“La deportista moderna”: género, clase y consumo en el fútbol, running y hockey argentinos

The advances achieved by the feminist movement since the 1970s have also been reflected in athletics, evidenced by the exponential growth in the participation of women. This change has produced new ideals of the female body –one that is strong, athletic, independent, and at the same time sexually attractive– which have been constructed by Western society and fostered by its mercantilist logic through advertising, social networks and certain messages about caring for your body and leading a “healthy lifestyle” chosen by brands which exploit these ideals. We analyze the image of women in three sports where women have reached unprecedented levels of participation and visibility: field hockey, soccer and running. Our study is based on ethnographic field work, along with the analysis of a series of advertisements, videos and pictures on social networks, where such women are portrayed, or self-represented, as models/examples of the new ideal of the female body. In this way, we hope to throw light on the ideals found in the sports women choose to practice and ask whether individual freedom and agency still exist in these activities. We also wonder if the hegemonic ideals of femininity continue to operate there or if the truth lies somewhere between the two alternatives