Gender, Subjectivity and the Female Surfer in Britain
FEMINISM IN NEW SPORTING SPACES: GENDER, SUBJECTIVITY AND THE FEMALE SURFER IN BRITAIN GEORGINA ROY A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the University of Brighton for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy September 2013 The University of Brighton Feminism in New Sporting Spaces: Gender, Subjectivity and the Female Surfer in Britain Georgina Roy, University of Brighton, 2013 Abstract The popularity of ‘lifestyle’ sports like surfing has risen exponentially since the 1990s (Booth, 2004; Wheaton, 2010). The female interest in surfing has been a particularly pronounced feature of this growth; evident not only in terms of participation, but in terms of consumption and visibility across forms of popular culture worldwide (Comer, 2010). This so-called ‘boom’ of interest in surfing amongst women in Britain is an important topic for feminist analysis. In its contemporary form, the sport has particularly strong links to standards of white heteronormativity, and the heterosexy image of the 'surfer girl' is a central aspect of surfing's commercial mainstreaming. At the same time, surfing is still a relatively ‘new', and so-called 'alternative' sporting space, particularly amongst women in Britain. As such, it has the potential to challenge dominant discourses of femininity. Taking a post-structural feminist perspective, this research focuses on the ways in which females who surf are experiencing, negotiating and challenging issues of gender, sexuality and subjectivity in British surfing spaces. I draw on 32 in-depth interviews with females who surf, and ethnographic fieldwork conducted in four coastal locations; Brighton, Newquay, Newcastle and South Wales. I also offer self-reflexive insights as part of this ethnographic journey.
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