Team USA is on a roll in the Olympic games, and much of their success is thanks to female athletes. As a female watching the games, I am proud of not only my country, but all the other women kicking ass and bringing medals home. But as a feminist, I have been disappointed in the way the media is continuing to portray them. This is being done in some subtle ways, and also in really obvious ways too.
1. Corey Cogdell
Check out this article from the Chicago Tribune about Corey Cogdell. All you have to do is look at the title of the article: "Corey Cogdell, wife of Bears lineman Mitch Unrein, wins bronze in Rio". Seemingly harmless, but actually quite demeaning. This title did not mention her sport (trap shooting), the closeness in the competition, or anything about her athletic ability, much less that this is her third Olympic appearance. The thing the Tribune found most important is that she is the wife of a lineman for the Chicago Bears. After being called out by a lot of people on Twitter, the Chicago Tribune attempted an apology but it was too little, too late for many people.
2. Katinka Hosszu
Hungarian swimmer Katinka Hosszu has been very successful in the Olympics, winning three gold medals in Rio, which is her third Olympic appearance. Additionally, her husband as attracted a lot of attention for his...enthusiasm while she swims. Okay so that's great and wonderful. However, Dan Hicks caught a lot of negative media attention when, after Hosszu won the gold medal for the 400m individual medley, during which she broke the world record. Why? Because the camera panned to her husband, and Dan Hicks said he was the man "responsible" for her win. He is her coach and has been faithfully cheering her on through the games, but if the roles were reversed, would Hicks have said she was responsible for him winning? Somehow, I don't think so.
3. The Final Five
Last Sunday during the women's gymnastics coverage, a commentator said they looked like they "might as well be standing in the middle of a mall". No. They might as well be standing in the middle of the Olympics.
This portrayal of female athletes is not new. There have been studies on the topic before. The conversation on it is important though. This is why Shawn Johnson is joining Dove on a new campaign called #MyBeautyMySay. The campaign aims to bring awareness to how media focuses on the physical appearance of female athletes, rather than their skill - thus challenging them to change the system.
Join the campaign and tweet about why you think #MyBeautyMySay is important. As strong, powerful women, we can change the way the media portrays us regardless of what we're doing.
