SOAN 2400 Chapter Notes - Chapter 14: Figure Skating, Masculinity, Elvis Stojko

• School: University of Guelph
• Department: Sociology and Anthropology
• Course: SOAN 2400
• Professor: Victoria Kannen

Document Summary

Mass media and gender identity in high performance canadian figure skating. A study conducted between 2000 and 2002 on high performance figure skaters, coaches, sponsors and other involved in the production of mediated representations of figure skaters. Viewed as an integral part of canadian culture. Its popularity in canada comes from the fact that we have won over 500 international medals since the 1940s. Figure skaters are worth a lot to the media in canada. Masculinity and femininity are socially constructed concepts and societal ideals. The canadian mainstream media and its sponsors and advertisers have sought to endorse, clean cut , mainstream, heterosexual images of masculinity and femininity for public consumption. While figure skating is rumoured to have the highest proportion of homosexual men of any amateur competitive sport, ironically it"s the sport where they must exhibit must blatantly heterosexual signs to be successful and receive sponsorship.