Our Hero and That Kind of Woman: Imaginaries of Sexuality, Masculinity and Femininity in the Discussion of the Rape Allegation against Cristiano Ronaldo in Portugal
Kathlyn Mayorga’s rape allegation against Portuguese football star Cristiano Ronaldo was mostly met in his home country with disbelief, prompting a strong wave of support for the national icon. Mayorga was often perceived as a ‘gold digger’. This article explores how traditional gender norms, sex sc...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-08-01
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| Series: | Social Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/12/8/461 |
| _version_ | 1797583198335533056 |
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| author | Júlia Garraio |
| author_facet | Júlia Garraio |
| author_sort | Júlia Garraio |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Kathlyn Mayorga’s rape allegation against Portuguese football star Cristiano Ronaldo was mostly met in his home country with disbelief, prompting a strong wave of support for the national icon. Mayorga was often perceived as a ‘gold digger’. This article explores how traditional gender norms, sex scripts and rape myths underpinned the resignification of the rape allegation into a case of extortion, naturalizing sexual abuse regarding ‘immoral women’. It examines how the intersection of local patriarchal traditions with the neoliberal order produced a morality which normalized the commodification of women’s and men’s bodies as a path to social mobility. It looks at the commodification of Ronaldo’s body, his key to success as a ‘super-body’ whose exceptional sports performance granted him respectability, an exceptional social status and access to women’s sexualized bodies. Then, it examines the construction of Mayorga’s body as a sexualized body with less moral and/or commercial value, operating in an area perceived as indecent (sex as a ‘gold digger’ or sexual transactions as a prostitute) and whose inflicted harm could be compensated through money. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T23:34:27Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-34cb028d026549ec99ac21922ab97660 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-0760 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T23:34:27Z |
| publishDate | 2023-08-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Social Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-34cb028d026549ec99ac21922ab976602023-11-19T03:01:30ZengMDPI AGSocial Sciences2076-07602023-08-0112846110.3390/socsci12080461Our Hero and That Kind of Woman: Imaginaries of Sexuality, Masculinity and Femininity in the Discussion of the Rape Allegation against Cristiano Ronaldo in PortugalJúlia Garraio0Centre for Social Studies, University of Coimbra, 3000-995 Coimbra, PortugalKathlyn Mayorga’s rape allegation against Portuguese football star Cristiano Ronaldo was mostly met in his home country with disbelief, prompting a strong wave of support for the national icon. Mayorga was often perceived as a ‘gold digger’. This article explores how traditional gender norms, sex scripts and rape myths underpinned the resignification of the rape allegation into a case of extortion, naturalizing sexual abuse regarding ‘immoral women’. It examines how the intersection of local patriarchal traditions with the neoliberal order produced a morality which normalized the commodification of women’s and men’s bodies as a path to social mobility. It looks at the commodification of Ronaldo’s body, his key to success as a ‘super-body’ whose exceptional sports performance granted him respectability, an exceptional social status and access to women’s sexualized bodies. Then, it examines the construction of Mayorga’s body as a sexualized body with less moral and/or commercial value, operating in an area perceived as indecent (sex as a ‘gold digger’ or sexual transactions as a prostitute) and whose inflicted harm could be compensated through money.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/12/8/461sexual violence#MeTooCristiano Ronaldonarrative immunityPortuguese media |
| spellingShingle | Júlia Garraio Our Hero and That Kind of Woman: Imaginaries of Sexuality, Masculinity and Femininity in the Discussion of the Rape Allegation against Cristiano Ronaldo in Portugal Social Sciences sexual violence #MeToo Cristiano Ronaldo narrative immunity Portuguese media |
| title | Our Hero and That Kind of Woman: Imaginaries of Sexuality, Masculinity and Femininity in the Discussion of the Rape Allegation against Cristiano Ronaldo in Portugal |
| title_full | Our Hero and That Kind of Woman: Imaginaries of Sexuality, Masculinity and Femininity in the Discussion of the Rape Allegation against Cristiano Ronaldo in Portugal |
| title_fullStr | Our Hero and That Kind of Woman: Imaginaries of Sexuality, Masculinity and Femininity in the Discussion of the Rape Allegation against Cristiano Ronaldo in Portugal |
| title_full_unstemmed | Our Hero and That Kind of Woman: Imaginaries of Sexuality, Masculinity and Femininity in the Discussion of the Rape Allegation against Cristiano Ronaldo in Portugal |
| title_short | Our Hero and That Kind of Woman: Imaginaries of Sexuality, Masculinity and Femininity in the Discussion of the Rape Allegation against Cristiano Ronaldo in Portugal |
| title_sort | our hero and that kind of woman imaginaries of sexuality masculinity and femininity in the discussion of the rape allegation against cristiano ronaldo in portugal |
| topic | sexual violence #MeToo Cristiano Ronaldo narrative immunity Portuguese media |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/12/8/461 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT juliagarraio ourheroandthatkindofwomanimaginariesofsexualitymasculinityandfemininityinthediscussionoftherapeallegationagainstcristianoronaldoinportugal |