The rocker and the heroine: gendered media representations of equestrian sports at the 2012 Olympics

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to analyse mediated gender relations in equestrian sports in two Swedish morning papers during the 2012 Olympic Games. The fact that men and women compete against each other in the same competitions regulated by the same rules evoked questions in this article regarding whether media reports on equestrian sports are freed from gender constructions and whether gender constructions are less visible in media reports on equestrian sports than in media reports on other sports or even dissolved altogether. The study demonstrates that the media narratives of both the female and male riders are complex and sometimes contradictory. Some narratives can be seen as (gender)norm-breaking, whereas others confirm gender stereotypes. This conclusion points to the possibility of media narratives of equestrian sports as including inclusive masculinity and femininity.