Depicting the Sporting Body: The Intersection of Gender, Race and Disability in Women’s Sport/Fitness Magazines

Abstract

This research examines the relationship between images of sport, disability, gender and race in four U.S. women’s sport/fitness magazines. According to a view of feminism that sees it as addressing all oppressions, these magazines should provide an empowering space for all women, including women with a disability. Rejection of ableism signifies a rejection of the male body standard in sport, serving feminist goals. This study finds that fitness and sport magazines for women, by failing to include athletes with a disability, have also failed to break free from a male/ableist hegemonic body standard. Non-white women with a disability are almost invisible, emphasizing an ableist emphasis on sexual difference. However, it could be that the more each magazine rejects the boundaries of male hegemony, the more likely it is to partially reject ableism by including disability images.