Imane Khelif, Gender Controversy, and the Weaponization of White Womanhood

 

Imane Khelif, an Algerian boxer, is currently at the center of a global controversy over her gender. Despite defeating Thailand’s Janjaem Suwannapheng and securing a place in the gold medal bout at the Paris Olympics, Khelif’s accomplishments have been marred by accusations following Italian boxer Angela Carini’s dramatic withdrawal from their match. Carini, who left the match in tears after 46 seconds, citing an unprecedentedly hard punch, later apologized to Khelif, but the damage was already done.

This incident is symptomatic of a larger issue where the emotional distress of white women is strategically used against women of color. This phenomenon, which I explore in my book "White Tears/Brown Scars," is what I refer to as "strategic white womanhood." In this dynamic, white women’s tears are not just personal expressions of distress but are used to mobilize societal protections and punish people of color.

Public figures such as JK Rowling, Donald Trump, and Italian far-right Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni were quick to weigh in on the controversy, each bringing their own ideological biases. Rowling, known for her opposition to trans women, characterized Khelif’s victory as the "smirking" pleasure of a "male" defeating a woman. Meloni’s comments about protecting female athletes from competitors with "male genetic characteristics" ignored the history of women’s sports, where athletes have not always conformed to European standards of femininity.

The backlash against Khelif is part of a broader trend where fairness in women’s sports is being used to enforce racial and gender norms. The history of athletes like South African runner Caster Semenya, who faced similar accusations after her victory at the 2016 Rio Olympics, shows how non-white women are often targeted. Bulgarian boxer Svetlana Staneva’s gesture, implying her Taiwanese opponent was not a "real" woman, is a modern echo of these outdated racial ideologies.

The controversy around Khelif could have been less dramatic had Carini withdrawn without tears. However, the reaction to her emotional display underscores how non-white women are often depicted as either needing rescue or as threats. Khelif, who has boxed in women’s competitions for years and participated in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics without such accusations, is now at the center of a debate over who gets to define womanhood.

The use of an AI-generated image by Hungarian boxer Anna Luca Hamori, depicting Khelif as a beast, illustrates the deep-seated Orientalism in this controversy. This imagery, which reduces non-white women to animalistic figures, reflects the West’s historical depiction of non-white women as either submissive victims or as threats to white purity.

The West’s portrayal of itself as an underdog under threat from "barbaric" non-whites drives its cultural and political narratives. This self-perception justifies aggressive policies, seen in the West’s actions in Gaza, where the portrayal of Western civilization as the victim legitimizes military and economic interventions.

In conclusion, the controversy over Imane Khelif’s gender highlights the strategic use of white womanhood to uphold racial and gender norms. This incident is not just about sports but reflects the broader societal struggle over who gets to define fairness and womanhood in a world still grappling with racial biases.