Running head: A league of their own

Sliding into Misogyny: An Analysis of the Derailing of Female Empowerment

Olivia L. Snyder
COM 316: Gender and Communication
Arizona State University

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Starring Geena Davis, Tom Hanks, and Madonna, A League of their Own is a
Drama/Comedy film, released in 1992, depicting a fictionalized interpretation of the first season
of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL), which was used to
compensate for the disbanding of Major League Baseball during World War II. The AAGPBL
was originally founded in 1943 by Philip K. Wrigley as the All American Girls Softball League.
As was depicted in the film, players did wear belted dresses as uniforms and attended charm
school so that the girls would maintain an attractive and feminine appearance at all times. The
league itself only lasted a little over 10 years, unable to compete with the return of Major League
Baseball. In the movie, under the direction of Penny Marshall, the storyline follows two sisters,
Dottie and Kit, who join the AAGPBL in its first season and play for the Rockford Peaches. A
League of their Own has been hailed as a true depiction of girl power, however, there is an
ambiguous message within the film which, on the surface, can be interpreted as inspiring and
feminist, but upon further inspection appears regressive in its reinforcement of traditional gender
roles. The audience is given an ideal female role model in Dottie, take a peek into the rejection
felt by those who cannot compare, trivialize instances of misogyny and sexism when coupled
with a humorous element, and learn to feel reassured when gender norms are restored.
The effect advertisement and media has on popular culture in our society is based in its
consistent exaggerated and narrow representations of gender and sexuality. We generally dont
allow women to be portrayed as anything but sexual objects to be viewed and used whether its in
an ad, music video, TV show, or movie. Women are attractive when they are submissive and
dont pose a threat to male dominance (Keith, 2011). We now associate sexuality and gender
with patriarchal power when women are portrayed as beneath and weaker than men, the message
relating gender with power and control (Jhally, 2009). This message is then adopted into our

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reality because it is presented so often that it becomes normal, almost expected. Most people fall
victim to the notion of gender anticipation, which begins with parents drawing on the socially
enforced images of traditional femininity and masculinity as opposites. An idea presented to
them through the media and their own experiences. We now expect women to be nurturing and
men to be aggressive, girls to play with dolls and boys to play with trucks (Kane, 2012). In A
League of their Own, despite the diverse cast of characters, the main concentration is the story of
Dottie, a character who is portrayed as the acceptable woman because despite her athletic
ability, she does not challenge male dominance and willingly adheres to traditional gender roles.
Dotties dominance over the storyline indicates to the audience that she is the ideal role model
for American women. She is beautiful, graceful, naturally skilled at baseball, and prefers a
domestic lifestyle. The issue with this is that her characters portrayal of the ideal woman is only
ideal according to patriarchal values, where a woman is supposed to be submissive and pleasing
to the male gaze. Dotties character does not challenge traditional gender roles, in fact, she
reinforces them with her more regressive choices. This is evident in her quickness to relinquish
command of the team to the drunken and apathetic Jimmy Dugan once he starts to pay attention,
and then to later give up playing baseball entirely, something she loves, to obediently return
home with her husband. Dottie is not depicted as a strong female character, and sadly her more
submissive actions dwarf the more progressive choices of her sister and teammates in this movie.
As was mentioned in the previous paragraph, in order to determine what behavior is
appropriate, kids from a very young age are socialized to compare themselves to, and attempt to
match up with, the actions of masculine/feminine role models they are exposed to (Brooks,
2010). Whether its a more accessible person or figure in the media, individuals learn how to
behave by comparison, however, the role models we compare ourselves to are typically extreme

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exaggerations of masculinity and femininity, and are not true depictions of the fluidity of gender
as a societal construct. The inability of a person to fit within the confines of their assigned gender
can lead to feelings of inferiority and frustration, coupled with the feeling of being outcast and
rejected. One of the biggest sources of conflict within this movie is the relationship between
Dottie and Kit, more specifically, Kit comparing herself to her sister and feeling the need to
compete with, or be like her in order to be respected because she does not exhibit traditional
feminine traits. Kits character is childish, scrappy, and stubborn, unlike her more mature and
elegant sister. Her anger is short fused and she has an intense need to do everything on her own,
which is revealed more in depth towards the end of the film through her refusals to take advice
and quickness to get into physical altercations with her teammates. She isnt the ideal woman,
and the portrayal of her character is designed to not be likeable, she is viewed as the antagonist
to Dotties protagonist. Her feelings of inferiority are evident early on in the film, and only seem
to fester throughout. The most obvious example is when we first see the two sisters walking
home from a softball game, during which Kit decides to voice her frustrations about not being on
par with Dottie. She does this by bringing up examples of the verbal citations she has received
from others: Kit, why dont you let your sister teach you how to hit? and Kit, why cant you
be beautiful like your sister, even going so far as to compare her role in the family to that of a
dog. With Dotties character being portrayed as the ideal woman, the personification of
femininity and all that men want, the comparison to Kits more masculine traits make her seem
unwelcome and unwanted.
The best way to discourage deviation from the norm is to make clear the separation
between what is accepted and what is not, in our society we enforce that separation through
marginalization and trivializing the work and struggles of those who are outcast. The best

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example of this is with our societys embrace of jokes targeting those who arent a part of the
dominant group. Certain media outlets may approach issues like sexual assault with humor, this
effectively trivializes the issue of violence towards women, and making the behavior acceptable
(Keith, 2011). This is a powerful method of dehumanization and marginalization, essentially, an
entire classification of people is ostracized and disconnected from the accepted group on the
basis of subjective differences (Young, 1990). Making them the target of ridicule typically results
in the dominant group maintaining and even elevating their power, while the others are left to
be exploited and without value. A League of their Own makes a serious effort to paint the
obstacles for women of that time, specifically issues with gender roles and expectations, as
comical. Looking at instances during the movie that referenced the stranglehold misogyny put on
the opportunities of women, the audience wouldnt be able to perceive them as true obstacles
because they were presented as quick, comedic accents. During the tryout portion of the movie
where the women are proving their skills at baseball, this montage shows their power and talent
as athletes. However, this action is overshadowed and contradicted by the social commentary
that overlays this scene, in which the commentator questions the masculinization of women and
the deplorable act of baseball stealing young women from the shelter of domestic submission.
While the commentators speech is depicted as a whiny old lady protesting change and meant to
be humorous, her words are validated by the image of women playing and dressing in a very
masculine manner. Later on, once the women were assigned teams they are presented with the
new uniform: a dress with an unfathomably short skirt. They are told that every woman in the
league is going to be a lady, they will have chaperones, and will attend charm and beauty school.
The girls playing in these obscure uniforms and attending charm school is seen as light-hearted
and comical, as opposed to restrictive and sexually exploitive. As is shown in the Diamond

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Gals advertisement, and the following montage used to depict their attempts to expand the
leagues fan base with provocative stunts, A League of their Own implies that it is the girls
ability to play baseball, while maintaining a feminine image and staying within the confines of
gender expectations that attracts attention. The focus being on maintaining their feminine image
instead of being athletic powerhouses, the women of the AAGPBL are not valued for their skills
at baseball, they are valued for their sexuality and not their breaking of boundaries.
The mobilization of women against a pattern of male dominance came about through the
concept of consciousness raising, where they would share what appeared to be individual
experiences with no social or political importance; but the collection of these experiences
allowed women to realize that they had been socialized to repress and feel shame for their
biology, appearance, sexuality, or individual choices and that the barriers placed in their path
were constructed through systemic sexism and discrimination. The Feminist movement gains its
footing through individual experience and collective mobilization (Baumgardner & Richards,
2000). However, some would believe that Feminism had its day, and that because women can
vote or choose not to marry, equality has been reached and we can leave the movement in the
past. This is the theory of Post-Feminism, that Feminism in the time of Womens Suffrage was
successful, so we can all return to the idealized version of femininity (Ryalls, 2012). A League of
their Own feeds the theory of Post Feminism because it is made very clear, from the beginning of
the movie, that women breaking traditional gender norms and succeeding in a male dominated
field was only a temporary deviation that was quickly remedied. The first instance where we see
the collective anxiety over women replacing men in male dominated fields, and the possible
consequences to gender roles and expectations is in the scene where the social commentary of an
older woman opposing womens baseball overlays the girls tryouts. While this scene appears to

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be designed to poke fun at the more conservative views of the time, it clearly brings out the
opposition to women accepting more masculine roles. The use of flashbacks then reassures the
audience that women infiltrating a male-dominated sport is something of the past, and that both
men and women have returned to their rightful places, effectively restoring balance to traditional
gender roles. This is exemplified after the movie comes out of the flashback and into the present
time of 1988 when we see Dottie reuniting with her former teammates after over 40 years apart.
Some girls, like Dottie, Betty, and Marla were married during the first season of the AAGPBL,
and others were discovered to have settled down shortly after their athletic career. We come to
the realization that nearly all of the women, after a short triste with breaking gender barriers,
have fallen back into traditional, heteronormative gender roles. Their return to the roles expected
of women is celebrated in the movie, boundaries were stretched and then snapped back, all is
stable again in modern society.
In conclusion, while A League of their Own appears to be an entertaining and feel good
movie full of laughter and wholesome family fun, the message of girl power is twisted to
resemble an embrace of heteronormative and patriarchal values as empowering. Here, a woman
who does her patriotic duty of picking up the slack left by men, and then obediently relinquishes
her duty to return home and resume the role of home-maker is the one who is celebrated.
Deviation from the norm is only acceptable if you are able to maintain the traditional depiction
of femininity and fall back into the roll expected of you as a woman. The study of Gender and
Communication allows us to see that the message in this movie is not one of empowerment and
pride, it one that encourages the enforcement of a social order and hierarchy among the genders.

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