Sport, postfeminism and women with disabilities: female paralympians on social media

In a postfeminist and neoliberal environment where women are increasingly held personally responsible for finding innovative market solutions to gender inequalities, this chapter explores how sportswomen who have been conventionally rendered socially “invisible” by disability craft their feminine and sporting identities online to generate greater media exposure. Toffoletti investigates whether postfeminist sentiments within culture make possible greater visibility for sporting women with disabilities and explores the terms by which this public visibility is allowable. The social media use of eight Australian female athletes competing in the 2016 Paralympic Games provides the case study for analysis. This research highlights the need for scholarly consideration of the experiences and portrayals of women with disabilities within analyses of postfeminist culture.