ABSTRACT
We aim to explore the interpretation of images of mixed martial arts fighters (MMA) posted on Instagram. We rely on poststructuralist debates, especially those dealing with body and gender. For data collection, we used two focus groups with college students, one made up of women and the other of men. From a content analysis, four discursive categories emerged from group interactions. We highlighted the permanence of the usual stereotypes about women's participation in sport, looking at how men have biases due to the objectification of the fighters’ bodies. Women were more sensitive to plural femininities. The trend of comparison between male and female athletes was observed in both groups. The debate about the plural femininity was accepted, to some extent by the groups but other opinions also existed showing some resistance to the self-representation of the fighters regarding the non-conformity of hegemonic femininity in the UFC space.
Keywords:
MMA; Woman; Body; Instagram