(In)visible bodies: gender stereotypes and onlife violence

Abstract

This contribution is framed within feminist pedagogy and gender studies to investigate the relationship between stereotypes, female bodies and violence in the digital age. The analysis starts from the assumption that the early internalization of gender stereotypes, conveyed through gendered toys and media representations, contributes to constructing women's bodies as objects to be controlled and violated, while simultaneously fueling models of toxic masculinity. From a methodological standpoint, the study adopts a qualitative approach, analysing data from the 2024 Save the Children research on gender violence in adolescence and cross-referencing it with international literature on cyberbullying, sextortion and teen dating violence. The findings reveal a worrying normalization among young people of controlling behaviours such as partner geolocation and forced password sharing, as well as the influence of online subcultures like "incels" in reinforcing the devaluation of the feminine. The ambivalent role of schools also emerges: while being a privileged educational setting, they risk unconsciously reproducing gender hierarchies. Looking forward, pedagogy is called upon to overcome the historical split between mind, body and emotions, promoting a holistic education capable of re-signifying female bodies and forming individuals free from stereotypes, able to build authentic and respectful relationships.