Performance of Gender and Fetishization of Women in WWE Divas Matches – a Case Study Using the Mixed-Methods Framework

Home , AJ Lee, Beth Phoenix, Extreme Rules (2009), Extreme Rules (2010), Extreme Rules (2012), Kaitlyn (wrestler)

Amity Journal of Media & Communication Studies (ISSN 2231 – 1033) Copyright 2016 by ASCO 2016, Vol. 6, No. 1 Amity University Rajasthan Performance of Gender and Fetishization of Women in WWE Divas Matches – A Case Study using the Mixed-Methods Framework

Hansa Malhotra The Quint, New Delhi Ruchi Jaggi Symbiosis International University, Pune Abstract This research study aims to combine quantitative and qualitative techniques contextualized in the interpretative paradigm to explore the methodological nuances in mass communication research. Using professional wrestling as the context, this research paper will endeavor to understand the underlying conscious and subconscious biases and stereotypes that one might harbour with respect to discourses of gender and sexuality. Keywords: sexuality, methodology, stereotype

Background studies. He identifies these as problems of content, dispersal, While the discussion on methods is central to humanities ephemerality, access, discovery, ethics, production, the plurality of and social sciences, media studies has struggled and reconfigured audiences and generalizability. itself over the last century to accommodate a mix of methodologies The above discussion problematizes the importance of and also develop some exclusive ones. The potential of a method methodological conflicts in the domain of media research. As is dependent on the way in which it connects the researcher to the Merrin (2006) states, Media studies has a range of research question. However in the case of media studies, this favouredmethodologies which it uses. Images are subjected to relationship gets more and more complex as the media ecosystem semiotic analysis and texts are analysed using content analysis and is constantly evolving. The methodological framework of discourse analysis, whilst audiences are studied using both scholarly research in media studies has also developed in myriad qualitative and quantitative methods, from ethnographic ways in this ecosystem. The philosophical paradigms guiding observation, open questionnaires and interviews to more formal, media research have shifted positions accordingly. Quantitative structured questionnaires and interviews. content analysis studies and audience surveys based in the Introduction positivist paradigm have dominated mass communication research This research study aims to combine quantitative and for the longest time. This methodological direction stemmed from qualitative techniques contextualized in the interpretative paradigm the fact that most mass communication research drew its to explore the methodological nuances in mass communication disciplinary orientation from psychology and tried to investigate research. Using professional wrestling as the context, this research the effects of media. While content analysis studies aimed to paper will endeavor to understand the underlying conscious and interpret the media content, their place in the mass communication subconscious biases and stereotypes that one might harbour with research paradigm was to become the starting point to uncover respect to discourses of gender and sexuality. A lot has been causes that led to certain effects, which had to be measured, thus written about its “mythification” (Barthes, 1972) or how it adopting quantitative techniques. The interdisciplinary nature of perpetuates and reinforces certain dominant, conventional media studies however has always made it a contested terrain. The discourses. Historically and traditionally, Pro-wrestling has been influence of literature, history and sociology led to the academic understood as a dominant hyper-masculine sport, where investigation of media from a critical perspective. Hence critical heterosexual men display their physical strength, all the while also theory and literary analysis became the interpretative tools to displaying their masculinity. Over time, the sport transited from analyze media content. The content transformed to text and the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) to World Wrestling notion of effects was replaced by the notion of meanings. The Entertainment (WWE) in the year 2002. The commercialization paradigm shift from positivism to interpretivism has been fraught became apparent, as did its ideology of entertainment. The with theoretical and methodological reconfiguration in mass construction of an entertainment-driven spectacle increased its communication research. Merrin (2006) argues that in the post- popularity, and business. In the recent times, what makes the broadcast era (the age of digital media), there are a plethora of discourse further interesting is the aspect of the performativity in challenges that confront the methodological rigour in media the matches, where the outcome of matches are pre-determined, 75

Amity Journal of Media & Communication Studies (ISSN 2231 – 1033) Copyright 2016 by ASCO 2016, Vol. 6, No. 1 Amity University Rajasthan scripted and booked. Hence performance operates at the literal stories that turn into wrestling matches between two men fighting level of performing on the ring, and at the level of performing for their love.” (pg.4) (Vladicka, 2010) analyzes qualitative gender, on and off the mat. interviews with ten Canadian female wrestlers to explore their Women entering a ring that has been male-dominated constructs experiences in media texts and contexts to examine how it impacts the discourse of gender in several complicated ways. Initially, the their performance, gender performance and the larger constructed rubric involved women being part of a fabricated and scripted story idea of ‘femininity’. where women became background, off the mat stories, always in Mazer, (1998) gives another dimension to the argument. relation to men, never in isolation. It was in 2001, that WWE According to her, the ritualized encounter between opponents in created a division called the WWE Divas, a section formed to wrestling is as scripted on the ring as it is in TV programming. include women wrestlers into the arena. Even then, apart from “Professional wrestling explicitly and implicitly makes visible wrestling on the ring with obvious feminine metaphors and cultural and countercultural ideas of masculinity and sexuality.” symbols, they were also expected to perform love affairs with men, Previous research work including that of (Duncan, 1990) point out to heighten their masculinity and heterosexuality (Castellon and to wrestling media texts marginalizing and trivializing the Nasir, 2012.) With WWE’s entertainment based agenda and men achievements of a woman athlete by downplaying her athletic being a majority of their audience viewership, female fights were abilities and propounding her sexuality. (Messner, 2002) also designed to suit the male gaze (Mulvey, 1975) and the man’s points out that “humorous sexualization” of female athletes fantasy of watching women crashing and burning on top of each appropriates them in a gender-appropriate ranking framework in other. This translated to popular culture constructions, including sports. video games and reality television shows, making it integral to The spectacularization of the female body as a concept analyze and examine how women “do” gender (Lafferty and was discussed by (Messner, 2003) where he talks about “wrestling McKay, 2004) on and off the ring, the idea deeply intertwined with porn” owing to how women wrestlers are portrayed akin to their the performance based format of the matches. representation of fetishized women in pornography. Talking about This research paper’s primary research question is to the interplay of sexual voyeurism in wrestling and trivialization of explore the fetishization of female athletes in WWE Divas matches women, he says, “If women athletes do not supply enough material with the tool of textual analysis.The body politic and its subsequent for sexual titillation, there is a supporting cast of non-athlete relations to fetishism and male gaze will be explored through a women who are available for humorous voyeurism.” (pg.43.) qualitative content analysis (semiotic and discourse analysis) in the (Stratton, 2001) in his book takes the argument forward and by paper. employing a Freudian lens, asserts that cannibalism is ultimately “a Review of Literature male fantasy of men acquiring power by consuming the phallus. In Past research has theorized that the arena of professional the spectacularised cultural order, the fetishized female body wrestling in the larger framework of sports has been considered a substitutes for the impossible dream of consuming the primal unique contradiction for females. While on the one hand its phallus.” (pg.167) considered liberating, on the other hand it goes on to propagate and (Richardson, 2008) examines and develops upon the eventually validate hegemonic heterosexual gendered norms. ‘possible eroticism of the hyper-muscular female body.’ A lot of Employing Connell's concepts of ‘labor, power, cathexis, academic research on the female athletic body and bodybuilding and representation,’ (Lafferty and McKay, 2004) discuss the has either exalted it as feminist rebellion and resistance or paradoxical and contradictory “gender regime” that simultaneously disapproved it as a strange model of erotic pleasure and spectacle, enables and disables female boxers and “how women ‘do’ gender.” a sexual fetish of ‘muscle worship.’ While mainstream They argue that while “on one hand, the sport encourages bodybuilding representations attempt to create a sense of erotic individual women to display physical aggression when such numbness, asking the spectator to appraise the body like living behavior traditionally has been deemed the antithesis of femininity. sculpture, muscle-worship erotica contextualizes and eroticizes the On the other hand, women boxers in general also encounter body in a very different way.” (pg.2) resistance to their aspirations.”(pg.2) (Castellon and Nasir, 2012) (Mazer, 1998) says, “Professional wrestling is a sport, extend this argument to wrestling asserting, “WWE Divas that is not in the literal sense of the word, sporting; a theatrical participate in wrestling matches, but are also expected to perform entertainment that is not theatre.” (pg.3) Wrestling’s spectacular in background scenarios to enhance the conflict between two male semiotics as a myth have been decoded by (Barthes, 1972) in his wrestlers. Simultaneously, WWE Divas are used to confirm the previous work. On the surface, wrestling maintains the dogma of heterosexuality of male wrestlers by participating in false love heterosexuality, all the while implicitly harbouring the subtext of 76

Amity Journal of Media & Communication Studies (ISSN 2231 – 1033) Copyright 2016 by ASCO 2016, Vol. 6, No. 1 Amity University Rajasthan homoeroticism. “Wrestling’s apparently conservative masculine 5. Divas Halloween Battle Royal: Raw, October 29, 2007 ideal is constantly undermined through the parodic, carnivalesque 6. Beth Phoenix vs. Melina: One Night Stand 2008 - I Quit presentation of its opposite.” Match Utilizing a content analysis method to examine past footage and 7. WWE Divas compete in a Fuzzy Dice on a Pole Match: commentary about athleticism and sexuality for both men’s and SmackDown, 2008 women’s matches, (Castellon and Nasir, 2012) examine how 8. Beth Phoenix & Natalya vs. Lay-Cool - Tables Match: ringside commentary in professional wrestling matches validate, TLC 2010 strengthen and propagate already existing stereotypes and biases 9. Michelle McCool vs. Beth Phoenix - Women's about gender roles. Championship Extreme Makeover Match: Extreme Rul e s A lot of interesting and assertive writing has been done 2011 in magazine articles and blogposts on the topic of feminism and 10. Kaitlyn vs. AJ Lee: WWE Main Event- 2014 wrestling, worth mentioning here. (Leitman, 2015) in her article Methodological Framework asks a leading question to her audiences. “The world of women’s The first part of the analysis revolves around a wrestling operates by its own particular standards of qualitative examination of the WWE Divas matches, decoding the objectification, equality, and the glass ceiling. Is a level playing semiotic and narrative meanings of fetishization on and off the ring field possible when women and men alike prance around a ring by examining the body language, costumes, script, ringside scantily clad, hoping to be taken seriously for their agility and commentary and audience reaction. strength when the focus is on a prescriptive hyper-sexualized body The second part uses a quantitative analysis to study how type?” “They're glorified managers of male wrestlers—buff, hegemonic gender roles and stereotypes are validated and lingerie-wearing eye candy who defend, cheer, or distract the real propagated through women’s wrestling. The content is analyzed wrestlers in the ring (men).” for the use of “Feminine symbols” and ringside commentary (Glendalizcamacho, 2015) asserts that the way women regarding “Sexuality” and “Athletic prowess.” The rubric includes are represented is still homogenous, lacking nuance. “From 3 variables: entrance music to attire to physique to personality.The variation is only in degrees. A quick word association game when I take a 1. Use of “Feminine symbols” in the match represented by the cursory glance at the male roster: evil exec, vigilante, arrogant letter “F” (Variable 1) actor, cult leader, cosmic tag team, underdog, Samoan twins. The 2. Commentary on “Sexuality” represented by the letter “S” same game with the female roster gives me: punk goth girl, twins, (Variable 2) sorta rebel. There are women skipping, batting their eyelashes, 3. Commentary on “Athletic prowess” represented by “A” relying on their cleavage for popularity in some infantilized (Variable 3) version of womanhood that isn’t the reflection I know or care to The use of domestic or stereotypically ‘female oriented’ see.” signs and symbols like the colour pink and kitchen objects Sampling becomes indicative of Variable 1, use of “Feminine’ symbols.” The textual analysis hinges on footage from 10 pre- Commentary that talks about the wrestler’s beauty, physical recorded matches as the sample, distributed by YouTube and features or clothes indicate variable 2, “Sexuality”. Comments Dailymotion, two community video-sharing websites. The matches about strength, athletic agility or power indicates variable 3, examined are the top 10 ‘Wildest Divas matches’ of all time on the “Athletic prowess.” The coding sheet records whether or not these official WWE website. The matches span a 15 year period, from variables are applicable in each unit of analysis and if yes, the 2000-2014. Each match below is the unit of analysis for the number of times it’s repeated or referred to, to understand the research paper: frequency and impact of the same. 1. Lita vs. Jacqueline - Hardcore Match: Raw, October 9, Results and Interpretation 2000 2. Invasion 2001 - Lita& Trish v/s Stacy & Torrie [Bra & I The semiotics of a spectacle called wrestling within the Panty] framework of female fetishism 3. Lita vs. Victoria - Steel Cage Match: Raw, November 24, The “Wildest Divas matches” as a category in itself on 2003 the official WWE website connotes the sexualized identity of the 4. Lita vs. Trish Stratus: Women's Championship Match - female athlete in the usage of the words ‘Wild’ and ‘Diva’. Raw, December 6, 2004 77

Amity Journal of Media & Communication Studies (ISSN 2231 – 1033) Copyright 2016 by ASCO 2016, Vol. 6, No. 1 Amity University Rajasthan The WWE Divas matches have categories like “pillow fights”, hyper-masculine athletic body of a woman as in wrestling is based “Bikini contests” and “Evening gown fights” along with the “Bra on it being a spectacular, new model of sexual fetish. and Panties” match, one of which is part of the sample for analysis. The semiotics of the matches are made visible by reading The sexual appeal and viewing of women as commercial objects on the signs and symbols in and outside the ring, including costumes, which the franchise capitalizes is evident from the costumes, body body language and the script that wrestlers adhere to. The use of language and script of the matches. Professional wrestling is much hyper-sexualized costumes like the gangster look, the Latin more than a competitive sport- it’s a theatrical performance with showgirl attire or the sexy mom look are popular culture male pre-decided players (athletes), a script whose outcome is fantasies that become visible in the Halloween Divas Battle Royal predetermined with moves and spots that are agreed upon in match (2007). Trivializing the athletic capabilities of women, the advance. With a rehearsed script, what remains for the wrestlers is commentary relies heavily on calling it a “cat fight” with ten to “perform” the script with improvisations on the ring as and women fighting with each other, pulling at each other’s hair. The when required. The ‘reality’ of wrestling is hence a myth (Bathes, almost orgasmic, moaning sounds of the women echo across the 1972), that has been naturalized over the years. As a spectacle for stadium with audience members cheering loudly. In the dice match pleasure (Mazer, 1998), the ring opens itself to theatrical on a pole (2008), the pole on which the two dices were placed that performance and to gender performance. WWE Divas matches as had to be retrieved by the wrestlers to win the match involved part of the framework make visible cultural ideals of sexuality and women going up and down in rhythmic moves over the pole, gender, especially with respect to ‘female fetishization’ and evoking the analogy of a sexualized pole dance. The animal-like ‘pornographization.’ ‘Fetishization’ here implies looking at the walk with which female wrestlers enter the ring adds to their woman as a commodity, a fetish for consumption, reducing her to a objectification and sexualization. In the 2014 match, AJ Lee non-human entity. ‘Pornographization’ here implies that women in wearing hot pants and a sports bra enters the ring, bending with a the ring are booked to fight with each other in ways to evoke erotic “bosom and butt out” manner. The match’s commentary focuses on pleasure for the pre-dominantly male audience and in the act of the jealousy between the two women who were former best friends touching each other’s semi-naked bodies, moaning and groaning and are now competing for a title, more than their fight in the while performing moves, the act of wrestling bears resemblances to match. The idea that the women let a title come in the way of the spectacle of pornography. After the success of WWE Divas female sorority, re-establishes the idea of an “ideal female.” The matches, a category called “wrestling porn” was generated. As a positions in which the women fight on top of each other is sexually term, it was first used by KABC’s commentator on March 23, 1999 titillating. The reservation of women as fetishized, objectified in an interview with female wrestler Sable, inviting viewers into persons appropriates them in a gendered framework where the this story by stating, “We’re your source for wrestling porn.” The sport is not their act, but the entertainment of it is. Engaging in idea that women’s wrestling is akin to fetishized pornography sexual voyeurism, the female athletes wear costumes, portray becomes clear with the qualitative analysis of the 10 pre-recorded animal like walks and perform stunts that expose their anatomies. matches. Therefore a semiotic and discourse analysis The Bra and Panties match (2001) validates the same. Stripping deconstructing the narrative of wrestling becomes integral. each other down to their bras and thongs, the women end up The Fetishization of the female body can be understood engaging in “humorous sexualization” (Messner, 2002) of with understanding a woman’s desire for consumption. The phallus themselves, becoming material for jokes than the act of wrestling. as a primal symbol of power creates in women a ‘lack’ of it, a term This thematically and theatrically trivializes their fight and renders coined by Lacan. The lack of the phallus then or “phallic lack” is them as material for sexual titillation. what drives women to find phallic substitutes, like shopping of The “humorous sexualization” (Messner, 2002) of commodities (Stratton, 2001). For men, however, the fetishization female athletes is heightened through the use of “hardcore items”, of the female body acts as a re-assurance of the phallus in them. a term used for the weapon used by wrestlers as legitimate means Fetishization is therefore founded on the gaze. “For the individual of fighting. These weapons for the women including, broom sticks, male, it is the shock of the visual discovery that women do not buckets, iron tables, hair dryers and make up times, signify have penises which provokes in some cases the fetishistic domestic femininity and at the same time creating a travesty of the substitution.” (Stratton, 2001) The fundamental idea of fight. In the match between Lita and Jacqueline (2000), the commodities being something that can be exchanged in the market, commentator says, “Jackie looks like she’s been in the kitchen a in gendered constructs relate to fetishization of the female body in time or two,” when she picks up the baking sheet to hit Lita. The a heterosexual phallocentric market. It is this male gaze that leads symbols are brought in focus again when Jacqueline is unable to to the spectacularization of the female body. The eroticism of the unlock a fire extinguisher, typically used in male fights. The high- 78

Amity Journal of Media & Communication Studies (ISSN 2231 – 1033) Copyright 2016 by ASCO 2016, Vol. 6, No. 1 Amity University Rajasthan point of the 2010 match between Michelle McCool and Beth A qualitative analyses of the matches with a focus on Phoenix is Phoenix’s dive on the make-up table. The table discourse analysis revealed ways in which women are fetishized becomes symbolic of “femininity”, with the commentary on their also as part of popular culture fetishism, while focus on the male “sizzling bodies” as tools for titillation. These items trivialize the gaze and male desire of consuming a “phallicized female fight, in turn confirming to them being objects of fetishization. The body.”(Stratton, 2001) A shift to quantitative study reveals gender act of wrestling for female wrestlers is the act of getting fetishized, asymmetries in the matches with the way hegemonic and the two never being separate categories. constructed gender stereotypes are constantly perpetuated. By The spectacularization of the female body is closely using symbols that are understood as ‘feminine’ and focusing on linked to the “male gaze” (Mulvey, 1975) where cultural-visual the physical appearance of the wrestler, the gendered biases are arts are constructed around a masculine viewer/ desire. It can legitimized As part of discourse analysis, interpreting the talk, therefore be understood as operating at the level of a dichotomous commentary and conversation during the matches using construction. The binary of the victor/victimized and the thin- quantitative study reveals the fierce repetition with which both a) pretty/muscular body and its consequent show in the ring renders ringside commentary and b) use of symbols go onto to assert and itself to multiple meanings with respect to power construction and validate a strictly clear binary between what’s feminine and what’s gender. masculine. A “humouroussexualization” (Messner, 2002) and With its premise of the “performitative” both in terms of commodification of the “pretty face ideal” versus the discussion gender (Butler, 1990) and the actual sport (Mazer, 1998), the about strength and power of a visibly muscular “hyper-masculine semiotic spectacle of wrestling, including its theatrics and scripted female ideal” is revealed through the study. The wrestling ring as a myths also unveil the subtext of homoeroticism. While on the sign for empowerment, a traditionally male-centric space that has surface, the dogma of heterosexuality is maintained and validated been opened up for women has problems of its own. The liberation by off the ring stories of love affairs and false love angles between comes with a dichotomy. While the ring enables women to male and female wrestlers, the spectacle with its idea of showcase their strength and wrestling abilities, something that has performance masks the homoerotic. “Wrestling’s apparently been historically understood as antitheses to what is defined conservative masculine ideal is constantly undermined through the ‘feminine’, the ring also makes them adhere to “where they parodic, carnivalesque presentation of its opposite. Professional belong”. The table reveals the excessive talk about the wrestler’s wrestling’s often vehement heterosexism is thus underscored by “beauty” all throughout the match. In the 10 matches analyzed with the homoerotic.” (Mazer, 1998). The idea of women touching each quantitative variables, the word “beautiful” has been used 20 times other, performing moves over each other and grabbing each other while the talk of “athleticism”, a mere 6 times. The focus on the in different positions can be understood as possibly homoerotic, wrestler’s physical appearance and clothing finds more takers than somewhere again feeding into a popular culture constructed male discussion about her moves or display of strength. This not only fantasy. The AJ Lee v/s Kaitlyn match (2014) ends with Lee legitimizes her sexualization, but also confirms to gendered jumping on Kaitlyn for an impromptu hug, and kissing her cheeks. stereotypes and hierarchies where the female falls below the male. The homoerotic spectacle of that sight was not overlooked by the This further re-constructs socially accepted gender “performances” commentator either. “Oh, there’s something happening there,” he and the larger concept of “femininity” (Messner, Duncan, and said. In a popular script involving wrestlers Mickie James and Cooky 2003). Trish Stratus, the two wrestlers infatuated by each other enter a The table above also becomes evidence of an interesting lesbian angle off the ring after a long kiss between the two under a binary that emerges in the representation of the female athlete. As sprig of mistletoe was aired on television in a RAW episode in explained in the first part, the dichotomous categories of a lankier 2005. The homoerotic reached its logical conclusion, earning the “pretty face ideal” and the muscular “hyper-masculine athletic channel gross TRP’s. ideal” have interesting connotations with respect to commentary The spectacle of fetish and fetish of the spectacle works about them. The instances where commentators have talked about to render female athletes as a site for erotic pleasure, in one way or the wrestler’s physical prowess and athleticism is higher when a the other. muscular athlete is in the ring in comparison to matches where the opponents adhere to the “pretty face ideal.” This has interesting II Analyzing through quantitative study, the representation of interpretations. A woman who resembles a masculine wrestler female fights in WWE Divas matches with socially constructed ideal is found to have received more references about her gender roles being reinforced aggressiveness and agility (traditionally masculine traits) in opposition to a woman who visibly displays ‘feminine’ traits like 79

Amity Journal of Media & Communication Studies (ISSN 2231 – 1033) Copyright 2016 by ASCO 2016, Vol. 6, No. 1 Amity University Rajasthan emotionality and heterosexuality. In matches involving Beth Another way in which “hegemonic masculinity” Phoenix who is visibly a bulkier, muscular athlete, the references (Connell, 1987, 1995) gets reinforced in the WWE Divas matches to toughness and emotional restraint are remarkably higher. In the is the entry of men/ex-boyfriends of female wrestlers/ male owners Beth Phoenix v/s Melina I quit Match of 2008, there are 6 of WWE entering the ring as “saviours” for “helpless, heartbroken” references to Beth’s power, control and resilience on the ring, the divas. In the Lita vs. Victoria - Steel Cage Match in 2003, Lita’s highest in any of the matches analyzed above. The second highest entry was established by the commentator talking about her as the number of references made to a wrestler’s athletic capabilities (3 “helpless heartbroken athlete” who got dumped at the hands of a references) are in the AJ Lee v/s Kaitlyn Match of 2014. Kaitlyn is popular male wrestler. The match ends with Lita’s ex-boyfriend also a larger, heavier female athlete. An athlete with traits entering the steel cage to make her lose as form of taking revenge associated with masculinity becomes a special sort of spectacle, a for the hardships in their relationship. Lita lays there moaning and reminder of the power of the ‘masculine.’ crying, when Christian (a WWE manager) comes in to hold and The gender inequality becomes even more stark with the soothe her down. With failed attempts by the wrestlers to get out of way the shows are booked and scripted for female wrestlers. From the steel cage (the one who exits first, wins), the commentator entrance music, to costumes to the “weapons” used for the match, proudly asserts, “We see now why women don’t like to be in the the overarching discourse of “domesticity” is extremely prominent. steel cage matches.” The same match also employs a cheap The eyelash batting, cleavage displaying costumes are not enough homosexual joke, followed by incessant cheering from the to sexualize the woman, because the excessive use of “feminine audience. Masculinity, heterosexual masculinity at that, gets symbols” validate the woman’s domestic prowess, enough for her asserted as the dominant dogma, also perpetuating existing gender to use it as “arsenal” for the match. From a baking sheet, broom expectations and hegemonic heterosexual gender norms. and hair dryer, all traditional domestic symbols, being used as Conclusion hardcore weapons for the fight in the Lita vs. Jacqueline- Hardcore Through qualitative and quantitative analysis, the study Match in 2000, to Michelle McCool and Beth Phoenix employing supports that popular culture media like the WWE Divas franchise tools like make-up items, brooms, buckets, hair sprays and iron can construct, perpetuate and naturalize existing stereotypes and boards to knock each other off the match in the 2011 Women's expected gender roles that can have real-life ramifications. The Championship Extreme Makeover Match, the significations spell fetishization of the female body gets continuously asserted through conventional ideas of what is feminine. In the 5 matches that imagery, content and commentary of these matches, a semiotic deployed usage of “Feminine symbols” (Variable 1), they were analysis of which can critically prove the ways in which media can used 36 times in total. 2 matches including the Halloween battle indoctrinate how heterosexual hegemonic masculinity and and the Bra and Panties match, the symbols were used all femininity comes to be defined in a socio-cultural-economic setup. throughout the match, a constant reminder of the wrestlers’ Even though women’s involvement and coverage in the matches femininity on the ring. Men’s hardcore matches in comparison use has increased by manifold, how it reaches the audience, what it’s chairs, iron boards and staircases for the match. The male-female made to signify and who gazes with a position of authority makes binary is naturalized through the use of “weapons” used for all the difference. fighting. References The “Wildest Divas matches” (‘Wild’ and ‘Diva’ in themselves asserting a sexualized female identity) of all time make Barthes, R. (1972). Mythologies. New York: Will and Yang use of pink dices and tables, thongs and sexualized Halloween Castellon, J. & Nasir, F. (2012). Women in Wrestling: Stereotypes, costumes to clearly validate the popular culture construction of Gender Bias and Inequality. Paper presented at the women confirming to certain stereotypes that even the ring as a California State University. liberating metaphor cannot evade. As a negation of a female Cooky, C., Duncan, M.C., &Messner, M.A. (2003). Sports Bras, wrestler being competent to fight on her own, the idea ends up And Wrestling Porn: Women in Televised Sports News validating “hegemonic masculinity”, something that is the guiding and Highlights Shows. Journal of Sport and Social principles of professional wrestling (Messner, 2002). With Issues humorous and almost trivialized sexualization of the female athlete Connell, R.W. (1987). Gender and Power. Cambridge, UK: Polity clad in sport bras and leather pants, the power construct in terms of Connell, R.W.(1995). Masculinities. Cambridge, UK: Polity 1987, gender becomes clear with the ring still being centric around the 1995 male wrestler and the female wrestler confirming to a sexualized accessory on and off the mat. 80

Amity Journal of Media & Communication Studies (ISSN 2231 – 1033) Copyright 2016 by ASCO 2016, Vol. 6, No. 1 Amity University Rajasthan Duncan , M.C. (1990). Sports photographs and sexual difference: Leitman, R. (April, 2015).When Wrestling Is An Act Of Feminist Images of women and men in the 1984 and 1988 Rebellion.Ravishly.Retrieved Olympic Games.Sociology of Sport Journal. from:http://www.ravishly.com/2015/04/08/ruth-leitman- Glendalizcamacho. (February, 2015). Female wrestlers and wrestling-act-feminist-rebellion. feminism in the WWE.Becomenzando. Retrieved from: Mazer, S. (1998). Professional wrestling: sport and http://becomenzando.com/2015/02/25/why-it-bugs-the- spectacle. Mississippi: University Press of Mississippi. shit-outta-me-when-wwe-tries-to-hand-me-some- Messner, M.A. (2002). Taking the field: Women, men and sports. feminism/ Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press Grønkjær, M., Curtis, T., de Crespigny, C. & Delmar, C. Morgan, D. L. (1997).Focus groups as qualitative research. (2 ed.) (2011).Analysing group interaction in focus group Thousand Oaks: SAGE Publications. research: Impact on content and the role of the Nunes, E. ( 2015). How are the WWE matches scripted? Retrieved moderator.Qualitative Studies, 2(1): 16-30. from: https://www.quora.com/How-are-the-WWE- JarBelles. (2015). WWE Divas – the sexist world of women’s pro matches-scripted wrestling. Retrieved from: Richardson, N. (2008). Flex-rated! Female bodybuilding: feminist http://thejarbelles.com/2015/06/30/wwe-divas-the-sexist- resistance or erotic spectacle? Journal of Gender Studies. world-of-womens-pro-wrestling/ Stratton, J. (2001). The Desirable Body: Cultural Fetishism and the Katz, J. &Jhally, S. (May 2, 1999). Crisis in masculinity. The Erotics of Consumption. University of Illinois Press Boston Globe, p. E01. Vladicka , T. (2010). Wrestling with femininity: female wrestlers' Krueger, R. A. & Casey, M. A. (2000).Focus groups: a practical gender performances and the meaning of femininity on guide for applied research. (3 ed.) Thousand Oaks: Sage and off the mat.University of Victoria, Press. Publication. WWE Diva.In Wikipedia.Retrieved October 1, 2005, from Lafferty, Y, McKay, J. (2004).“Suffragettes in Satin https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WWE_Diva Shorts”?Gender and Competitive Boxing.Qualitative Sociology, September 2004, Volume 27, Issue 3.

Match Variables Yes/No Symbol/ commentary Number of times its repeated

Lita vs. Jacqueline- Hardcore F Yes a) Baking sheet 3 Match: Raw, 2000

b) Broom 2

c) Hair dryer 1

S Yes “Beautiful” 2

A Yes “Toughness” 1

Invasion 2001 - Lita& Trish v/s Stacy & Torrie [Bra & Panty] F Yes Bras and panties Throughout the match

S Yes a) Thongs and clothing 9

b) “Fighting like cats” 1

A No - -

Lita vs. Victoria - Steel Cage F No - - Match: Raw, 2003

S Yes a) Clothing 3

b) “Beautiful” 1

A No - -

F No Lita vs. Trish Stratus: Women's Championship Match - Raw, 2004 S Yes a) Trish’s plastic surgery 13

b) “beautiful” 4

c) “Perfect facial features” 1

A Yes a) “Physical strength” 1

b) “Martial art kick” 1

Divas Halloween Battle Royal: F Yes a) Sexualized costumes 1 Raw, October 29, 2007

b) Toy babies 3

c) Eve’s apple 1

S Yes a) “Sexy” 1

b) “Warrior princess” 1

c) “Showgirl woman” 1

d) “Beautiful” 1

A Yes a) “Athletic” 1

b) “Physical move 1

F No - - Beth Phoenix vs. Melina: One Night Stand 2008 - I Quit Match S Yes a) Beth Phoenix called 13 “glamazon”

b) “Beautiful” 2

c) “She can excite anyone” 1

“Cat like maneuver” 1

A Yes a) “Power” 3

b) “Strength” 2

c) “Athleticism” 1

WWE Divas compete in a Fuzzy F Yes a) 2 pink dices Used throughout Dice on a Pole Match: SmackDown, 2008 b) Pole

S Yes a) “Ravishing beauty” 1

b) “Sexy” 1

A Yes a) “Resilience and control” 1

F Yes A pink table 7 Beth Phoenix & Natalya vs. Lay- Cool - Tables Match: S Yes a) “Cunning beauty” 1 2010

b) “Beautiful” 2

A Yes a) “Athletic” 1

b) “Resilience and control” 1

F Yes a) Makeup items 5 Michelle McCool vs. Beth Phoenix - Women's Championship Extreme b) Broom and Bucket 4 Makeover Match: 2011

c) Hair spray 1

d) Iron board 4

S Yes a) “we see bust” 1

b) “Beautiful” 3

c) “Sizzling bodies” 1

A Yes a) “Athletic” 2

Kaitlyn vs. AJ Lee: WWE Main F Yes The pink butterfly championship belt 4 Event- 2014

S Yes a) “Beautiful” 4

A Yes a) Power 2

e) Resilience 1

Table 1

The use of “feminine symbols” and commentary about sexuality and athletic prowess