Pugilism in petticoats: women and prize-fighting in Victorian Britain
Pugilism in petticoats: women and prize-fighting in Victorian Britain
Prize-fighting culture in the Victorian period was a male-dominated arena. As such, women’s involvement in pugilism – save for their role as spectators – has been largely overlooked by historians. This article casts light on the neglected experiences of nineteenth-century female prize-fighters, drawing attention to the ways in which women engaged in pugilism as well as the methods used by reporters, police officers and magistrates to shape public perceptions of female violence. It is argued that female prize-fighters received an overwhelmingly hostile reception, their very involvement in the masculine fighting environment resonating with contemporary anxieties over public immorality, violent crime, and the emergent movement for women’s emancipation.
Women's History, Boxing, Sport, British history, Media, Cultural History, Violence
Di Meo, Grace
a0ac3989-f216-4505-8f6a-97da47adfe45
Di Meo, Grace
a0ac3989-f216-4505-8f6a-97da47adfe45
Di Meo, Grace
(2022)
Pugilism in petticoats: women and prize-fighting in Victorian Britain.
Journal of Victorian Culture.
(doi:10.1093/jvcult/vcac062).
Abstract
Prize-fighting culture in the Victorian period was a male-dominated arena. As such, women’s involvement in pugilism – save for their role as spectators – has been largely overlooked by historians. This article casts light on the neglected experiences of nineteenth-century female prize-fighters, drawing attention to the ways in which women engaged in pugilism as well as the methods used by reporters, police officers and magistrates to shape public perceptions of female violence. It is argued that female prize-fighters received an overwhelmingly hostile reception, their very involvement in the masculine fighting environment resonating with contemporary anxieties over public immorality, violent crime, and the emergent movement for women’s emancipation.
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e-pub ahead of print date: 28 September 2022
Keywords:
Women's History, Boxing, Sport, British history, Media, Cultural History, Violence
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Local EPrints ID: 475227
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/475227
ISSN: 1355-5502
PURE UUID: f126d305-41ab-4813-b62f-6689b05e2909
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Date deposited: 14 Mar 2023 17:45
Last modified: 17 Mar 2024 00:43
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Author:
Grace Di Meo
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