In New Sporting Femininities: Embodied Politics in Postfeminist Times, Kim Toffoletti, Holly Thorpe and Jessica Francombe-Webb bring together contributors to explore how sporting femininities have been shaped by a postfeminist context, tracking changing gendered power relations in sport and physical cultures alongside new forms of inequality and sexism. This collection is a refreshing and comprehensive look at postfeminism, sporting femininities and physical activity, writes Meltem Ince-Yenilmez, and contributes towards building a more equal playing field in the world of sports for everyone

Yenilmez, Meltem Ince

English

LSE Research Online

Book	Review:	New	Sporting	Femininities:	EmbodiedPolitics	in	Postfeminist	Times	edited	by	Kim	Toffoletti,Holly	Thorpe	and	Jessica	Francombe-WebbIn	New	Sporting	Femininities:	Embodied	Politics	in	Postfeminist	Times,	Kim	Toffoletti,	Holly	Thorpe	andJessica	Francombe-Webb	bring	together	contributors	to	explore	how	sporting	femininities	have	been	shaped	by	apostfeminist	context,	tracking	changing	gendered	power	relations	in	sport	and	physical	cultures	alongside	newforms	of	inequality	and	sexism.	This	collection	is	a	refreshing	and	comprehensive	look	at	postfeminism,	sportingfemininities	and	physical	activity,	writes	Meltem	Ince-Yenilmez,	and	contributes	towards	building	a	more	equalplaying	field	in	the	world	of	sports	for	everyone.New	Sporting	Femininities:	Embodied	Politics	in	Postfeminist	Times.	Kim	Toffoletti,	Holly	Thorpe	andJessica	Francombe-Webb	(eds).	Palgrave.	2018.New	Sporting	Femininities	explores	‘the	changing	nature	of	gendered	sporting	subjectivities,bodies,	practices,	politics,	agency	and	experiences’	and	argues	that	new	femininities	haveemerged	in	the	era	of	postfeminism	explored	in	the	collection.	New	Sporting	Femininitiesopens	with	editors	Kim	Toffoletti,	Holly	Thorpe	and	Jessica	Francombe-Webb	looking	at	theevolving	view	of	gender	politics	in	sport	and	physical	cultures	in	local	and	global	contexts.The	authors	examine	the	various	ways	in	which	sporting	femininities	may	have	been	shapedby	a	decisive	postfeminist	moment,	which	the	contributing	authors	define	and	view	throughdifferent	lenses.	But	one	thing	is	made	clear:postfeminism	does	not	simply	stand	for	the	rejection	of	feminism	or	a	period	afterfeminism,	but	constitutes	a	distinctive	cultural	condition	that	invites	and	produces	newarticulations	of	femininity.In	evaluating	the	contributions	to	New	Sporting	Femininities,	it	comes	to	mind	that	there	have	been	many	neoliberalcurrents	and	feminist	assumptions	shaping	our	contemporary	moment,	which	have	in	turn	created	a	dynamicenvironment	to	accommodate	the	changing	landscape	in	sports	when	it	comes	to	women,	girls,	people	of	colour,LGBTQ+	people,	disabled	athletes,	individuals	with	limited	financial	capacities	and	others.	The	purpose	of	thesefresh	insights	is	to	evaluate	the	influence	of	gendered	power	relations	in	sport	and	physical	cultures	alongside	thenew	forms	of	inequality	and	sexism	in	this	present	era.In	this	book,	contributors	use	the	concept	of	postfeminism	to	provide	a	categorical	analysis	rather	than	present	oneperspective.	The	editors	critically	analyse	the	concept	of	postfeminism	to	designate	the	specific	cultural	conditionsnecessary	for	new	assumptions	about	femininity,	as	postfeminist	sentiments	shape	the	way	gendered	subjectivitiesare	enacted	and	inform	how	contemporary	gender	relations	are	understood.	The	central	themes	of	postfeminismare	the	independence	of	women,		the	expression	of	femininity	in	terms	of	physical	attributes,	an	emphasis	on	howwomen	care	for	their	bodies	and	a	fixation	on	expressions	of	heterosexual	femininity.	The	book	also	highlights	howfreedom	of	choice	is	crucial	to	how	we	conceive	equality	in	the	postfeminist	context.There	is	utility	in	an	engagement	with	postfeminism	as	a	means	to	understand	women’s	contemporary	embodiedexperiences	in	different	cultural	contexts.	In	addition,	postfeminism	can	increase	understanding	of	the	globalised,flexible	and	self-actualising	representations	of	women	in	contemporary	sport	and	physical	cultures.	However,according	to	the	editors,	despite	the	growing	trend	of	postfeminism,	the	concept	has	rarely	been	brought	to	the	foreas	part	of	feminist	analysis	of	sport	and	physical	cultures.	Despite	women’s	accomplishments	in	the	world	of	sports,there	is	also	a	looming	gap	because	these	stories	often	fail	to	focus	on	how	women	and	girls	in	diverse	contextslive	active	or	inactive	lives.	Analyses	also	do	not	pay	enough	attention	to	other	parameters,	such	as	age,	ethnicity,religion,	sexuality	and	class.USApp – American Politics and Policy Blog: Book Review: New Sporting Femininities: Embodied Politics in Postfeminist Times edited by Kim Toffoletti,Holly Thorpe and Jessica Francombe-WebbPage 1 of 4		Date originally posted: 2020-06-28Permalink: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/usappblog/2020/06/28/book-review-new-sporting-femininities-embodied-politics-in-postfeminist-times-edited-by-kim-toffoletti-holly-thorpe-and-jessica-francombe-webb/Blog homepage: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/usappblog/As	a	result,	the	book	takes	a	comprehensive	approach	to	studying	the	different	ways	groups	of	girls	and	womenbuild	meaningful	connections	in	the	context	of	sport	and	physical	cultures.	The	sections	in	the	book	consequentlyspin	around	different	subjects	and	fields,	such	as	sociology,	communication	and	media	studies,	cultural	studies	aswell	as	sporting	and	physical	health	education.	The	way	this	book	intertwines	various	disciplines	will	serve	as	apoint	of	interest	to	a	broad	spectrum	of	experts	and	students	from	undergraduate	level	upwards.	A	wide	range	ofsports	and	topics	are	also	covered	in	this	book,	from	the	National	Football	League	(NFL)	to	board	sports,	such	asskateboarding	and	skiing,	through	to	the	‘Fitspo’	hashtag,	sports	media	and	sportswear.	Furthermore,	the	collectionprovides	insights	on	how	the	concepts	of	participation,	women’s	autonomy,	freedom	of	choice	and	empowermenthave	distinctive	meanings	across	the	neoliberal	market	and	global	sports	industry.Across	three	sections,	the	book	deals	with	different	aspects	of	sporting	femininities	under	the	cultural	conditions	ofpostfeminism.	The	first	section,	‘Post-Feminism	and	the	Sports-Media	Industrial	Complex’,	highlights	five	mainscenarios	to	evaluate	various	representations	of	women	in	sport,	ranging	from	a	team	of	‘football	widows’	(referringto	women	whose	male	partners	frequently	play	or	watch	football)	to	the	tennis	giant,	Serena	Williams.	In	this	latterchapter,	the	way	the	sports	media	portrays	Williams	is	evaluated	with	emphasis	on	how	understandings	of	race	andfemininity	influence	the	image	formed	by	the	sporting	media.Another	chapter	deals	with	the	portrayal	of	the	Muslim-American	athletes	Ibtihaj	Muhammad,	a	sabre	fencer,	andDalilah	Muhammad,	a	track	and	field	athlete	specialising	in	the	400	metres	hurdles.	They	both	rose	to	prominenceat	the	2016	Rio	Olympics,	winning	bronze	and	gold	medals	respectively.	This	occasion	of	their	landmarkachievements	occurred	at	around	the	same	time	as	Donald	Trump	was	kickstarting	his	presidential	campaignfraught	with	hostility	towards	minorities	in	the	US.	In	discussing	this	train	of	events,	Sumaya	F.	Sammie	andToffoletti	bring	to	the	fore	how	this	‘coexistence	of	competing	discourse’	pertaining	to	Muslim	women	is	propagatedin	the	US	media.	The	first	view	portrays	Muslim	women	as	passive	and	relegated	to	the	background	due	to	theirreligious	affiliations	that	are	seen	to	go	against	Western	sentiments;	as	a	result,	they	are	deemed	‘Other’.	Thesecond	view	portrays	Muslim	women	as	complex,	active	agents	capable	of	bringing	about	social	and	politicalchange.	Media	representations	tend	to	be	more	welcoming	of	Muslim	women	if	they	adopt	more	‘Western’	modesof	femininity.	This	goes	to	show	that	neoliberal	postfeminist	sentiments	have	been	employed	by	the	US	media	whendetermining	which	bodies	of	Muslim	women	are	deemed	’empowered’	or	not.USApp – American Politics and Policy Blog: Book Review: New Sporting Femininities: Embodied Politics in Postfeminist Times edited by Kim Toffoletti,Holly Thorpe and Jessica Francombe-WebbPage 2 of 4		Date originally posted: 2020-06-28Permalink: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/usappblog/2020/06/28/book-review-new-sporting-femininities-embodied-politics-in-postfeminist-times-edited-by-kim-toffoletti-holly-thorpe-and-jessica-francombe-webb/Blog homepage: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/usappblog/The	second	section,	‘Everyday	Athletic	Girls	and	Women	Negotiating	Post-Feminism’,	uses	three	differentscenarios	to	emphasis	the	embodied	experience	of	physical	activity.	The	chapters	in	this	part	illuminate	howengaging	in	sporting	activities	can	lead	to	the	questioning	of	gender	conventions	in	three	dissimilar	circumstances,while	taking	into	account	the	established	norms	assigned	to	gender	in	different	contexts.	Adele	Pavlidis	turns	herattention	to	roller	derby	in	China.	She	digs	deeper	into	how	this	sport	has	in	recent	times	turned	into	an	emblem	offeminism,	although	this	contains	risk	as	the	sport	was	imported	into	Chinese	culture	with	development	goals	inmind.Laura	Azzarito	looks	at	how	whiteness	has	been	associated	with	a	particular	type	of	feminine	model	that	is	seen	tohave	the	attributes	of	a	healthy-looking	body:	the	image	of	a	kind	of	‘superwoman’	without	failings	or	struggles	thathas	been	widely	spread	in	the	media.	Relying	on	data	gathered	from	a	survey	of	young	African-American	andLatina	girls,	Azzarito	explains	how	the	media	has	painted	a	picture	of	a	youthful-looking,	ageless	body	that	is	white,slender	and	full	of	confidence.	This	causes	a	crisis	of	confidence	among	these	young	girls	who	are	unable	torecognise	themselves	in	this	imagery,	bringing	about	feelings	of	exclusion.The	third	and	final	section,	titled	‘Post-Feminism	in	Online	Sports	and	Fitness	Spaces’,	highlights	how	women’ssport	is	portrayed	in	digital	worlds.	This	section	discusses	the	images	created	online	by	disabled	women	athletes	aswell	as	queer	activism	centred	on	social	media.	It	also	addresses	the	current	use	of	sports	in	global	aid	work,	withThorpe	et	al	sharing	insights	on	the	‘Skateistan’	organisation	that	teaches	skateboarding	to	Afghan	girls	to	illustrateaffirmative	portrayals	of	sporting	women	in	the	Global	South.	Citing	various	examples,	the	chapters	in	this	sectionsuggest	that	digital	environments	can	offer	positive	online	images	because	women	have	the	capacity	to	tweak	andconstruct	their	own	images	of	partaking	full-time	in	sporting	activities.By	focusing	on	‘sporting	femininities’,	these	contributions	analyse	the	concept	of	femininity	in	society	and	the	worldof	sports	while	opening	up	further	questions	for	binary	gender	models	that	exclude	other	identifications,	such	astrans,	queer	and	non-binary.		These	questions	have	urgency	for	the	world	of	competitive	sport	due	to	its	extremelygender-divided	structure,	but	are	also	important	in	amateur	sporting	events.	Within	the	framework	of	postfeminism,this	has	also	produced	an	ideal	image	of	‘successful’	femininity,	which	becomes	an	imperative	for	women	to	relateto	and	against	which	all	women’s	bodies	are	examined	and	assessed.	This	idealised	image	in	the	world	of	sportmeans	that	the	athletic	and	the	feminine	still	often	end	up	on	a	collision	course	with	each	other.This	volume	presents	a	unique	set	of	refreshing	and	comprehensive	issues	when	studying	postfeminism,	sportingfemininities	and	physical	activity.	New	Sporting	Femininities	encourages	more	in-depth	analysis	of	the	cultural,political,	social	and	economic	conditions	influencing	the	postfeminist	era.	It	offers	fresh	perspectives	and	newinterventions	to	help	build	a	more	equal	and	level	playing	field	in	the	world	of	sports	for	everyone,	regardless	oftheir	gender,	race,	religion,	ethnicity,	health	status,	sexuality	or	nationality.This	review	originally	appeared	at	the	LSE	Review	of	Books.Image	Credit:	Image	by	Keith	Johnston	from	Pixabay.Please	read	our	comments	policy	before	commenting.Note:	This	article	gives	the	views	of	the	authors,	and	not	the	position	of	USAPP–	American	Politics	and	Policy,	norof	the	London	School	of	Economics.Shortened	URL	for	this	post:	https://bit.ly/2CGLbPRAbout	the	reviewerMeltem	Ince-Yenilmez	–	Yaşar	UniversityDr.	Meltem	INCE-YENILMEZ	is	an	Associate	Professor	at	the	Department	of	Economics	at	Yaşar	University	whospecializes	in	economics	of	gender	and	labor	economics.	Her	research	analyses	the	impact	of	various	forces	ofeconomics	and	social	change	on	the	constitution	of	gender	relations	and	women’s	empowerment.	Her	expertiseencompasses	cyclical	patterns	of	female	employment	and	wage	differentials	to	discrimination,	care	work	andemployment	patterns	in	developing	countries	as	well	as	issues	related	to	gender	and	development.	Her	booksinclude	Women’s	Economic	Empowerment	in	Turkey	(Routledge,	2019)	and	A	Comparative	Perspective	ofWomen’s	Economic	Empowerment	(Routledge,	2019).USApp – American Politics and Policy Blog: Book Review: New Sporting Femininities: Embodied Politics in Postfeminist Times edited by Kim Toffoletti,Holly Thorpe and Jessica Francombe-WebbPage 3 of 4		Date originally posted: 2020-06-28Permalink: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/usappblog/2020/06/28/book-review-new-sporting-femininities-embodied-politics-in-postfeminist-times-edited-by-kim-toffoletti-holly-thorpe-and-jessica-francombe-webb/Blog homepage: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/usappblog/USApp – American Politics and Policy Blog: Book Review: New Sporting Femininities: Embodied Politics in Postfeminist Times edited by Kim Toffoletti,Holly Thorpe and Jessica Francombe-WebbPage 4 of 4		Date originally posted: 2020-06-28Permalink: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/usappblog/2020/06/28/book-review-new-sporting-femininities-embodied-politics-in-postfeminist-times-edited-by-kim-toffoletti-holly-thorpe-and-jessica-francombe-webb/Blog homepage: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/usappblog/

Book review: New Sporting Femininities: Embodied Politics in Postfeminist Times, edited by Kim Toffoletti, Holly Thorpe and Jessica Francombe-Webb

Book	Review:	New	Sporting	Femininities:	EmbodiedPolitics	in	Postfeminist	Times	edited	by	Kim	Toffoletti,Holly	Thorpe	and	Jessica	Francombe-WebbIn	New	Sporting	Femininities:	Embodied	Politics	in	Postfeminist	Times,	Kim	Toffoletti,	Holly	Thorpe	andJessica	Francombe-Webb	bring	together	contributors	to	explore	how	sporting	femininities	have	been	shaped	by	apostfeminist	context,	tracking	changing	gendered	power	relations	in	sport	and	physical	cultures	alongside	newforms	of	inequality	and	sexism.	This	collection	is	a	refreshing	and	comprehensive	look	at	postfeminism,	sportingfemininities	and	physical	activity,	writes	Meltem	Ince-Yenilmez,	and	contributes	towards	building	a	more	equalplaying	field	in	the	world	of	sports	for	everyone.New	Sporting	Femininities:	Embodied	Politics	in	Postfeminist	Times.	Kim	Toffoletti,	Holly	Thorpe	andJessica	Francombe-Webb	(eds).	Palgrave.	2018.New	Sporting	Femininities	explores	‘the	changing	nature	of	gendered	sporting	subjectivities,bodies,	practices,	politics,	agency	and	experiences’	and	argues	that	new	femininities	haveemerged	in	the	era	of	postfeminism	explored	in	the	collection.	New	Sporting	Femininitiesopens	with	editors	Kim	Toffoletti,	Holly	Thorpe	and	Jessica	Francombe-Webb	looking	at	theevolving	view	of	gender	politics	in	sport	and	physical	cultures	in	local	and	global	contexts.The	authors	examine	the	various	ways	in	which	sporting	femininities	may	have	been	shapedby	a	decisive	postfeminist	moment,	which	the	contributing	authors	define	and	view	throughdifferent	lenses.	But	one	thing	is	made	clear:postfeminism	does	not	simply	stand	for	the	rejection	of	feminism	or	a	period	afterfeminism,	but	constitutes	a	distinctive	cultural	condition	that	invites	and	produces	newarticulations	of	femininity.In	evaluating	the	contributions	to	New	Sporting	Femininities,	it	comes	to	mind	that	there	have	been	many	neoliberalcurrents	and	feminist	assumptions	shaping	our	contemporary	moment,	which	have	in	turn	created	a	dynamicenvironment	to	accommodate	the	changing	landscape	in	sports	when	it	comes	to	women,	girls,	people	of	colour,LGBTQ+	people,	disabled	athletes,	individuals	with	limited	financial	capacities	and	others.	The	purpose	of	thesefresh	insights	is	to	evaluate	the	influence	of	gendered	power	relations	in	sport	and	physical	cultures	alongside	thenew	forms	of	inequality	and	sexism	in	this	present	era.In	this	book,	contributors	use	the	concept	of	postfeminism	to	provide	a	categorical	analysis	rather	than	present	oneperspective.	The	editors	critically	analyse	the	concept	of	postfeminism	to	designate	the	specific	cultural	conditionsnecessary	for	new	assumptions	about	femininity,	as	postfeminist	sentiments	shape	the	way	gendered	subjectivitiesare	enacted	and	inform	how	contemporary	gender	relations	are	understood.	The	central	themes	of	postfeminismare	the	independence	of	women,		the	expression	of	femininity	in	terms	of	physical	attributes,	an	emphasis	on	howwomen	care	for	their	bodies	and	a	fixation	on	expressions	of	heterosexual	femininity.	The	book	also	highlights	howfreedom	of	choice	is	crucial	to	how	we	conceive	equality	in	the	postfeminist	context.There	is	utility	in	an	engagement	with	postfeminism	as	a	means	to	understand	women’s	contemporary	embodiedexperiences	in	different	cultural	contexts.	In	addition,	postfeminism	can	increase	understanding	of	the	globalised,flexible	and	self-actualising	representations	of	women	in	contemporary	sport	and	physical	cultures.	However,according	to	the	editors,	despite	the	growing	trend	of	postfeminism,	the	concept	has	rarely	been	brought	to	the	foreas	part	of	feminist	analysis	of	sport	and	physical	cultures.	Despite	women’s	accomplishments	in	the	world	of	sports,there	is	also	a	looming	gap	because	these	stories	often	fail	to	focus	on	how	women	and	girls	in	diverse	contextslive	active	or	inactive	lives.	Analyses	also	do	not	pay	enough	attention	to	other	parameters,	such	as	age,	ethnicity,religion,	sexuality	and	class.LSE Review of Books: Book Review: New Sporting Femininities: Embodied Politics in Postfeminist Times edited by Kim Toffoletti, Holly Thorpe and JessicaFrancombe-WebbPage 1 of 3		Date originally posted: 2020-06-19Permalink: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/lsereviewofbooks/2020/06/19/book-review-new-sporting-femininities-embodied-politics-in-postfeminist-times-edited-by-kim-toffoletti-holly-thorpe-and-jessica-francombe-webb/Blog homepage: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/lsereviewofbooks/As	aresult,the	booktakes	acomprehensive	approach	to	studying	the	different	ways	groups	of	girls	and	women	build	meaningful	connections	inthe	context	of	sport	and	physical	cultures.	The	sections	in	the	book	consequently	spin	around	different	subjects	andfields,	such	as	sociology,	communication	and	media	studies,	cultural	studies	as	well	as	sporting	and	physical	healtheducation.	The	way	this	book	intertwines	various	disciplines	will	serve	as	a	point	of	interest	to	a	broad	spectrum	ofexperts	and	students	from	undergraduate	level	upwards.	A	wide	range	of	sports	and	topics	are	also	covered	in	thisbook,	from	the	National	Football	League	(NFL)	to	board	sports,	such	as	skateboarding	and	skiing,	through	to	the‘Fitspo’	hashtag,	sports	media	and	sportswear.	Furthermore,	the	collection	provides	insights	on	how	the	concepts	ofparticipation,	women’s	autonomy,	freedom	of	choice	and	empowerment	have	distinctive	meanings	across	theneoliberal	market	and	global	sports	industry.Across	three	sections,	the	book	deals	with	different	aspects	of	sporting	femininities	under	the	cultural	conditions	ofpostfeminism.	The	first	section,	‘Post-Feminism	and	the	Sports-Media	Industrial	Complex’,	highlights	five	mainscenarios	to	evaluate	various	representations	of	women	in	sport,	ranging	from	a	team	of	‘football	widows’	(referringto	women	whose	male	partners	frequently	play	or	watch	football)	to	the	tennis	giant,	Serena	Williams.	In	this	latterchapter,	the	way	the	sports	media	portrays	Williams	is	evaluated	with	emphasis	on	how	understandings	of	race	andfemininity	influence	the	image	formed	by	the	sporting	media.Another	chapter	deals	with	the	portrayal	of	the	Muslim-American	athletes	Ibtihaj	Muhammad,	a	sabre	fencer,	andDalilah	Muhammad,	a	track	and	field	athlete	specialising	in	the	400	metres	hurdles.	They	both	rose	to	prominenceat	the	2016	Rio	Olympics,	winning	bronze	and	gold	medals	respectively.	This	occasion	of	their	landmarkachievements	occurred	at	around	the	same	time	as	Donald	Trump	was	kickstarting	his	presidential	campaignfraught	with	hostility	towards	minorities	in	the	US.	In	discussing	this	train	of	events,	Sumaya	F.	Sammie	andToffoletti	bring	to	the	fore	how	this	‘coexistence	of	competing	discourse’	pertaining	to	Muslim	women	is	propagatedin	the	US	media.	The	first	view	portrays	Muslim	women	as	passive	and	relegated	to	the	background	due	to	theirreligious	affiliations	that	are	seen	to	go	against	Western	sentiments;	as	a	result,	they	are	deemed	‘Other’.	Thesecond	view	portrays	Muslim	women	as	complex,	active	agents	capable	of	bringing	about	social	and	politicalchange.	Media	representations	tend	to	be	more	welcoming	of	Muslim	women	if	they	adopt	more	‘Western’	modesof	femininity.	This	goes	to	show	that	neoliberal	postfeminist	sentiments	have	been	employed	by	the	US	media	whendetermining	which	bodies	of	Muslim	women	are	deemed	’empowered’	or	not.LSE Review of Books: Book Review: New Sporting Femininities: Embodied Politics in Postfeminist Times edited by Kim Toffoletti, Holly Thorpe and JessicaFrancombe-WebbPage 2 of 3		Date originally posted: 2020-06-19Permalink: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/lsereviewofbooks/2020/06/19/book-review-new-sporting-femininities-embodied-politics-in-postfeminist-times-edited-by-kim-toffoletti-holly-thorpe-and-jessica-francombe-webb/Blog homepage: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/lsereviewofbooks/The	second	section,	‘Everyday	Athletic	Girls	and	Women	Negotiating	Post-Feminism’,	uses	three	differentscenarios	to	emphasis	the	embodied	experience	of	physical	activity.	The	chapters	in	this	part	illuminate	howengaging	in	sporting	activities	can	lead	to	the	questioning	of	gender	conventions	in	three	dissimilar	circumstances,while	taking	into	account	the	established	norms	assigned	to	gender	in	different	contexts.	Adele	Pavlidis	turns	herattention	to	roller	derby	in	China.	She	digs	deeper	into	how	this	sport	has	in	recent	times	turned	into	an	emblem	offeminism,	although	this	contains	risk	as	the	sport	was	imported	into	Chinese	culture	with	development	goals	inmind.Laura	Azzarito	looks	at	how	whiteness	has	been	associated	with	a	particular	type	of	feminine	model	that	is	seen	tohave	the	attributes	of	a	healthy-looking	body:	the	image	of	a	kind	of	‘superwoman’	without	failings	or	struggles	thathas	been	widely	spread	in	the	media.	Relying	on	data	gathered	from	a	survey	of	young	African-American	andLatina	girls,	Azzarito	explains	how	the	media	has	painted	a	picture	of	a	youthful-looking,	ageless	body	that	is	white,slender	and	full	of	confidence.	This	causes	a	crisis	of	confidence	among	these	young	girls	who	are	unable	torecognise	themselves	in	this	imagery,	bringing	about	feelings	of	exclusion.The	third	and	final	section,	titled	‘Post-Feminism	in	Online	Sports	and	Fitness	Spaces’,	highlights	how	women’ssport	is	portrayed	in	digital	worlds.	This	section	discusses	the	images	created	online	by	disabled	women	athletes	aswell	as	queer	activism	centred	on	social	media.	It	also	addresses	the	current	use	of	sports	in	global	aid	work,	withThorpe	et	al	sharing	insights	on	the	‘Skateistan’	organisation	that	teaches	skateboarding	to	Afghan	girls	to	illustrateaffirmative	portrayals	of	sporting	women	in	the	Global	South.	Citing	various	examples,	the	chapters	in	this	sectionsuggest	that	digital	environments	can	offer	positive	online	images	because	women	have	the	capacity	to	tweak	andconstruct	their	own	images	of	partaking	full-time	in	sporting	activities.By	focusing	on	‘sporting	femininities’,	these	contributions	analyse	the	concept	of	femininity	in	society	and	the	worldof	sports	while	opening	up	further	questions	for	binary	gender	models	that	exclude	other	identifications,	such	astrans,	queer	and	non-binary.		These	questions	have	urgency	for	the	world	of	competitive	sport	due	to	its	extremelygender-divided	structure,	but	are	also	important	in	amateur	sporting	events.	Within	the	framework	of	postfeminism,this	has	also	produced	an	ideal	image	of	‘successful’	femininity,	which	becomes	an	imperative	for	women	to	relateto	and	against	which	all	women’s	bodies	are	examined	and	assessed.	This	idealised	image	in	the	world	of	sportmeans	that	the	athletic	and	the	feminine	still	often	end	up	on	a	collision	course	with	each	other.This	volume	presents	a	unique	set	of	refreshing	and	comprehensive	issues	when	studying	postfeminism,	sportingfemininities	and	physical	activity.	New	Sporting	Femininities	encourages	more	in-depth	analysis	of	the	cultural,political,	social	and	economic	conditions	influencing	the	postfeminist	era.	It	offers	fresh	perspectives	and	newinterventions	to	help	build	a	more	equal	and	level	playing	field	in	the	world	of	sports	for	everyone,	regardless	oftheir	gender,	race,	religion,	ethnicity,	health	status,	sexuality	or	nationality.Note:	This	review	gives	the	views	of	the	author,	and	not	the	position	of	the	LSE	Review	of	Books	blog,	or	of	theLondon	School	of	Economics.	Image	Credit:	Image	by	Keith	Johnston	from	Pixabay.	LSE Review of Books: Book Review: New Sporting Femininities: Embodied Politics in Postfeminist Times edited by Kim Toffoletti, Holly Thorpe and JessicaFrancombe-WebbPage 3 of 3		Date originally posted: 2020-06-19Permalink: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/lsereviewofbooks/2020/06/19/book-review-new-sporting-femininities-embodied-politics-in-postfeminist-times-edited-by-kim-toffoletti-holly-thorpe-and-jessica-francombe-webb/Blog homepage: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/lsereviewofbooks/

Book review: New sporting femininities: embodied politics in postfeminist times edited by Kim Toffoletti, Holly Thorpe and Jessica Francombe-Webb

http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/105457/1/lsereviewofbooks_2020_06_19_book_review_new_sporting_femininities.pdf

Book review: New sporting femininities: embodied politics in postfeminist times edited by Kim Toffoletti, Holly Thorpe and Jessica Francombe-Webb

Abstract

Similar works

Full text

Available Versions

LSE Research Online

LSE Research Online