Sportswomen+or+Sex+Objects?

Alexa Murray N7557973 Tutor: Emily Mann

** Sportswomen or Sex Objects? **

Women have come a long way since before the 19th century. They have won the right to vote, become equals in the workforce and have earned their place in the sports arena. However, sport is still subject to male dominance. It can be seen that men perceive sportswomen as mere sex objects and consider their games entertainment. In a context of “sexploitation”, the value of the female athlete is judged primarily in terms of her body type and attractiveness, rather than for the qualities that define her as an athlete.

** Cultural Artefact ** The cultural artefact I have chosen is a magazine cover for a popular international magazine; For Him Magazine (FHM). FHM is the fastest growing men’s lifestyle magazine in the world. “We appreciate that our reader is an intelligent and discerning guy, and every month provide him with an eclectic editorial mix mirroring exactly what he wants out of his hectic life. We make sure it's funny and definitely sexy.” (FHM, 2011). The cover below features Anna Kournikova, a famous Russian tennis player. This particular article on her labels her as “the world’s sexiest woman”. The cover displays Kournikova posing provocatively in minimal clothing.



** Public Health Issue ** According to the, ‘Towards a Level Playing Field’ enquiry conducted by the Australian Sports Commission, only nine percent of television news media coverage is designated to female sports, compared to male sports which has more than 80 per cent of coverage in Australia.It’s disappointing to see that women’s sports don’t get nearly as much recognition as men’s sports. In order to attract media and sponsor interest, many female athletes resort to marketing themselves or their sport. However, if this approach is successful, the increased interest is not on their performances and successes, but on their sex appeal (Australian Sports Commission, 2011). Though as a society we are making strides towards equality in sport, it is clear that we still have a long way to go.

** Literature Review ** How equitable is the playing field when it comes to women in sport? Although gender equality has progressed in many areas, sport is still subject to male domination with undertones of sexism. The socialisation into sport of males and females differs dramatically. A male's status as an athlete overrides any other role, such as being a husband. But for females, the status of woman, wife, mother, caregiver, overrides her status as athlete (Bowman & Daniels 1995). As many 1970s radical feminist theorists "located the source of female subordination in the female body", women's perceived physical difference due to reproductive capabilities and essential lack of strength compared to men (Bremner, 2002).

A woman athlete’s achievements are often over looked and are often defined by their attractiveness. Sporting magazines such as Sports Illustrated often portrays individuals as female first and athletes second with continual emphasis on femininity. Even today, as women’s involvement and success in high profile performance sports continues to increase and gain greater acceptance, this acceptance is subtle and focuses on the athlete as female rather than as a sportsperson. Objectification theory proposes that women from Western cultures are widely portrayed and treated as objects of the male gaze, leading to the development of self-objectification, in which girls and women internalize these societal messages and view their own bodies as objects to be evaluated according to narrow standards of (often sexualized) attractiveness ( Goodin, Van Denburg, Murnen & Smolak, 2011).

As feminist sports scholars have pointed out, female athletes still reside outside the parameters of normative femininity, particularly those who play competitive, "male" sports or who appear to resist compulsory heterosexuality (Adams, Schmitke & Frankiln, 2005). This image that sport is masculine can be a reason why female athletes have been pressured to conform to traditional notions of femininity. However in more recent years these sexualised and heterosexualised images have become more explicit. The 21st century has seen major advances in technology, which we have all become very reliant on. Teenagers spend up to half of their waking hours reading or viewing some form of mass media (Daniels, 2009).

In today’s society people are constantly bombarded with images from the Internet, television, magazines etc. Which leads to another concerning issue: the exposure of “sexpolitaiton” through the media on young people. We believe that athletes are excellent role models for our youth as they prove that through hard work and determination you can accomplish your goals. However, once a sportswoman has “sold their sexuality” and not their sporting talents, you begin to question whether she is no different to entertainment celebrities. For example Paris Hilton.

However, why do sportswomen feel they need to objectify themselves in order to be noticed when there have been many women teams that have been very successful in their sport. Australian female athletes and teams have had may great achievements at the Melbourne Commonwealth Games in March 2006 the women won more gold and silver medals than the men despite having fewer team members yet women's sport still receives little media coverage. Another example is the Australian women’s netball team who has won eight out of eleven world championships and still there is a very slim chance you will see them making headlines or being on the “front” page of the sports section in the newspaper. For a country which is so sport orientated, it is hard to understand why these women’s sports don’t get the recognition they deserve.

** Cultural and Social Analysis ** Lack of media coverage of women's sport is a major issue for the sports industry, not just for women involved in sport. Until there is a better balance the Australian sports industry is not going to develop to its full potential (Australian Womensport and Recreation Association, 2010). While the quantity of media coverage is important, another is the way the media portrays women's sport, often reinforcing gender stereotypes or undermining women's achievements. A long standing concern is that women' sport is more likely to be sexualised and women are more likely to emphasise their sexuality to achieve some media coverage (Australian Womensport and Recreation Association, 2010).

 It begs the question: if feminism won the gender war, why are women allowing males to view them as merely “sex objects”? The fact is: sex sells. More media attention or sponsorships means more money for the athlete. And when they aren’t receiving the much-deserved praise for their sporting accomplishments it’s no wonder they turn to this. An excellent example is tennis player Maria Sharapova who has a net worth of over $90 million, and only $16 million of this has been from prize money from tennis tournaments.

The beginning of the feminist movement had a significant impact on society. Men could no longer be in control of everything. Women began taking “men’s jobs” such as police officers, managers and business owners. Taking and sharing jobs with men and proving they could perform them just as well. Then with the courageous and persistent political campaign, the woman suffrage movement, women won the right to vote. And in regards to sports, though as a society we are making strides towards equality in sport, it is clear that we still have a long way to go.

** Analysis of the Cultural Artefact ** The cultural artefact indicates a clear representation of how sportswomen are seen: female first and athlete second. The cultural artefact is very relevant in today’s society as the media focuses on body image and physical attractiveness. The athlete featured on the cover of FHM magazine, Anna Kournikova, received more attention off the court than she did playing on it. The photograph captures her luscious blonde locks, beaming blue eyes, fit physique and with no tennis racket in site. For a person who isn’t familiar with her athletic achievements, you would have no idea she was a tennis player as this picture is irrelevant to sports.

Being a ballerina most of my life I have been unaware of the inequality women face on the sporting fields just because there has been a long standing stereotypical image of women being a wife or a mother. With the research I have conducted I was shocked to find statistics showing the difference between male and female sport media coverage. Being a dancer I understand the emphasis put on body image, however I find it alarming how society and the media continually focus on physical appearance or physical attractiveness. It seems sportswomen are only recognised when they have stripped off their clothes for the cameras. I believe sportswomen deserve a fair go and it’s this exploitative imagery of sportswomen that makes a mockery out of women’s battle for equality. These athletes are role models to our youth and deserve the same level of recognition that men receive with their clothes on.

** References ** Adams, N., Schmitke, A. & Frankiln, A. (2005). Tomboys, dykes, and girly girls: interrogating the subjectivities of adolescent female athletes. //Women’s Studies Quarterly//, 33(1), 17-34.

Australian Sports Commission. (2011). Towards a level playing field: sport and gender in Australian media. Retrieved from http://www.ausport.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0007/356209/Towards_a_Level_Playing_Field_LR.pdf

Australian Womensport and Recreation Assoication. (2010). Retrived from http://www.australianwomensport.com.au/default.asp?PageID=36&n=Media

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Bowman, A. & Daniels, D. (1995). A shifting gaze? The changing photographic representation of women athletes. //Canadian Women Studies//, 15(4), 84-88.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Bremner, K. (2002). Gender, sexuality and sports. //Canadian Women Studies, 21(3), 6-11.//

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Climent, D. (2011). Women are always in the shadows. Retrieved from http://www.theroar.com.au/2011/10/21/women-are-always-in-the-shadows/

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Daniels, E. A. (2009). The indivisibility of women athletes in magazines for teen girls. //Women in Sport and Physical Activity Journal//, 18(2), 14-24.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">FHM. (2011) About FHM magazine. Retrieved from http://www.fhm.com.au/

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Goodin, S. M, Van Denburg, A., Murnen, S. K. & Smolak, L. (2011). "Putting on" Sexiness: A content analysis of the presence of sexualizing characteristics in girls' clothing. //Sex Roles//, 65(1), 1-12. doi: 10.1007/s11199-011-9966-8

** Learning Engagement and Reflection Task ** <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%; text-align: center;">Sam Turner <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%; text-align: center;">n8280045 <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%; text-align: center;">I thought your wiki was very well written and very interesting. I did the same topic and was interested to see other people's ideas and point of views. I think your artefact chosen was excellent, showing the two different perspectives of males and females in sport – a man in shirt opposed to women in short skirts and bikinis. I agree with you when you say that majority of female athletes want to be recognised for their sporting accomplishments and not their sex appeal, however the media are constantly objectifying women. Although there has been progress in the last few years, I believe that battle for gender equality is far from over. <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%; text-align: center;">Amanda Giang <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%; text-align: center;">n7388187 <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%; text-align: center;">Your title definitely made me want to read your wiki. It was very well written and enjoyable to read. I really liked your artefact as it is very different from ones I have seen. The statistics you presented were a real eye opener. I cannot believe that there are 14 year olds that drink alcohol. I don’t really know anything about Buddhism and it was really interesting to learn about this religion and its beliefs on this topic. With alcohol consumption numbers rising I agree with you and believe that greater prevention measures are needed to address and solve this issue.

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