C HAPTER 2
D ULC E TO RMEN TA/S WEET S TORM
Investigating the objects luchadoras use and inspire in their historical contexts illuminates the significance of performance environments and how they affect material culture. From exclusion in performance centers to costumes and gear created from other performance disciplines, luchadoras have worked to carve out a place in lucha libre and establish a performance lineage and legacy. Dulce Tormenta/ Sweet Storm’s experiences developing and introducing a new persona in 2021 demonstrate how luchadores use masks, hair, and costume to uphold performance tradition and personally connected performance legacies while expanding the parameters for luchadora performance. Tormenta negotiates the history behind luchadora participation, the legacy of previous El Pasoan luchadores, the formation of a new familial performance network amid industry gatekeeping, and a desire for a fresh start after injury and personal struggle. These factors become part of the objects that create the designed character, disseminated as she expands her reach in US wrestling networks. While different in some areas, women's participation has
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