―The Rise of Skirt Culture‖: A Multi-Faceted Analysis of Running Skirts and the Skirt Chaser 5k Race Series DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Claire Marie Williams, M.A. Graduate Program in Education The Ohio State University 2010 Dissertation Committee: Professor Sarah K. Fields, Advisor Professor Melvin L. Adelman Professor Brian A. Turner Copyright by Claire Marie Williams 2010 Abstract On a training run in 2004, elite level tri-athlete Nicole DeBoom caught her reflection in a store window and thought: ―I feel like a boy; I look like a boy; I want to feel more feminine.‖ Searching for a fitness wear alternative, DeBoom subsequently started SkirtSports sportswear so that women would not have to sacrifice femininity for performance in their workout clothing. SkirtSports‘ signature item is a skirt made for running which major sportswear companies also now manufacture. As a brand extension, SkirtSports started the Skirt Chaser 5k Race Series in 2007 in numerous locations across the United States (US). The race features women wearing SkirtSports running skirts starting first in a ―Catch Me‖ wave followed three minutes later by men in a ―Skirt Chaser‖ wave; the first person to cross the finish line, male or female, wins. After the race, celebratory events include a block party, awards presentation, fashion show, live music, and dating games. In a series of three stand alone chapters, bookended with introductory and concluding chapters, I employ a multi-sited ethnographic approach, including such ―sites‖ as marketing materials, race reviews, open-ended surveys, interviews, and participant-observation, to analyze the recent popularity of running skirts and the emergence of Skirt Chaser events as a marketing strategy. In ―The Skirting Issue: Why ii Now?,‖ I situate running skirts in an historical context. I use a three-pronged analysis of the various functions of running skirts to argue that while women who own and wear running skirts may have varied reasons for doing so, none are immune from historical and contemporary concerns that women participating in sport jeopardize their femininity and that donning running skirts appeases this fear. In addition, the selling and buying of running skirts is embedded in post-feminist narratives that equate consumption and bodily discipline with power. In ―Marketing the Skirt Chaser 5k Race Series: ‗Combing Fun, Fitness, and Entertainment All-in-One‘,‖ I use the Skirt Chaser 5k Race Series as a case study through which to conduct a traditional sports marketing analysis, specifically related to product, price, place, product distribution, and promotion. At the end, I provide recommendations for improving the association between Skirt Chaser events and SkirtSports, the intended beneficiary of the events. And in ―Buying What‘s For Sale?: Running, Flirting, and Fashion,‖ I use a socio-cultural lens to investigate the nexus between sport as business (SkirtSports‘ revenue-related goals) and sport as culture (the ways in which participants experience and make meaning of the events). In particular, I analyze the methods through which the Skirt Chaser organizers use running, flirting, and fashion to market their event and the ways participants buy into and resist its premise. Implicit throughout this research are questions pertaining not only to gender and sexuality, but also to race, class, and sexual orientation. In particular, this project is an analysis of female runners and their presentation of gender and sexuality through iii sportswear, as well as the marketing strategies used to feed desires of consumption through products and brands. iv Dedication This project is dedicated to Monica Elizabeth Jarman and the many skirt chasing women in my life who have been extraordinary athletic, academic, professional, and personal role models. v Acknowledgments A great number of people have played a significant role in helping this project come to fruition. First and foremost, my advisor Dr. Sarah Fields provided invaluable guidance and feedback on this project, as well as humor and friendship over the past five years. I started graduate school without realizing just how much advisors matter, but now recognize how lucky I am to have worked with her. I received immense support as well from Dr. Melvin Adelman, whose love of women who have attended women‘s colleges played a significant role in my decision to attend Ohio State. Dr. Brian Turner provided essential guidance on this project regarding the marketing of sport as well as a remarkable example of the fandom Ohio State inspires. The Ohio State University provided me the opportunity to pursue a graduate education in conjunction with invaluable teaching experiences, and the many Smith women who graced the pages of my women‘s sport history texts were a continual source of inspiration. I owe much gratitude to the employees of SkirtSports and Red Rock Co. who introduced me to Skirt Chaser events, and to the members of the Skirt Entourage who openly shared their love of running skirts with me. My graduate colleagues, especially Drs. Megan Chawansky, Ari de Wilde, Annemarie Farrell, and Caitlin Ryan, have been instrumental to my ability to ―keep calm vi and carry on,‖ and my Columbus-area marathoning friends have provided companionship, encouragement, and motivation to do something other than schoolwork. I would like to give a special thank you to my parents, Julie and Rich Williams, for their support during my prolonged educational journey. In particular, my Mom conducted fieldwork on my behalf and is undeniably ―Skirt-tastic.‖ Don and Hilary Read provided unparalleled hospitality during my many respites in their home, and Bob Jarman has continually expressed a keen and much appreciated interest in my research. Finally, many thanks to Monica Jarman who first endured living in Columbus against her better judgment, and then moved to a location that gave me motivation to complete my degree and join her. vii Vita 1999................................................................Lincoln High School, Portland, Oregon 2003................................................................B.A. Government, Smith College 2003-2004 ......................................................Education Intern, Women‘s Sports Foundation 2004-2005 ......................................................Editor, Researcher, and Writer, Boston Youth Sports Initiative 2007................................................................M.A. Sport Humanities, The Ohio State University 2008................................................................Graduate Minor, Women‘s Studies, The Ohio State University 2005 to present ..............................................Graduate Teaching Associate, School of Physical Activity and Educational Services, The Ohio State University Publications Chawansky, M., & Williams, C. (2009). Sports. In J.C. Hawley (Ed.), LGBTQ America Today: An Encyclopedia (pp. 1156-1161). Westport, CT: Greenwood Press. Williams, C. (2007). Sexual orientation harassment and discrimination: Legal protection for student-athletes. Journal of Legal Aspects of Sport, 17(2), 253-283. Fields of Study Major Field: Education Sport Humanities & Sport Management Minor Field: Women‘s Studies viii Table of Contents Abstract ............................................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgments.............................................................................................................. vi Vita ................................................................................................................................... viii Table of Contents ............................................................................................................... ix List of Tables ................................................................................................................... xiii List of Figures .................................................................................................................. xiv Chapter 1 – ―The Rise of Skirt Culture‖ & the Skirt Chaser 5k Race Series ..................... 1 ―The Rise of Skirt Culture: Why (Some) Women Love the Swish‖ ............................... 1 Research Questions ......................................................................................................... 4 Dissertation Outline......................................................................................................... 5 What‘s Underneath: The Details ..................................................................................... 7 Nicole DeBoom & SkirtSports .................................................................................... 7 Running Skirts ............................................................................................................. 8 SkirtSports‘ Target Market and Skirt Chaser Participants .......................................... 9 The Skirt Chaser 5k Race Series Locations ................................................................. 9 ix Events with Similar Themes: Battle of the Sexes, Races with Handicaps, and Themed Sportswear ................................................................................................... 10 Methods and Methodology: A Case for Using Multi-Sited Ethnography .................... 12 Multi-Sited Ethnography ..........................................................................................