I found a blog that questions the role that women's athletics plays in our society. In the second picture, the comic hints at how different men's uniforms are compared to women's uniforms. In volleyball, for instance, why do women wear tiny bikinis but men don't wear speedos? It hints to the fact that popularity for certain women's sports may be as high as it is because of the spectacle of seeing a nearly nude woman. In the first picture, the comic concerns why women have to be focused upon physical appearance so much instead of just athletics. Do you think a woman would be a popular athlete if she was ugly but extremely talented? Does success, especially monetary, for women athletes involve looking beautiful? Interestingly enough, many famous women athletes sometimes decide to pose for Playboy (or other magazines) after their athletic career hits its peak. What does this say about the extent to which women's athletics are popular for attractive women athletes or women athleticism?
The original blog can be found here: http://modernfemaleathlete.blogspot.com/
In a way, I feel that both women and men face these pressures. The only reason it's not as noticed is that, for men, it's considered more attractive to be more muscular, which usually is already a characteristic of a professional athlete.
ReplyDeleteI think these two comics actually suggest the opposite about the pressures on male and female athletes. It seems that female athletes are valued for their beauty/looks/attractiveness over their athleticism, while men are valued purely for their athleticism. I remember having read about WNBA players receiving lessons on applying makeup and dressing well - it suggests that women cannot be considered good athletes unless they are beautiful as well.
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