“I Stand by the Comments I Made”: The 2019 FIFA Women’s Soccer Championship: Images, Commentary and Narratives Made with Memes

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapter

Abstract

Through the lens of performativity and narrative, this chapter examines the memes regarding the women’s soccer team distributed in June and July 2019 during the FIFA World Cup. The authors find that while women are visually narrated in a manner more akin to that of male athletes—emphasizing strength, competency and confidence—this is in part a result of a heteronormative discomfort with Megan Rapinoe’s sexuality. Hence, the memes—in an attempt to address this discomfort—narratively place her in a male role. This continued connection to masculinity further evidences that even when strides are made in female representations, the strides occur within familiar, acceptable frames—those in which men still have a central role to play.

Original languageAmerican English
Title of host publication2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 1 2021
Externally publishedYes

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