The Catfight: Gender, Spectacle, and Conflict in Popular Media
The “catfight” is a staple of visual entertainment, particularly in action films, soap operas, and reality television. Typically defined as a physical confrontation between two women, the catfight is often choreographed to emphasize scratching, hair-pulling, and slapping—moves coded as “feminine” and less technical than male fight scenes. Scholars argue that the catfight serves dual purposes: it provides visceral excitement while reinforcing stereotypes about female aggression as irrational and emotional. sb catfight donyan
Historically, catfights gained prominence in 1960s “catfight cinema” (e.g., The Cat and the Canary ) and were later popularized by prime-time soaps like Dynasty (1981–1989). The mud-wrestling scenes in 1980s B-movies further commodified the trope for male audiences. By the 2000s, shows like Glow (2017–2019) deconstructed the trope, portraying women wrestlers as performers reclaiming their own aggression. The Catfight: Gender, Spectacle, and Conflict in Popular