The 2016 Rio Olympics has showcased unrelenting, raw athletic talent and diversity throughout its beginning weeks. It has also showcased sexism towards many of its female athletes. In 2016, it's hard to believe that such rampant sexism still exists in the top athletic competition of the world. Major news and media outlets have published sexist reports of female athletes, focusing more on their looks rather they're than their talent. In case anyone has forgotten, Hillary Clinton is currently running for President, Kim K is on the cover of Forbes Magazine, and some of the most influential people in the world are women. As a strong capable women myself, I expect to be judged based off of my talent, just as my male counterparts are. Here are some of the sexist media reports about female Olympic athletes recently published.
Corey Cogdell-Unrein recently took home a bronze medal for trap shooting, yet the Chicago Tribune published a headline referring to her as “The wife of Bear’s lineman,” failing to even mention her full name. Corey’s husband is completely irrelevant to her athletic achievements. Referring to her simply as the wife of an NFL player is demeaning and unjustified. The Chicago Tribune did make an apology statement on Twitter, stating that “Corey Cogdell-Unrein is awesome on her own.”
Fox News panelist Tamara Holder recently debated on wether or not female athletes should be allowed to wear makeup during competitions, stating that “We all know that old adage, sex sells. Well, now female Olympians are sexing it up more than ever by wearing makeup during their competitions.” To publicly state that female Olympians are “sexing it up more than ever,” simply because they choose to wear makeup, takes away from the athletic talents they posses. If an athlete can rock winged eyeliner and land an ariel on a high beam, more power to her.
NBC Olympics chief marketing officer John Miller stated that the reason the network chose not to air the opening ceremonies live was due to the fact that “The people who watch the Olympics are not particularly sports fans. More women watch the Games than men, and for the women, they're less interested in the results and more interested in the journey. It's sort of like the ultimate reality show and mini-series wrapped into one” which is completely ridiculous. As a woman, I can proudly say I love "Keeping Up With The Kardashians" and watching the athletes perform at the Olympics, which are both totally okay and have nothing to do with my gender.
On Sunday, the Final Five eagerly waited for their score results, chatting to each other in the sidelines when an NBC commentator mentioned that "They might as well be standing in the middle of a mall.” No, these ladies do not look like they should be standing in the middle of a mall, they look like they just kicked ass at one of the most prestigious athletic events in the world!
When Andy Murray won a gold medal in tennis, BBC news reporter John Inverdale completely forgot that Venus and Serena Williams have won four medals each for the same competition! He asked Andy Murray “You're the first person to ever win two Olympic tennis gold medals, that's an extraordinary feat, isn't it?” Let's not forget about the awesome duo that has repeatedly taken home the gold for tennis!
