring, her opponent senses Rouseys aggression before the

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fight and during the fight. While this is true, there is still an overwhelming majority of female
athletes who are pressured to be feminine. ESPNs front cover is a clear example in this situation
because advertisers have Rousey wearing pink gloves. Curran and Renzetti say that, girls are
typically dressed in pastels, especially pink. Whereas boys, they are typically dressed in dark
colors or primary colors, such as red and blue (pg77). In other words, Rousey is performing
femininity because she is wearing pink gloves. Of course Rousey is a full grown girl, but Curran
and Renzettis statement restates that pink is a feminine color.
The socially constructed norms start right in the beginning of birth. If the norms does not
occur, individuals may become perturbed. Parents are more concerned with people asking them
whether their baby is a girl or boy. So, they dressed them based on their sex status. Then parents
have different expectations for their babies. Parents will treat their children differently just
because of their sex. When girls cry, parents might let them cry and try to give them love. When
boys start to cry, parents may tell them to stop crying. This creates the belief that boys become
tough and are required to participate in rigorous sports. Girls on the other hand, are supposed to
participate in delicate sports, such as tennis. The clothing used in tennis for women represent
femininity because the little skirts women could use. The role of sex stereotypes and gender
roles in the sex differences observed in sport and exercises has been extensively investigated in
sport psychology, past studies showing that stereotypes are internalized into the self during the
socialization process (The Influence of Sex Stereotypes and Gender Roles on Participation and
Performance in Sport and Exercise). In other words, which sport is more appropriate for males
and females? Parents tell their boys to go play football or wrestle. Girls are told to play
volleyball or with the dolls. This is where socialization occurs because boys interact with other
boys or adult men and this causes boys to learn gender roles that are appropriate within society.

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Girls also go through socialization with other girls and women. Social construction is key to any
individuals learning process.
As the years are passing by, American societys traditional views are changing. There
seems to be more females participating in sports, but they are pressured to perform in a feminine
way. Media is a clear example because commentators usually talk about their femininity rather
than performance. When a sports magazine releases with a female athlete on the front cover, the
majority of the time they are covered with makeup, hair down, and surrounded with feminine
colors. Most of the time female athletes are unclothed. Ronda Rouseys front cover issue is a
clear example because advertisers are making her seem completely feminine. When in reality,
Rousey performs in a masculine way because her aggression takes over the ring and dominants
her opponents. Rousey has an undefeated record of twelve wins and zero lost. A women that
dominates a masculine sport. American society has a lot of females that preform in a masculine
way, but are pressured to perform in feminine way.

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Works Cited
Devor Aaron. Becoming Members of Society: The Social Meanings of Gender. Groner
Rachael, and John F. O Hara. Composing Gender; A Bradford Spotlight Reader. Boston:
Ed. Bedford/ St. Martins, 2014. Print.
Curran and Claire Renzetti. From Women, Men, and Society. Groner Rachael, and John F. O
Hara. Composing Gender; A Bradford Spotlight Reader. Boston: Ed. Bedford/ St.
Martins, 2014. Print.
Chalabaev, Ana, Philippe Sarrazin, Paul Fontayne, Julie Boich, and Corentin ClmentGuillotin. "The Influence of Sex Stereotypes and Gender Roles on Participation and
Performance in Sport and Exercise: Review and Future Directions." Psychology of Sport
and Exercise 14.2 (2013): 136-44. Web. 17 Oct. 2015.
Greer, and Amy Jones. "You Don't Look Like an Athlete: The Effects of Feminine Appearance
on Audience Perceptions of Female Athletes and Women's Sports." Peer Reviewed 34.4
(2011): 358. Print.