Women’s Experiences in the Mixed Martial Arts: A Quest for Excitement?

Abstract

Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), like the majority of relatively violent sports, has mainly been organized around the capabilities of the male body. However various indices suggest that women's engagement with MMA is growing. The purpose of this paper is to offer an analysis of women's involvement in MMA using a figurational sociological approach. In doing so, we draw on interview data with "elite" female mixed martial artists to explore the extent to which females within MMA experience a specifically gendered "quest for excitement." The paper further illustrates how the notion of "civilized bodies" can be used to interpret the distinctly gendered experiences of shame in relation to fighting in combat sports, the physical markings incurred as a consequence, and perceptions of sexual intimacy in the close physical contact of bodies. In so doing this paper provides the first figurationally-informed study of female sport involvement to focus explicitly on the role of violence in mediating social relations, while refining aspects of the figurational sociological approach to provide a more adequate framework for the analysis of gender relations.Les arts martiaux mixtes (aussi connus sous l'abréviation MMA pour Mixed Martial Arts en anglais), comme la majorité des sports relativement violents, ont principalement été développés autour des capacités du corps masculin. Cependant, divers indices suggèrent que l'engagement des femmes en MMA est en pleine croissance. Le but de cet article est d'offrir une analyse de l'implication des femmes en MMA en utilisant une approche sociologique figurationnelle. En faisant cela, nous nous servons de données provenant d'entrevues avec des femmes adeptes des arts martiaux mixtes au niveau « élite » pour explorer dans quelle mesure les

'Pink Gloves Still Give Black Eyes': exploring 'alternative' femininity in women's combat sports

“…Often, female fighters' embodiment of femininity is considered somewhat oppositional to, or even incompatible with, their development of fighting skills [Halbert 1997;McCaughey 1998;Guérandel and Mennesson 2007;Kavoura et al 2015]; it can also be framed as symbolic of the limited extent to which MACS practices can challenge wider social formations of (hierarchal) gender difference [Mennesson 2000;Velija et al 2013;Paradis 2014;Weaving 2014]. In this sense, the extant feminist literature on women in MACS, with its overarching commitment to exploring how female practitioners can challenge or subvert women's subordination, has often tended to reaffirm what Jayne Caudwell describes as the general tendency among wider feminist sport sociology to read sportswomen's femininity as 'duped' [Caudwell 2006: 155].…”

“…A significant amount of the scholarly work concerning these female martial artists, boxers, wrestlers, and self-defence practitioners has echoed themes prominent within the broader field of research on women's sport, identifying in particular the 'empowering' experiences of female fighters and the broader, gender-subversive potential involved with these phenomena [e.g., Hargreaves 1997;McCaughey 1998;De Welde 2003;Noel 2009;McNaughton 2012;Velija et al 2013]. This is unsurprising given the gendered character of combat-oriented activities in general and MACS in particular.…”

“…Much has been written over the past two decades about the experiences of women participating in martial arts and combat sports (MACS) of various kinds [e.g., Guthrie 1995;Halbert 1997;McCaughey 1997;Mennesson 2000;Hollander 2004;Sisjord and Kristiansen 2009;Lökman 2010;Paradis 2012;Mierzwinski et al 2014;Allen-Collinson and Owton 2015;Jennings 2015;Kavoura et al 2015;Channon and Matthews 2015a; see also Follo 2012 andChannon andJennings 2014 for wider reviews of this literature]. A significant amount of the scholarly work concerning these female martial artists, boxers, wrestlers, and self-defence practitioners has echoed themes prominent within the broader field of research on women's sport, identifying in particular the 'empowering' experiences of female fighters and the broader, gender-subversive potential involved with these phenomena [e.g., Hargreaves 1997;McCaughey 1998;De Welde 2003;Noel 2009;McNaughton 2012;Velija et al 2013].…”

Women Fighters as Agents of Change: A Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Case Study from Finland

“…However, feminist researchers unconvinced by this explanation investigated the complex social structures and gender dynamics that operate in martial arts (e.g., Hargreaves, 1997;Mennesson, 2000;McNaughton, 2012) and shed light on the obstacles that female athletes face in career development, such as ridicule (Mierzwinski et al, 2014) and discrimination (Halbert, 1997;Sisjord, 1997;Sisjord & Kristiansen, 2008, 2009. Feminist scholars called attention to the need for progressive social change in the male-dominated domain of martial arts (Hargreaves, 1997;Kavoura et al, 2012).…”

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“…Kroppens sociale skam kan således virke til at vaere en relevant problematik for unge piger i de vestlige kulturer (Flagestad, 1996;Rasmussen & Due, 2011;Skårderup, 2006;Strauss, 1999). Vi har brug for mere empirisk forskning, der går i dybden med de sociale forandringsprocesser i forholdet til kroppen -også de hverdagslige mikroorienterede interaktioner i idraet (Mierzwinski et al, 2014;Thing & Ottesen, 2013). w Pigerne forpligtes således normativt til at handle i overensstemmelse med idealet for at figurere som kompetente agenter.…”