Garters on the gridiron: A critical reading of the lingerie football league

Abstract

Using a reading sport methodology, this study examined the Lingerie Football League (LFL) through a critical feminist lens to explore how cultural definitions of femininity, as intersected with race and sexuality, were (re)produced and challenged in texts of the LFL. This analysis was based on the examination of 380 newspaper and magazine articles and web blogs as well as content from the LFL website. The data were collected using LexisNexis and then coded using inductive themes. The five major themes developed included: (1) just another form of soft porn, (2) real women play lingerie football, (3) men take care of business, (4) promoting white-defined beauty, and (5) narratives of empowerment. The findings indicate that a dominant white, heterosexy femininity infused the league and its representations at the point at which the league was established.

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