Here's a riddle:
"I am too pretty to be athletic, but I am too athletic to be pretty. I am too pretty to be smart, but I am too smart to be pretty. I am too smart to be athletic, but I am too athletic to be smart. I am too athletic to be desirable, but I am desirable because I am athletic. What am I?"
Answer is: a female athlete.
We are living, breathing contradictions. Women are lead to believe that they must be one thing or another, that we cannot cross barriers or be multifaceted. That the beautiful blonde cannot be intelligent, and that that the muscular girl cannot be desirable or feminine.
Through recent events in the Olympic Games in Rio, my eyes have been once again opened to the stereotypes and casual sexism that surrounds female athletes. And once again, I am infuriated. Even in the year 2016, at the world stage for athletes, where the most talented in the world come to compete, women are still, somehow, managing to be marginalized and reduced to the stereotypes that we fight so hard to break. People are more concerned with Gabby Douglas's hair (it's the third option when typing "Gabby Douglas" into Google) rather than her amazing performance and incredible athleticism. Corey Cogdell was simply referred to as a wife, completely ignoring her own identity and success as an incredible shot. Katinka Hosszu didn't get credit for her win in the 400-IM; instead, it was given to her husband. Dana Vollmer won a gold metal, but announcers were astounded that she was also a mother of a young child.
The absolute best female athletes of the world are still subject to the hate and discrimination that society creates. Women are marginalized and their success mitigated because of their hair or relationship status. Their astounding athleticism is forgotten, because of menial issues. They are not allowed to be multifaceted.
Outside of the Olympics, female athletes are subject to casual sexism. In an article packed full with important issues, the Inquaries states that "Unlike male athletes, female athletes do not have the luxury of being primarily portrayed as performance athletes, as coverage of their beauty and sex appeal usually overshadow highlights or their on-field endeavors." Females aren't allowed to be both athletic and beautiful; only one or the other. And in this society, it is usually only beautiful.
Quite frankly, I don't have the right words to explain how angering this issue is. As a female athlete, this is not just "casual sexism." This is a full-out insult to everything that every female athlete has ever worked for. And it has to change.
