Sports uniforms for women in soccer: conventions, subversions and distinctions in clothing

Abstract

Based on the analysis of data collected in an ethnographic research conducted in Rio Grande do Sul between 2011 and 2012, as well as the use of other media cultural artefacts, this article discusses the use of sportswear by female soccer players from Brazil. Throughout the article, it will be asked how the uniforms of women in soccer raise dilemmas regarding the attractiveness and practicality of clothing, as well as to understand how uniforms influence the distinctions between the categories “posh girls” and “humble women”, which reveal not only class distinctions but also race/ethnicity in soccer (mainly in Porto Alegre, RS). In order to address gender issues in sport, the work of Brazilian Silvana Goellner is an important reference. Regarding gender issues and postcoloniality, Australian Raewyn Connell will be essential. To address race/ethnicity, we chose Americans bell hooks and Kimberlé Crenshaw. It is possible to understand that clothing works as a form of expression that is influenced by parameters related to consumption, which still promotes the exclusion of some social groups, such as the “humble women” in Porto Alegre’s women’s soccer.