More than Pretty Faces and Mini Skirts: An Autoethnographic Story of Female Sport Hostess Experience

This dissertation examines the experience of former collegiate football hostesses and presents an autoethnographic narrative from my viewpoint as a female researcher enmeshed in the culture of athletics. The exploration reveals the experience of gender, race, and power as told through my own stories as well as those of former hostesses. My exploratory study reveals the contradiction and conflict between and amongst women’s experiences as well as brings to light the aspects of hostess experience that the media rarely highlights. I wrote this for readers to witness and understand the complexity of the hostess experience, its privileges and challenges.