Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Chapter 13: Badass CrossFit Women; Redefining Traditional Femininity, One Handstand Push-Up at a Time

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Sportswomen’s Apparel in the United States

  • 479 Accesses

Abstract

The informal “uniform” for female CrossFit athletes consists of Lululemon spandex athletic shorts and a sports bra, physique-revealing apparel to support traditional gender orientation sexualizing and objectifying them. We explore the experiences CrossFit women have in clothing their muscular, powerful bodies in apparel that is functional, feminine, and fitting.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 109.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 139.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 139.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Cahn, S. K. (2003). Come out, come out whatever you’ve got! or, still crazy all these years. Feminist Studies, 29(1), 7–18.

    Google Scholar 

  • Christel, D. A., O’Donnell, N. H., & Bradley, L. A. (2016). Coping by crossdressing: an exploration of exercise clothing for obese heterosexual women. Fashion and Textiles, 3(1), 11.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Entwistle, J. (2000). The fashioned body: Fashion, dress, and modern social theory. Malden, MA: Blackwell.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fredrickson, B. L., & Roberts, T.-A. (1997). Objectification theory: Toward understanding women’s lived experiences and mental health risks. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 21, 173–206.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Greenleaf, C. (2002). Athletic body image: Exploratory interviews with former competitive female athlete. Women in Sport and Physical Activity Journal, 11, 63–88.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Grogan, S. (1999). Body Image: Understanding body dissatisfaction in men, women, and children. London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Grundy, P. (1997). Bloomers and beyond: North Carolina women’s basketball uniforms, 1901–1997. Southern Cultures, 3(3), 52–67.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gurung, R. A., & Chrouser, C. J. (2007). Predicting objectification: Do provocative clothing and observer characteristics matter? Sex Roles, 57(1–2), 91–99.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hargreaves, J. (1994). Sporting females: Critical issues in the history and sociology of women’s sports. London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Harrison, L. A., & Secarea, A. M. (2010). College students’ attitudes toward the sexualization of professional athletes. Journal of Sport Behavior, 33(4), 403–426.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hauff, C., Bennett, H., Gipson, C., & Malcom, N. (in press). “…the tighter the better”: Exploring the experiences CrossFit women have with traditional and exercise apparel.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hill, M. R., & Deegan, M. J. (Eds.). (2002). The dress of women: A critical introduction to the symbolism and sociology of clothing: Charlotte Perkins Gilman. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Knapp, B. A. (2015). Rx’d and shirtless: An examination of gender in a CrossFit box. Women in Sport and Physical Activity Journal, 23(1), 42–53.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Knight, J. L., & Giuliano, T. A. (2003). Blood, sweat, and jeers: The impact of the media’s heterosexist portrayals on perceptions of male and female athletes. Journal of Sport Behavior, 26(3), 272–284.

    Google Scholar 

  • Krane, V., Choi, P. Y. L., Baird, S. M., Aimar, C. M., & Kauer, K. J. (2004). Living the paradox: Female athletes negotiate femininity and masculinity. Sex Roles, 50, 315–329.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lopiano, D. (2000). Modern history of women in sports: Twenty-five years of Title IX. Clinics in Sports Medicine, 19(2), 163–173.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Maphis, L. E., Martz, D. M., Bergman, S. S., Curtin, L. A., & Webb, R. M. (2013). Body size dissatisfaction and avoidance behavior: How gender, age, ethnicity, and relative clothing size predict what some won’t try. Body Image, 10, 361–368.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Michaelson, D., Teel, K. P., & Chattarman, V. (2018). Assessing rock climbers’ functional needs in climbing pants. Clothing and Textile Research Journal, 36(4), 235–250.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nelson, M. B. (1994). The stronger women get, the more men love football: Sexism and the American culture of sports. New York: Avon Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Podmore, M., & Ogle, J. P. (2018). The lived experience of CrossFit as a context for the development of women’s body image and appearance management practices. Fashion and Textiles, 5(1), 1.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schweinbenz, A. (2000). Not just a fashion statement: Bathing suits, uniforms, and sportswear in the early Olympic Games. Seminar on Olympic Studies, pp. 60–71.

    Google Scholar 

  • Steinfeldt, J. A., Zakrajsek, R. A., Bodey, K. J., Middendorf, K. G., & Martin, S. B. (2013). Role of uniforms in the body image of female college volleyball players. The Counseling Psychologist, 41(5), 791–819.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tiggemann, M., & Andrew, R. (2012). Clothing choices, weight, and trait self-objectification. Body Image, 9, 409–212.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Washington, M. S., & Economides, M. (2016). Strong is the new sexy: Women, CrossFit, and the postfeminist ideal. Journal of Sport and Social Issues, 40(2), 143–161.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Health, Kinesiology, and Sport, University of South Alabama, Mobile, AL, USA

    Caitlyn Hauff

  2. Department of Health Sciences and Kinesiology, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, GA, USA

    Christina Gipson

  3. Kinesiology, Augusta University, Augusta, GA, USA

    Hannah Bennett

  4. Sociology, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, GA, USA

    Nancy L. Malcom

Authors
  1. Caitlyn Hauff
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Christina Gipson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Hannah Bennett
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Nancy L. Malcom
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Caitlyn Hauff .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Communications Department, Worcester State University, Worcester, MA, USA

    Linda K. Fuller

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2021 The Author(s)

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Hauff, C., Gipson, C., Bennett, H., Malcom, N.L. (2021). Chapter 13: Badass CrossFit Women; Redefining Traditional Femininity, One Handstand Push-Up at a Time. In: Fuller, L.K. (eds) Sportswomen’s Apparel in the United States. New Femininities in Digital, Physical and Sporting Cultures. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-45477-7_14

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-45477-7_14

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-45476-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-45477-7

  • eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation