“Your Hair or the Team!” Body Politics and Possibilities of Resistance in Women’s Football in Turkey

Öz

This research aims to discuss the experiences of the athletes in the field of football who are not
compatible with the normalized body in women’s football in Turkey, with Foucault's conceptual tools.
We focused on football as a research field since it is one of the fields where gender inequality in sport
is most visible. In this manner, women’s football idealizes cis-heteronormative femininity. We
collected the data of this research, using qualitative research design, through in-depth interviews.
Between May 2020 and January 2021, we conducted face-to-face and online individual interviews
with nine active female football players, which lasted an average of one and a half hours. We
analyzed the data with thematic analysis method. The findings of the research reveal that the “ideal”
female football player in women’s football in Turkey means having long hair, being feminine,
beautiful and well-groomed. On the other hand, being a football player outside of this ideal is
experienced as an obstacle to their careers in football clubs and the national team. Actors in the
football field dictate to football players, who are described as short-haired and masculine, to grow
their hair long and be more feminine, with various discipline practices. Because of these disciplinary
practices, athletes experience serious tensions between their body image and subjectivity and on
continuing their football careers. However, the strategies they developed to avoid discrimination
because of their body appearance, play a motivating role in their empowerment. As a result, women’s
football is a field, where normalization and punishment practices dominate athletes, who are not comformable with cis-heteronormative femininity, but where athletes also experience empowerment despite the tensions they experience. 

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Women’s football
• body
• heteronormativity
• Foucault
• discipline

“Ya Saçın Ya Takım!”: Türkiye’de Kadın Futbolunda Beden Politikaları ve Direniş Olanakları

Öz

Bu araştırma Türkiye’deki kadın futbolunda normalize edilen beden ile uyumlu olmayan sporcuların futbol alanındaki deneyimlerini Foucault’nun kavramsal araçları ile irdelemeyi amaçlıyor. Futbolu sporda toplumsal cinsiyet eşitsizliğinin en görünür olduğu alanlardan biri olması sebebiyle araştırma sahası olarak ele aldık. Bu özelliği nedeniyle kadın futbolu heteronormatif kadınsılığı idealize eder. Niteliksel araştırma yöntemi ile kurgulanan araştırmanın verilerini derinlemesine görüşmeler yoluyla topladık. Futbol yaşamları devam eden dokuz kadın futbolcu ile Mayıs 2020 – Ocak 2021 arasında ortalama bir buçuk saat süren yüz yüze ve online bireysel görüşmeler gerçekleştirdik. Elde ettiğimiz verileri tematik analiz yöntemi ile analiz ettik. Araştırmanın bulguları Türkiye’deki kadın futbolundaki “ideal” kadın futbolcunun uzun saçlı, kadınsı, güzel ve bakımlı olmak gibi özelliklere sahip olmak anlamına geldiğini ortaya koymaktadır. Bu idealin dışında futbolcu olmak ise futbol kulüplerinde ve milli takımdaki kariyerlerinin önünde bir engel olarak deneyimlenmektedir. Futbol alanındaki aktörler tarafından çeşitli disiplin pratikleriyle kısa saçlı ve erkeksi olarak nitelendirilen futbolculara saçlarını uzatmaları ve daha kadınsı olmaları dikte edilmektedir. Bu disipline etme çabalarıyla nedeniyle sporcular beden görünümleri ve öznellikleri ile futbol kariyerlerini sürdürmek arasında ciddi gerilimler yaşamaktadır. Fakat bununla birlikte beden görünümleri nedeniyle ayrımcılık yaşamamak adına geliştirdikleri stratejiler onların güçlenmelerinde motive edici bir rol oynamaktadır. Sonuç olarak kadın futbolu, heteronormatif kadınsılıkla uyumlu olmayan sporcular için normalleştirme ve cezalandırma pratiklerinin hâkim olduğu, fakat yaşadıkları gerilimlere rağmen sporcuların güçlenmeyi deneyimledikleri bir alandır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• kadın futbolu
• beden
• heteronormative
• Foucault
• disiplin

Kaynakça

1. Ashton-Shaeffer, Candace, Gibson, Heather, Holt, Marieke ve Willming, Cynthia. "Women's Resistance and Empowerment Through Wheelchair Sport." World Leisure Journal. 43/4 (2001): 11-21.
2. Aşçı, Hülya, Koca, Canan ve Bulgu, Nefise. Türkiye’de kadınların fiziksel aktiviteye katılımlarının toplumsal sınıf ve toplumsal cinsiyet ekseninde analizi: Fiziksel aktiviteye katılım kadının toplumsal konumunu güçlendirici bir etkiye sahip olabilir mi?, TÜBİTAK (2008): 106 K 345.
3. Banerjee, Tanmoyee ve Chandralekha Ghosh. "What Factors Play a Role in Empowering Women? A Study Of SHG Members From India." Gender, Technology and Development. 16/3 (2012): 329-355.
4. Bhasin, Kamla. "Education for women's empowerment: Some reflections." Adult Education and Development. 39 (1992): 11-24.
5. Blinde, Elaine M., Diane E. Taub ve Lingling Han. "Sport Participation and Women's Personal Empowerment: Experiences of The College Athlete." Journal of Sport and Social Issues. 17/1 (1993): 47-60.
6. Caudwell, Jayne. "Women’s Experiences of Sexuality Within Football Contexts: A Particular and Located Footballing Epistemology." Football Studies. 5/1 (2002): 24-45.
7. Caudwell, Jayne. "Women Playing Football at Clubs in England With Socio‐Political Associations." Soccer & Society. 7/4 (2006): 423-438.
8. Caudwell, Jayne. "Gender, Feminism And Football Studies." Soccer & Society. 12/3 (2011): 330-344.

9. Chapman, Gwen E. "Making Weight: Lightweight Rowing, Technologies of Power, and Technologies of The Self." Sociology of Sport Journal. 14/3 (1997): 205-223.
10. Chase, Laura Frances. "(Un) Disciplined Bodies: A Foucauldian Analysis of Women’s Rugby." Sociology of Sport Journal. 23/3 (2006): 229-247.
11. Cooky, Cheryl ve Dunja Antunovic. "“This Isn’t Just About Us”: Articulations of Feminism in Media Narratives Of Athlete Activism." Communication & Sport. 8/4-5 (2020): 692-711.
12. Cornwall, Andrea. "Women's Empowerment: What works?." Journal of International Development. 28/3 (2016): 342-359.
13. Cox, Barbara ve Shona Thompson. "Multiple Bodies: Sportswomen, Soccer And Sexuality." International Review For The Sociology Of Sport. 35/1 (2000): 5-20.
14. Deem, Rosemary ve Sarah Gilroy. "Physical activity, life‐long learning and empowerment—situating sport in women's leisure." Sport, Education and Society. 3/1 (1998): 89-104.
15. Duncan, Margaret Carlisle. "The Politics Of Women's Body Images and Practices: Foucault, The Panopticon, and Shape Magazine." Journal Of Sport And Social Issues. 18/1 (1994): 48-65.
16. Emir, Esra. “Serbest Zaman Doyumu, İlgilenimi ve Algılanan Özgürlük İlişkisi: Fiziksel Aktivite Yoluyla Kadınların Güçlenmesi”. Doktora tezi, Hacettepe Üniversitesi, 2020.
17. Engh, Mari Haugaa. "Tackling Femininity: The Heterosexual Paradigm and Women's Soccer in South Africa." The International Journal of the History of Sport. 28/1 (2011): 137-152.
18. George, Molly. "Making Sense Of Muscle: The Body Experiences Of Collegiate Women Athletes." Sociological İnquiry. 75/3 (2005): 317-345.
19. Ghadery, Farnush. "# Metoo—Has The ‘Sisterhood’finally Become Global Or Just Another Product Of Neoliberal Feminism?." Transnational Legal Theory. 10/2 (2019): 252-274.
20. Guthrie, Sharon R ve Shirley Castelnuovo. "Elite Women Bodybuilders: Models Of Resistance Or Compliance?." Play & Culture. 5/4 (1992): 401-408.
21. Hacısoftaoğlu, İlknur ve Bulgu, Nefise. Kadınlar ve Egzersiz: Aerobik Egzersizin Çatışmalı Anlamları. Spor Bilimleri Dergisi Hacettepe. 23/4 (2012): 177-194.
22. Johns, David P ve Jennifer S. Johns. "Surveillance, Subjectivism and Technologies of Power: An Analysis of The Discursive Practice of High-Performance Sport." International Review For The Sociology Of Sport. 35/2 (2000): 219-234.
23. Johnston, Lynda. "Flexing femininity: Female Body-Builders Refiguring'the Body'." Gender, Place and Culture: A Journal of Feminist Geography. 3/3 (1996): 327-340.
24. KASFAD. “II. Kadın Ve Spor Çalıştayı Raporu”. Hacettepe Üniversitesi. 7 Aralık 2018a.
25. KASFAD. “Kadın Ve Futbol Çalıştayı Raporu”. Okan Üniversitesi. 26 Nisan 2018b.
26. Kavasoğlu, İrem. "The Construction of Compulsory Heterosexuality By Referees in Women’s Football in Turkey." Journal of Gender Studies. 30/8 (2021): 949-963.
27. Kavasoğlu, İrem ve Koca Canan. "Kadın Sporcuların Bikini Fitness Yoluyla Güçlenme Ve Baskılanma Deneyimleri." Spor Bilimleri Araştırmaları Dergisi. 4/2 (2019): 289-307.
28. Kavasoğlu, İrem ve Canan Koca. “Gendered Body of Turkish Bikini Fitness Athletes on Instagram.” Communication & Sport. (2021): 2167479520961370.
29. Kavasoğlu, İrem ve Ayşe Macit. "Denetimdeki Bedenler: Bikini Fitnessta Üretilen Kadınlık Kimliği." Ulusal Spor Bilimleri Dergisi. 2/1 (2018): 42-67.
30. Koca, Canan. “Cinsiyetlendirilmiş Bir Alan Olarak Spor”. Sporun Toplumsal Cinsiyet Halleri. Ed., Canan Koca. Ankara: Spor Yayınevi, 2016: 18-37.
31. Koca, Canan. “Sporda Toplumsal Cinsiyet Eşitliği Haritalama Ve İzleme Çalışması.” Ankara: CEİD Yayınları, 2018.
32. Koca, Canan. "Analysis of Women and Sport in Turkey." Women and Sport in Asia. Routledge, 2021. 226-236.
33. Koca, Canan ve Bulgu, Nefise. “Spor Ve Toplumsal Cinsiyet: Genel Bir Bakış.” Toplum ve Bilim, 103, (2005): 163- 181.
34. Knijnik, Jorge. "Femininities and Masculinities in Brazilian Women's Football: Resistance and Compliance." Journal of International Women's Studies. 16/3 (2015): 54-70.
35. Knight, Jennifer L ve Traci A. Giuliano. "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 (2003): 272-284.
36. Krane, Vikki. "We Can Be Athletic And Feminine, But Do We Want To? Challenging Hegemonic Femininity in Women's Sport." Quest 53/1 (2001): 115-133.
37. Leigh, Mary H ve Thérèse M. Bonin. "The Pioneering Role of Madame Alice Milliat And The FSFI in Establishing International Trade And Field Competition For Women." Journal of Sport History. 4/1 (1977): 72-83.
38. Lim, So Youn ve Marlene A. Dixon. "A Conceptual Framework Of Sport Participation And Women’s Empowerment." Managing Sport and Leisure. 22/5 (2017): 400-413.
39. Markula, Pirkko. "Firm But Shapely, Fit But Sexy, Strong But Thin: The Postmodern Aerobicizing Female Bodies." Sociology of Sport Journal. 12/4 (1995): 424-453.
40. Markula, Pirkko. "The Technologies Of The Self: Sport, Feminism, And Foucault." Sociology Of Sport Journal. 20/2 (2003): 87-107.
41. Markula, Pirkko. "“Tuning into One’s Self:” Foucault’s Technologies Of The Self And Mindful Fitness." Sociology Of Sport Journal. 21/3 (2004): 302-321.
42. Martin, Leena St ve Nicola Gavey. "Women's Bodybuilding: Feminist Resistance And/Or Femininity's Recuperation?." Body & Society. 2/4 (1996): 45-57.
43. Mosedale, Sarah. "Assessing Women's Empowerment: Towards A Conceptual Framework." Journal Of İnternational Development. 17.2 (2005): 243-257.
44. Noben, K. (2019). Tackling the patriarchy: the football pitch as a transformative field for girls and women (Doctoral dissertation).Avusturya.
45. Noben, Kirsten. “Tackling The Patriarchy: The Football Pitch As A Transformative Field For Girls And Women.” Doctoral dissertatio,. University of Vienna, 2019.
46. Obel, Camilla. "Collapsing Gender in Competitive Bodybuilding: Researching Contradictions And Ambiguity in Sport." International Review For The Sociology Of Sport. 31/2 (1996): 185-202.
47. Öztürk, Pınar. “Kadın futbolcuların futbol alanındaki deneyimleri.” Yayımlanmamış doktora tezi Hacettepe Üniversitesi, 2017.
48. Öztürk, Pınar ve Koca, Canan. “Egzersiz Ve Performans Sporunda Beden Politikaları. Toplum ve Hekim. 29/5 (2014): 333-343.
49. Öztürk, Pınar ve Koca, Canan. “Futbolda Kadınlar: Bir Sosyal Alan Olarak Kadın Futbol Takımının Analizi.” Turkiye Klinikleri Spor Bilimleri. 10/3 (2018): 150-63.
50. Ratna, Aarti. "‘Taking The Power Back!’ The Politics Of British–Asian Female Football Players." Young. 18/2 (2010): 117-132.
51. Scheyvens, Regina. "Promoting Women's Empowerment Through İnvolvement in Ecotourism: Experiences From The Third World." Journal of Sustainable Tourism. 8/3 (2000): 232-249.
52. Schmidt, S. H., Frederick, E. L., Pegoraro, A., & Spencer, T. C. (2019). An analysis of Colin Kaepernick, Megan Rapinoe, and the national anthem protests. Communication & sport, 7(5), 653-677.
53. Shea, B. Christine. "The Paradox Of Pumping İron: Female Bodybuilding As Resistance And Compliance." Women and Language. 24/2 (2001): 42-47.
54. Switzer, Kathrine. Marathon Woman: Running the Race to Revolutionize Women's Sports. Hachette UK, 2017.
55. Şenel, Burcu. "Neoliberalizm ve Farklı Kadınlık Hallerini Bir Dans Salonunda Okumak." Fe Dergi. 7/2 (2015): 104-119.
56. Theberge, Nancy. "Sport and Women's Empowerment." Women's Studies International Forum. 10/4 (1987):387-393.
57. Turner, Sandra G ve Tina M. Maschi. "Feminist and Empowerment Theory And Social Work Practice." Journal of Social Work Practice. 29/2 (2015): 151-162.
58. Wesely, Jennifer K. "Negotiating Gender: Bodybuilding And The Natural/Unnatural Continuum." Sociology of Sport Journal. 18/2 (2001): 162-180.
59. Wright, Jan ve Gill Clarke. "Sport, The Media And The Construction Of Compulsory Heterosexuality: A Case Study Of Women's Rugby Union." International Review For The Sociology of Sport. 34/3 (1999): 227-243.