Posted on 05/17/2005 7:16:55 AM PDT by pissant
Women's involvement in sports has radically increased over the past 30 years. There are more women's hockey, basketball, and soccer teams than ever before. This rise in participation has dramatically improved the level of competition and calibre of female athletics.
This does not stop me, however, from hearing little boys chide each other for "throwing like girls" in schoolyards nation-wide.
Resistance against women in athletics still exists. Female athletes not only tackle questions regarding their athletic ability, but also their femininity. Competitive female athletes often develop muscular physiques to meet the demands of their sport. How do female athletes tackle the demands of their sport with contradictory societal standards of beauty?
In a 2004 study conducted by researchers for the publication Sex Roles: A Journal of Research, 21 female university athletes were asked how they dealt with the relationship between athletic performance and femininity. The women reported that even though they were proud of their athletic bodies, they were uncomfortable with being more muscular than most women. Being 'too muscular' gave the women the impression that they were sacrificing their femininity for the sake of their sport.
The study found that female athletes tried to compensate by adopting traditional feminine traits. Female volleyball players placed bows in their hair, cricket players insisted on wearing skirts instead of trousers on the field, and one female boxer wore pink shorts during her matches.
It is unsettling that a woman cannot feel comfortable about herself if she does not look 'feminine'. The media doesn't contain diverse depictions of women's bodies.
To be feminine, so the stereotype goes, is to be one thing and one thing only: thin, young and physically attractive. Women who do not meet these criteria often wonder if they are beautiful and desirable, and unfortunately, in a society such as ours, beauty is too often equated with worth.
Women have the right to chose just about anything in Canada-whom they date, which school they attend, what car they drive. So, why should society deny women the right to define what it means to be 'feminine?'
-MARISSE ROCO
Society and the media place great demands on women in terms of beauty and attractiveness. Women involved in sports are not exempt from this and have to constantly struggle to be both physically fit and 'beautiful' in the eyes of society.
Female athletes are expected to be physically fit and excel at their sport, and to be a size zero and not overly muscular, to be accepted. This social expectation can lead to severe problems, one of them being severe eating disorders.
Take a look at any sports magazine or internet website and you will see predominantly beautiful women like Anna Kournikova gracing the cover, instead of a woman who actually represents the average-looking woman-someone like Anna Sorenstam, who is one of the most skilled women playing golf today.
A 2001 examination of 41 competitive female figure skaters by Canadian researchers Gail Taylor and Diane Ste-Marie of the University of Ottawa found that all of the athletes used some form of weight control, such as various diet strategies, at one point in their lives. It was also found that 93 per cent believed the pressures of weight-loss related directly to the sport of figure skating, a sport showcasing the skinniest frames.
It is probably safe to say that the notion of what society believes to be 'sexy' is also incompatible with the definition of the ideal female sports participant. How does the average woman deal with this constant contradiction?
I'd like to pose one question: Is it right for society to expect a female athlete to have it all-beauty as defined by pop culture, and the athletic skills to thrive in one's sport?
I will say this: as a young and relatively attractive black woman, my male friends are still surprised by that I am a sports enthusiast who not only loves sports, but also has an in-depth knowledge of them.
I remember when I wrote my first article for The Varsity on the men's hockey team back in November 2004. A gentleman who was sitting in front of me at the game repeatedly kept giving me unsolicited updates on the plays of the first period, obviously assuming I could not comprehend what was going on. Kindly I nodded and smiled and continued to make my own notes on the game.
It's starting to seem like a Catch 22-society wants women athletes to be attractive, but when they are appealing they are not really taken seriously in terms of their sports skills and knowledge.
In an industry that has historically been dominated by men, it is imperative that women who become involved in the sports world have a strong self-identity, high self-esteem, and the drive to pursue their careers. These are the new rules of the game.
-SHARON McCALLA
Excelellent. The shooting ladies are good. Especially if they are shooting scum bags!
You feelin blue p-ant?
I agree :D
At first I thought that was Farscape's Chiana.
If she can play and keep up with the standards set by the coach and can hit like she oughta....I got no problem with it.
That what you meant?
yes
I agree. Methinks the two authors are not too bright.
I know of your likes of certain pictures. Ping-and-scroll.
You got it, bro.
LOL I agree.
My personal favorite.
Hey, NOW we're talkin' wo-man! (That 'The Fabulous Moolah' behind this lovely flower?
One of my new faves now!
Nice bulging quads and shoulders and delts and ceps...IF anyone's looking for that sort of thing from their woman.
Someone needs to post bellygirl! I'm betting she plays some sport!
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