The women competing at the at the Olympics are proving that doing something "like a girl" is not a bad thing. Whether it be gymnast Simone Biles winning both team and individual golds for the United States or Katinka Hosszú, a swimmer bringing home three for Hungary, female athletes are absolutely killing it this year in Rio. These women should be praised for their accomplishments, but instead they are being objectified or belittled by the media. Shouldn't we be empowering our women, not tearing them down?
Women in the Olympics are either highly over-sexualized or made to feel that because they are athletic, they are "manly." The amount I have heard a female athlete's body classified as such by males just in the past week is sickening. It seems that the only thing people have time for these days is to criticize a woman for her physical appearance. News flash: we are in the 21st century and just because a woman is physically fit, does not make them masculine. Women can be strong and this fact doesn't make them unappealing. If anything it should be uplifting to see that the athlete worked hard to gain the strength to get her to where she is. We should be proud of this, not discourage it.
When these athletes are not being judged on their bodies, their successes are taken away and attributed to the men in their lives. When Hosszu won her gold in the 400m individual medley, the media took away all of her glory. In the middle of her celebration, the camera moved to Hosszu's husband and coach, Shane Tusup. When he was on the screen the commentator said "and there is the man responsible." Has no one realized that SHE is the one who won the race? It was her hard work and dedication to the sport that put her in the position to win, yet the person who got all of the praise was her husband. There would have been a better way to give him credit for the win without claiming that he was completely responsible for her win. Also, the Chicago Tribune posted an article titled "Corey Cogdell, wife of Bears lineman Mitch Unrein, wins bronze in Rio." The title had to mention the fact that Cogdell was married to a famous football player, instead of giving her the fame she deserves for her athletic abilities. This teaches young girls who are watching the Olympics or reading about their heroes that no matter what they accomplish, there will always be a man behind you that will take the credit and the praise.
For the good of girls in America, the term "like a girl" should start having better connotations. Instead of the media saying "Katie Ledecky swims like a man," which did happen, they should say she "swims like a girl" and that should be okay. These female athletes are proving that a woman's strength is immeasurable, but the media is taking this away. How they are covering the success of these women is sending a terrible message to girls around the world. The message should be that the next time someone says "you swim like a girl," don't take it as a bad thing. Hosszu and Ledecky are girls and look at all they have accomplished.
