Sexuality, and Physical Culture at the Turn of the Twentieth
Century
This week’s common reading was Chapter Two of Futbolera, which, as implied by the title, is concerned with the development of, and restrictions on female athleticism in Brazil. The story of Brazilian female sports, particularly soccer, is very similar to that covered in Chapter One, regarding female sports in Chile. That is to say, that it is a female centered story, where the athletes long to play, but a male dominated sphere, where the men shut down and oppress the women, through use of pseudoscience and law.
My group reading was Flying, Flirting, and Flexing: Charmion’s Trapeze Act, Sexuality, and Physical Culture at the Turn of the Twentieth Century. This paper is a reflection on the acrobat and trapeze artist, Charmion, who was featured in silent film by Thomas Edison. Charmion’s notoriety stems from her sensual display of her muscular body, and the disrobing portion of her act. Charmion was a performer in the days of vaudeville entertainment, and through photo and video became even more widely known. Her strong body and erotic performance serve as a fascinating lens to view womanhood.
The texts have many similarities, with both being written with themes of gender roles and limitations, questions of ‘appropriate’ sexuality, class, and the imposition of men’s opinions/’sciences’ onto women’s bodies. Both readings discuss concerns of the muscularization of women, with it being seen as unbecoming and manly. Female athletes in Brazil and Charmion both performed in entertainment venues – Brazilian women’s soccer often performing in circuses/carnivals, and Charmion being a vaudeville entertainer. These performances are also a sign of cultural values – the women playing soccer were hotly debated as the thought of women playing aggressive contact sports was unfeminine and unbecoming, reflecting what the gender expectations were at the time. Charmion’s disrobing act, particularly when it became a silent film, was also debated.
While Charmion did have her critics, her performance was seen as more upper-crust, and even family friendly, meaning she was able to perform her sport more freely than the women in Brazil, who at one point had their game banned by law. The more refined view of Charmion meant that her muscular body was seen as a call back to Greco-Roman beauty, while more oppositional feelings were harbored towards female athletes in Brazil. Another key difference is the agency that Charmion had in comparison the Brazilian women. Charmion was able to market for herself, selling pins and posters with her image, and creating her act on her own. The soccer players, however, were managed by men, had their games arranged by men, and even had to be escorted to games by men. The sexuality of Charmion was beautiful and classic, but any tones of sexuality around the Brazilian women was concerning, with some teams being accused of pimping. There is also much more evidence about Charmion than there is for the Brazilian women – we have visual media of her act, and evidence of her merchandise. When the Brazilian teams were covered, more often that not, the women were only referred to by first name, making players untraceable, and the games were often underreported.
