"Or are you just pleased to see me?" The role of the boutfit in men's roller derby

The emerging literature on the sport of roller derby focuses primarily on the potential of the women’s game to offer a site for participants to explore both masculine and feminine behaviours and appearances in the female body, often through flamboyant or sexualised clothing, referred to as ‘boutfits’. Occurring throughout the literature is the notion that ‘performances’ of gender by roller derby participants act to disrupt or challenge the gender binary (mainstream ideals of femininity and gender expectations), whilst simultaneously embracing or supporting the traditional gender order. Such studies use a range of qualitative methods to explore the experiences of women engaging in a masculine, aggressive, full-contact sport, whilst emphasising their femininity through physical appearance. The lack of research into men’s roller derby is striking, and the growth in popularity of both men’s and co-ed (mixed gender) games support further exploration into male skaters’ experiences. Audience responses suggest that “boutfits are only transformative for women” (Murray, 2012, p140), and, if male roller derby players engage in ‘doing gender’, they risk public ridicule and loss of masculinity. Using Lyng’s (1990) concept of edgework, and Bourdieu’s (1984) notion of capital, this paper discusses the use of ‘boutfits’ (outfits worn for playing in ‘bouts’ or games) by male roller derby skaters, and, using photographs and written commentaries from a selection of skaters, explores the meanings men attach to their clothing choices, and how far the decision to transgress gender norms can be seen as edgework, in that such activity risks an individuals’ loss of symbolic capital.