Portuguese female bodybuilders: Between constraints and expectations

Abstract

This exploratory study aims to identify and characterize the negative effects associated with the phenomenon of tokenism for Portuguese female bodybuilders, as well as the strategies they follow to integrate and remain in a context where men are significantly the majority and whose culture is marked by hegemonic masculinity. We conducted semi-structured interviews with seven men and eight women practicing bodybuilding and performed a thematic analysis of their recorded statements. Our analyses confirm that the context of bodybuilding is strongly gendered, in which, being a minority, women have more visibility, and organizational and group practices serve to diminish their efforts and results, placing them in an ambiguous and paradoxical territory.