Erendira Palma Hernández
La Jornada Newspaper
Friday, December 1, 2023, p. a10
Physical strength, a combative appearance and sporting success are not exclusive to one gender. The sweetness in Alexa Grasso’s features can cause a wrong reading regarding her potential as a monarch in mixed martial arts. However, her achievements in the octagon have been such that she, along with former boxing champion Irma Güerita Sánchez and the swimmer Liliana Ibáñez broke the pattern of gender roles by being the protagonists of the first murals of female athletes in Mexico.
These images can change many stereotypes about what masculinity and femininity in sports look like. They become an inspiration for more girls to approach various disciplines. The more women who are seen (as success stories) will help the healthier development of the new generations, said Eloísa Rivera, an academic at the Gender Studies Research Center (CIEG).
Murals of male athletes in marginal neighborhoods or the places where they emerged tend to be more common, representing them as heroes remembering that they achieved a rise in social status with exploits in sports. However, there are still few artistic representations that show these same cases of success and inspiration of women. Hence the importance of publicly recognizing the exploits of these athletes.
Ferocity and tenderness
How many sports heroes has Mexico produced in disciplines like boxing? Which is a popular attraction and more accessible than other sports as it is practiced even in neighborhood gyms. There may be many women dedicated to this discipline, but if there is no one to admire, development is complicated, Rivera stressed.
Grasso won the UFC flyweight world title against Valentina Shevchenko of Kyrgyzstan in March and retained it in August against the same opponent. Even with the marks of blows on her cheekbones, the Mexican’s gaze continued to convey a kind of tenderness. Only when she faced her opponent did she allow others to grasp the halo of ferocity that emanated from her. There was the real essence of her, that of a fighter.
Those who participate and succeed in contact sports do not necessarily have to have a stereotypical image of being tough or having a certain complexion, Rivera said.
The same features of Alexa, which navigate between delicacy and strength, have been traced in ink on a mural in Zapopan, Jalisco, by the hands of local artist Berenice Martínez.
▲ In Zapopan, Jalisco, and in the mayor’s office of Iztapalapa, in Mexico City, you can see murals that capture the success of women with new narratives. Photo @diabalo and @liliyaks
On a black background, with gold letters and a Mexican flag behind her, Grasso’s image stands out like a victorious woman in a mural admired by thousands of passersby outside the Zapopan station of the Guadalajara Metro.
It represents the triumph and fight that Grasso has had to be the first Mexican UFC world champion. Not everyone has done what she achieved, it’s incredible! That’s why we try to inspire others with this work, she explained.
With a color palette that goes through purple, blue and gold, the image of the Güerita Sánchez was captured by the artist Diana Barragán. The former monarch in the fly division of the World Boxing Association is shown with a challenging look and with her guard raised with both gloves that cover part of her face, which is surrounded by flowers.
The strength of his gaze caught my attention. There is a game of contrast between the feminine and the strength of being a boxer. Flowers are a symbol of femininity, strength and resilience, Barragán explained.
Both murals were part of a local government initiative through the ZapopArt program to recover public spaces through works by women artists.
The fact that it is publicly accessible has another impact. It is finding in an everyday journey these women who inspire new generations, Rivera noted.
Ibáñez, considered the fastest swimmer in Mexico and who seeks to compete for the third time in the Olympics (Paris 2024), is also part of the select group of athletes with an urban graphic representation. The image of the Guanajuato native has been captured by an anonymous author at Deportivo Santa Cruz Meyehualco, in Iztapalapa, in an example of her ferocity in aquatic competitions.
Rivera considered that now the important thing will be to leave the local scene and recognize with different narratives the stories of other women who break stereotypes in sports disciplines.
There have been many boxers, wrestlers and gymnasts. These stories exist and there is an interest in knowing about them, it is important that the protagonists are no longer only male.
2023-12-01 08:32:10
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