Why this study matters
Gendered power dynamics still shape who gets to play at recess, in PE, and in after school programs. Marttinen, Meza, and Flory followed nine fifth and sixth grade Hispanic/Latina girls in an urban Southern California Title I school as they co-constructed GIRL—an afterschool curriculum embedded in the REACH program and framed by an activist, feminist post-structural lens. Over 28 weeks the girls met 1–2 times a week, kept journals, created artifacts, and sat for interviews, generating 475 pages of data that were analyzed through constant comparison and member checks.
Key takeaways
Boys still control the playground. Whether at recess, lunch, PE, or the afterschool program, boys routinely excluded girls from soccer, played overly rough, or simply refused to pass to them. The girls responded by migrating to the basketball courts or opting out of play altogether.
Beauty ideals shape activity choices—but cracks are appearing. The participants internalized “straight hair, nice eyebrows, skinny” norms, yet many also embraced bodypositive messages from social media, repeating mantras like “beauty comes when you just be yourself.”
Student voice is a gamechanger. When the coaches shifted from preset lessons to coplanning with the girls—letting them vote on topics, activities, and reflection formats—engagement and critical dialogue deepened.
Role models matter. National Girls & Women in Sports Day prompts revealed that none of the girls could name a female athlete off the top of their heads, underscoring an urgent need to spotlight women’s sport.
Safe, girl-only spaces foster risk-taking. Within the GIRL sessions, the participants spoke candidly, challenged stereotypes, and even designed vigorous activities—demonstrating that “girly girls” will sweat when they set the terms.
Implications ripple beyond afterschool. The authors question whether mixed-gender PE always serves equity and call on teacher-prep programs and CSPAP leaders to create contexts where all students can move freely and safely.
Results spotlight
Theme 1 — “Boys: a barrier to physical activity.”
Echoing Oliver & Hamzeh’s classic “The boys won’t let us play,” the girls described being told to sit out because they were female or “not good enough.” One girl, Rosa, loved soccer but settled for basketball because the boys monopolized the field; another, Sarah, avoided joining a community team altogether, fearing rough play. These stories illustrate how gendered discourses policed girls’ bodies and shaped their identities as “nonathletes.”
Curricular response. GIRL turned these frustrations into inquiry. Journaling, roleplays, and discussions about women athletes reframed the issue from personal deficiency to structural inequality—and empowered participants to brainstorm strategies (e.g., speaking up, finding allies, creating girlonly games).
Theme 2 — “Aligning (and realigning) with the ideal female body.”
Magazine cutouts and Instagram screenshots revealed that conventional beauty scripts still dominate. Yet many entries emphasized confidence, health, and bravery over thinness. Coaches used these openings to question why certain looks are valued and to celebrate diverse bodies.
A nuanced shift. Unlike earlier studies where hair, sweat, and makeup were clear deterrents, these girls rarely cited appearance as a reason not to play. Even the most athletic participant, Diana, only skipped soccer once—because pictureday demanded a dress. The authors interpret this as an early “ripple of change,” perhaps influenced by the broader bodypositive movement online.
Discussion highlights
Persistent inequities call for structural fixes. Decades of scholarship haven’t eliminated playground patriarchy; schools must audit recess norms, provide equitable equipment access, and train staff to intervene when boys gatekeep.
Choice and cocreation build agency. When youth design activities, they blur binary labels (“sporty” vs. “girly”) and discover new ways to move that honor their identities.
Consider flexible grouping. While Title IX rightly guards against segregation, giving students the option to form girl-only spaces—particularly during skill-building years—can nurture confidence without excluding gender-diverse peers.
Leverage social media for good. Educators can curate feeds that spotlight diverse female athletes and body-positive influencers, helping students critique harmful images while amplifying empowering ones.
Bottom line
GIRL shows that when Latina tweens are invited to lead the conversation, they confront sexist playground norms, interrogate beauty standards, and reclaim physical spaces with newfound confidence. The next step is scaling these activist principles—student voice, critical inquiry, and safe spaces—into everyday PE and recess so that “the boys won’t let us play” becomes a relic of the past rather than tomorrow’s headline.
Full Article:
Marttinen, R., Meza, B*., & Flory, S. (2020). Stereotypical views of beauty and boys STILL not letting girls play: A student-centered curriculum for young girls through an after-school activist approach. Journal of Teaching in Physical Education, 40(3), 442-449. https://doi.org/10.1123/jtpe.2020-0008
This blog post was written with the assistance of AI to support clarity and accessibility. It is intended to help disseminate and discuss research findings with a broader audience. However, for the most accurate and reliable information—including conclusions and practical applications—please refer to the original peer-reviewed publication on which this blog is based. The peer-reviewed article remains the most authoritative source.