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Title: | Fighting fit: clothing, equipment and material objects as identity formation in women’s boxing |
Authors: | de Vos, E Mansfield, L Stephens, N |
Keywords: | womens boxing;material culture;ethnography;identity;femininity |
Issue Date: | 3-Jul-2025 |
Publisher: | Routledge (Taylor and Francis Group) |
Citation: | de Vos, E., Mansfield, L. and Stephens, N. (2025) 'Fighting fit: clothing, equipment and material objects as identity formation in women’s boxing', Annals of leisure research, 28 (3), pp. 399 - 418. doi: 10.1080/11745398.2025.2524024. |
Abstract: | This paper explores the intersections of material culture and gendered identity among women in boxing, linking material objects to lived experience. Based on ethnographic field work in two Midlands based boxing gyms in the UK, the study used semi-structured interviews, field observations, and a novel method involving boxers’ kit bags. It examines how women athletes navigate, resist, and redefine dominant ideals of Western femininity – privileging heterosexual desirability, whiteness, and toned aesthetics – within the traditionally male-dominated space of the boxing gym. Focusing on two themes: (i) clothing and contested feminine identities and (ii) boxing kit, rituals and belonging, analysis reveals how clothing choices and access to appropriate equipment impact women’s resistance, inclusion, and identity in the gym. While some expressions of resistance remain confined to the gym, the study highlights the symbolic and physical exclusion created by male-designed protective gear, calling for more equitable regulation and design in boxing. |
URI: | https://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/31691 |
DOI: | https://doi.org/10.1080/11745398.2025.2524024 |
ISSN: | 1174-5398 |
Other Identifiers: | ORCiD: Elaine de Vos https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7128-7828 ORCiD: Louise Mansfield https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4332-4366 ORCiD: Neil Stephens https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3871-0887 |
Appears in Collections: | Dept of Life Sciences Research Papers |
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FullText.pdf | Copyright © 2025 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. The terms on which this article has been published allow the posting of the Accepted Manuscript in a repository by the author(s) or with their consent. | 1.21 MB | Adobe PDF | View/Open |
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