If you’re a decent individual who dislikes rape culture and relentless examples of misogyny, don’t read Daily Mail. It’s impressive, truly, as to how consistently the magazine produces demeaning titles and sexist articles. I try to avoid the online news source as much as I can, but by some extreme misfortune, a few days ago I managed to stumble across a particularly aggravating piece on the women of Wimbledon.
The article focuses on the clothing choices of the female athletes and discusses the “Nike nightie,” a tennis dress that has upset some spectators because it reveals the spandex that athletes wear below the garment, thus becoming “too revealing” and “obscene.” The article proceeds to claim that several of the female athletes at Wimbledon have chosen “racy” outfits this year, utilizes words like “skimpy” and “scanty” to refer to the athletes choice of dress, and lists every single wardrobe “malfunction” that has happened so far to the female players this year.
Not once does the article mention how spectacular each of these athletes are, does not comment on their records, their strengths, their sponsors, their successes or failures, does not address how difficult it is to find comfortable female athletic gear, does not discuss the athletes’ training regimens, or their work outside of the sport; instead, you can look at pictures of powerful tennis players in mid-swing with captions below that read “look at her breasts in that top” or “look at how she hangs out when she serves.”
The article also includes quotes from fans and so many (male) sportscasters who have decided to weigh in on the disgust they feel towards the athlete’s choice of clothing.
All this, just another day in the life of a female athlete, trying for success in the sexist and prejudiced environment of the world of sports.
Firstly, note the distinction in discussing players. Men who play sports are called athletes, whereas females who play sports are called “female athletes,” which enforces the stereotype that male athletes are the norm.
Gendered stereotypes also emphasize a great deal of importance and focus upon what female athletes wear, and therefore it is not uncommon to hear commentary in the middle of a tense game on what the players are dressed in, their hair, their lack of makeup, rather than hearing about what the players are doing well or what the score is or anything like that. Female athletes have it tough because our society demands aspects of femininity to be present in their appearance, but to also be successful at their sport, which usually requires gaining muscle mass and focusing on things more important than physical appearance, like one’s health. Our society associates strength and competition to masculinity, and so when strong women come into the picture to compete against one another in physically demanding situations, this upsets the gendered expectations that society is still desperately clinging to. If you’re one of those people who think that women are biologically weaker than men, I would like for you to repeat that to someone like Rhonda Rousey and then I would like to watch you try and fight her. I know, not all women are Rousey-esque, but not all men are like Dwayne Johnson and to say that women are born weak or are less athletic is an incorrect and offensive generalization. It is also sexist to label female athletes as “mannish” just because they are not stereotypically feminine. Being toned, building and maintaining muscle definition-these are not masculine traits, these are human traits. Strong, muscled, “mannish” women aren’t your type? Well, weak, misogynistic idiots don’t interest female athletes, so it looks like everything will work out for the best.
Surprisingly enough, women, like men, who play sports recreationally or professionally, are not on the court to show off their latest outfit, and do not give primary concert to their appearance. WHO CARES if this year at Wimbledon, a female athlete’s spandex is seen as she lunges across the court to hit an amazing volley and win the point? She certainly doesn’t, and she can’t very well be wearing full sleeves and jeans to accomplish such a feat. Women have to move to play sports (shocking!) and they need to be dressed comfortably to move about, so if the only reason you watch sports is to comment on the women’s outfits you are watching sports for the wrong reason and need to stop. You don’t see anyone complaining about the bikinis of Beach Volleyball during the Olympics, which is yet another indication that it’s only acceptable in our society to show off the female body when it can be easily sexualized.
As a quick heads-up, playing sports and moving around means sweating, and therefore women will usually not be wearing makeup during sporting competitions. In 2013, when Marion Bartoli won Women’s Singles over Sabine Lisicki, she received death threats, horrendously violent and vicious comments over her appearance, because Lisicki was considered to be more aesthetically pleasing. Guess what? Bartoli and Lisicki couldn’t care less about what they look like during a match, and instead chose to focus on each other’s talents, their game strategy, and other things that athletes do during a match. I’m sure they would want you to do the same.
Also, to the male sportscasters who choose to point out the appearance of female athletes instead of their performance on the court, (Google it, there’s lots of examples) WOW THANK YOU SO MUCH. Thank you for once again stripping women of their power, talent, and successes and for turning them into gendered objects that you sexualize and critique into your own concepts and desires of the female body. Women really love it when you treat them like the only thing they’re meant to do in life is to cater to the needs of men.
Aesthetics aren’t the only issues that exist in the realm of sports. Female athletes are not paid the same wages as male athletes are, regardless of success or record. Teams of women are usually underfunded or are undervalued in comparison to teams of men, and there are foolish barriers that prohibit women from playing certain sports simply because of a tradition of sexism and exclusion. Remember when people were making a huge deal bout Andy Murray being the first Brit to win Wimbledon in 77 years? Um, anyone remember Virginia Wade, 1977 Women’s Singles Champion? A Brit, but apparently not a person or an athlete whose successes were valuable in comparison to those of a man. And when people say “I just don’t like watching women’s sports,” it is born out of all these gendered issues; we have been taught that women should not be masculine, physical, or aggressive, we do not build up the same hype around women’s sports that surrounds male sports like the CWS or college football, and we continue to apply ingrained stereotypes to athletes that inhibits them from becoming truly successful. The Patriarchy is a dangerous opponent; let’s work together for equality, for respect, and for a win against sexism.
