Não é só carregar peso, é lidar também com o preconceito: um estudo sobre o estigma sofrido pelas mulheres fisiculturistas profissionais em Maputo, 2025

Abstract

This monograph, titled Not Just Lifting Weights, but Facing Prejudice: A Case Study on the Stigma Experienced by Professional Female Bodybuilders in Maputo, 2025, examines the experiences of women engaged in a physical practice that, despite requiring discipline, strength, and dedication, remains marginalized and misunderstood by society. The study aims to analyze the social stigma faced by these women, considering both its manifestations and the strategies of coping and resistance they employ. A theoretical triangulation was applied, combining Erving Goffman’s (2004) social stigma theory, which helps understand stigma as a mechanism of social control affecting daily life, and Judith Butler’s (2010) concept of gender performativity, which explores how gender is enacted and subverted through bodily practices that challenge binary norms. Methodologically, the research followed a qualitative approach using a phenomenological method, with semi-structured interviews and content analysis. Results reveal that, despite facing judgments and prejudices rooted in conservative cultural norms, these women transform bodybuilding into a space of contestation and redefinition of boundaries between body, gender, and profession. The study contributes to the debate on the social construction of female identity and highlights the transformative potential of practices that challenge hegemonic societal norms