London Rollergirls player Cami Gabriel was the person behind the first comment on Facebook. “Social media is very important in roller derby,” she said. “Since we are a grassroots initiative ‘for skaters, by skaters’, we need word of mouth to promote our games and ensure our stadiums are filled.” She admits that allowing herself to be influenced by social media is a double-edged sword. While their Instagram page is useful and empowering for Derby girls, their Instagram page can become a hub for misogynists leaving body-shaming comments. “I read a rather interesting complaint about all the bottoms being worn by ‘skinny white girls’. It’s quite ironic considering I compete in derby because I feel my weight is holding me back from playing other sports. If I had a really shocking bruise, I would continue to post it online. It’s an important part of the sport and I’m not ashamed of it. I certainly wear my bruises with pride.”
Haivonen believes bruises are beautiful and something to be proud of, and he points out the importance of people viewing them in general. Historically, women have been particularly concerned with being treated as commodities. Her investigation into this issue can be found as early as her 2010 series .ber Cute, which was inspired by her childhood coloring books. The series treats the concept of cuteness as a feminist act. Girls grow up with cuteness, but must give up cuteness as adults if they don’t want to lose credibility. She couldn’t explain why cuteness would be correlated with a girl’s intelligence or the importance of a painting.
In 2012, Hyvonen stayed true to her girly side and drew inspiration from her childhood drawings of cute animals for her Tinker Bell series. The collection depicts Paris Hilton’s famous pet Chihuahua, with its big eyes, hanging from a series of gleaming wall brackets. “I hung them on my studio wall like memories of a victorious hunting trip,” she recalls. In the Tinker Bell series, she comments on how we view living things as decorations or trophies in modern society. This does not exclude women in modern society, especially female celebrities like Paris Hilton, whose private lives are closely scrutinized. The media obsess over the men they date as if they are accessories to them.
It’s an important part of the sport and I’m not ashamed of it. I certainly wear my bruises with pride. “
Clearly, Hirvonen objectifies women in “Roller Kiss,” but no more than that. “Being proud of your rink rash is considered sexy, and the allure of the Derby Kiss is part of these women’s own objectification,” she said. When Hyvonen first saw how her team members came together after a good game and showed each other their bruises (like badges of honor), I had a lightbulb moment. “I feel like feminism and community spirit is something special and definitely worth studying.
At the same time, I’m fascinated by the ways in which Debian culture creates its own objectification on the internet. Posting and commenting on photos online is an important part of being unapologetically beautiful. “
In a world of #FreetheNipple and #LoveYourLines, where social media is bringing roller derby to new audiences, Hyvonen wants to help people see beauty in all kinds of unexpected places. The Internet provides her with an important, spontaneous, unrestricted source of inspiration and motivation. “The photos the Derby girls took of themselves went viral, allowing more people to recognize another form of beautiful expression,” she said. “I naturally hope that my images will awaken different thoughts and interpretations. I hope that people, after the first possible shock, will be able to discover the beauty in them. And perhaps through this, expand their own way of understanding the beauty of things.*
This article was first published in Issue 38 of Hi-Fructose. You can get a print version of the full issue here .
