Strength Over Gender? Discussing and Presenting the Ambivalent Female Strength in the CrossFit Games 2019

Abstract

In this chapter, we pay attention to the ambivalence of the CrossFit culture, which both resists and reinforces hegemonic femininity by expanding the possibilities of the strong female body. CrossFit seems to emphasize physical capabilities over gender, and in its world championship competition the CrossFit Games, female and male athletes are given similar attention. As a fitness regimen and a brand CrossFit is also actively promoting its ethos of equality. However, hegemonic masculinity and heteronormativity are both enforced and challenged within the CrossFit community. Our analysis focuses on the Rogue Iron Game live stream broadcast of the individual women athlete’s events in the 2019 Reebok CrossFit Games competition, published as eleven separate YouTube videos. Through a close reading of this audiovisual material, we interpret the representations and discourses concerning female athlete’s strength in the context of this sporting event. We utilize feminist thematic analysis and combine this approach with a critical understanding of CrossFit as a neoliberal and postfeminist manifestation. As a result, we present three essential themes discussed and presented in the context of female strength: (1) looking strong, (2) strong and dominating performance, and (3) women’s strength versus men.