It drives me nuts!
Don’t get me wrong. I enjoy the female form as much as any 53-year-old American male. But when I turned to Page 45 of the Nov. 29 Sun-Times, it made me want to shout my favorite single-word Italian invective, “basta!”
Because there was Wimbledon finalist Maria Sharapova kneeling in a skimpy bikini, arms strategically positioned to hide a likely skimpier top, all the while staring seductively at the camera. And that photo was also accompanied by one of Ashley Harkleroad (misidentified as Caroline Wozniacki) in a similar pose wearing an impossibly short tennis skirt, a well-placed towel, and get this, high heels.
Even worse, there are those athletes who abandoned all pretense by taking it all off for a Playboy pictorial—swimmer Amanda Beard, ice skater Katarina Witt and volleyball standout Gabrielle Reece, just to name a few.
Even Danica Patrick, the first legitimate female Indy car driver, has managed to create a second career out of donning a bikini at the drop of a hat. Perhaps if she put that modeling time into racing, she might actually win one!
It’s one thing to see those Lingerie Football League floozies involved in this kind of salacious behavior, but is this really what we want our world-class female athletes to ultimately aspire to? Is it worth the deprivation and relentless training it takes to reach the top of a sport, if you're only going to throw away all that hard-earned respect by appearing semi-nude or nude in a national publication?
I can just see the TV commercial now. “Maria! You just won Wimbledon! What are you going to do now?”
“I’m taking off all my clothes! Got a camera?”
And while we’re at it, shame on my beloved Sun-Times for running those photos in the first place. That’s not what a newspaper should aspire to, either.
“But Jeff! Adult women have the inalienable right to 'bare arms' and anything else if they see fit.” That’s true! In America, every woman has the God-given right to act like a brainless bimbo.
But God bless Olympic softball sensation Jennie Finch, who actually turned Playboy down when they came calling, declaring she’d “rather be a role model to young girls.” Of course, then she went ahead and posed in a skimpy bikini.
And there you have it! This is why this female-athlete-as-stripper phenomenon just frosts my cookies. What kind of message are these accomplished women sending to their high school counterparts? “Great job on the floor, Jane! You have all the talent to make the Olympic volleyball team. Oh! And by the way, nice butt!”
And trust me, the message filters down!
Speaking of high school volleyball, have you seen the “uniforms” the girls are wearing these days? The fact that they even call ‘em shorts stretches any definition of the word.
My former business assistant, a Geneva High School volleyball standout, and I used to bicker about this all the time. She claimed those “shorts” were necessary for better on-court maneuverability. I, in turn, contended that if that skin-tight attire provided any kind of competitive advantage, the boys would be wearing it, too.
But the boys wear baggy knee-length shorts, don’t they?! She finally did admit the form-fitting attire did bring more people to the games.
And now, to my utter despair, this female-athlete-as-sex-object plague has infected one of my very favorite sports, cross country, where the “uniforms” are rapidly descending to string bikini-like proportions.
It may not be as widespread as it is in volleyball, but some high school girls cross country teams are sporting “shorts” that wouldn't fit an American Girl doll. And do you really require a bare midriff to run?
While discussing this “less isn’t more” sensation with Geneva Running Outfitters owner Eric Ott, he suggested I don a similar outfit for my next 5K endeavor to determine if it really does provide an edge.
And I’m seriously considering doing it, because the mere sight of me—back hair and all—dressed in one of those outfits might just scare spectators so much, it could mark the end this ridiculous fashion trend.
Not to mention the end of cross country as we know it.
At this point I was going to issue a call for mothers of daughters to rally to my cause, but have you seen what some of the moms are wearing to high school functions these days?
Not only that, but one of my first columns for The Beacon-News described my shock and awe at what one high school dance team wasn’t wearing at a carwash fundraiser. And then their mothers proceeded to tear into me like piranhas in a James Bond flick.
So I’m thinking I’m going to have to appeal to fathers, because as long as we stay silent, they’ll continue to sexualize our daughters in the name of high school athletics. It might finally be time to reissue that hackneyed phrase, “You’re NOT going out dressed like that, young lady!”
Of all the things I’ve managed to accomplish in this too-short life, and even though it took 30-plus years of consistent effort to do it, placing third in my age group in the last four 5K races I’ve run ranks very close to the top.
It hasn’t made the evening news. It won’t get me any endorsement contracts, and the U.S. Olympic team has, thus far, failed to call. But I can certainly tell you my first thought upon the completion of those small personal victories wasn’t stripping down to my jockstrap and looking for a photographer.
So my impassioned plea to world-class women everywhere considering the full monty is this: Please consider the tried and true notions of self-respect and setting an example before you undo that button on your blouse.
ken loebel
7:22 am on Friday, December 9, 2011
Once people really pay attention to the athleticism of female athletes, they will recognize that female sports by themselves offer great sports competition and great entertainment. I have been fortunate to see the girls soccer teams beat the boys of a same age throughout Chicago - it is not a gender thing- it is a competition thing, where once the game is over, they move on and appreciate the competitors. I can only hope for the day when people start valuing the girls sports as much - it is their loss right now - the quality of pure competition is top tier!
patty
7:44 am on Friday, December 9, 2011
I couldn't agree more! Both my kids play volleyball. Funny how the uniforms are so different, isn't it?
Jeff Ward
9:13 am on Friday, December 9, 2011
Patty,
I just don't understand why more parents don't complain about those girls volleyball uniforms.
Jeff
Paul Bryant
10:32 am on Friday, December 9, 2011
The uniforms for both cross country and volleyball haven't changed much in the 30 years since I was in High School in rural Illinois. Neither have the cheerleaders outfits, but I don't hear you complaining about those, yet.
Maybe more parents aren't complaining about the uniforms because these same parents are focusing on the game/activity rather than the uniform or the body within. Ya' think?
dana
9:24 am on Friday, December 9, 2011
YOU are the one sexualizing it.
Justin Eggar
5:39 pm on Friday, December 9, 2011
Intellectually I take offense at this statement. Pointing out an issue doesn't make one responsible for it. If I see a bank robbery and tell the police "someone just robbed te bank" - that doesn't make me guilty of robbing a bank. Likewise, Jeff pointing out what is essentially societal discrimination does not make him guilty of sexualizing our athletics.
Jeff, in a culture where Jersey Shore stands for what people want to accomplish in life, don't be offended if people take offense at your viewpoint on the issue.
David
8:30 am on Saturday, December 10, 2011
Spot on Dana. Jeff is the one sexualizing it, it is an "opinion" column.
Tina Tuszynski
9:43 am on Friday, December 9, 2011
Girls' hockey is one great example of a sport where the fine athletes wear the exact same uniforms as the men. I know you don't think hockey counts as a sport, but you really should get out and see some of the fine players in our area, such as Napervilles' Molly Schaus, one of the goalies for the Women's Olympic team. Great women!
Jeff Ward
9:53 am on Friday, December 9, 2011
Tina,
You actually made me laugh out loud by remembering my ridiculous statements regarding hockey.
BTW, soccer is another sport where the boys and girls wear the same thing.
Jeff
Tina Tuszynski
10:02 am on Friday, December 9, 2011
Glad I could inject a little laughter into your life on this fine day! Seriously, with two kids who played hockey while they were growing up (boy and girl) and a husband who coached for a long time, I could never understand why the hockey kids would suit up in all this protective gear, yet we'd send my other stepdaughter on the ice figure skating in just a little dress yet very little protective gear. I know it's not the same sport, but you can still fall badly and get hurt skating. Good article.
Cathy Goodman
10:59 am on Friday, December 9, 2011
My daughter is 10 and plays travel basketball, volleyball, and softball. When I went with her to get volleyball shorts, we got a pair that went a few inches down her thighs. She complained a bit but eventually was OK with it. I told her that if/when she plays in high school and wears a bathing suit on the court, I want her to cover up before leaving the locker room...
What concerns me most about girls sports, however, is not skimpy outfits, but that so few girls play sports at all. Only a handful of girls from Churchill participate in competitive sports and the Glen Ellyn/Lombard area doesn't have enough girls to field a 10U softball team next summer. I'm dating myself, but I remember the fight for Title IX sports funding and its surprising that girls don't seem interested in taking advantage of the opportunity.
Back to the topic of uniforms...the girls my daughter plays sports with are terrific, sensible, girls who I'm sure will be terrific, sensible, young women. What matters most is not what they are wearing, but what they are doing. Maybe they can turn the tide and put the emphasis on their athletic abilities not their uniforms.
Robert Bykowski
1:18 pm on Friday, December 9, 2011
“But Jeff! Adult women have the inalienable right to 'bare arms' and anything else if they see fit.” That’s true! In America, every woman has the God-given right to act like a brainless bimbo.
It's kind of a weird to come to the defense of high school female athletes while at the same time you're suggesting that if a woman chooses to wear whatever she wants she's a brainless bimbo. I think there's a lot of merit to your argument, and there's a lot of angles on it that can be discussed, but I can't take you seriously on it if you're also going to shallowly insult a woman who expresses her freedom of choice, yknow?
Jeff Ward
1:27 pm on Friday, December 9, 2011
Robert,
What I was trying to say there was, if she were dead, Gloria Steinem would be rolling in her grave. Some expressions of freedom connote certain things whether we like it or not.
In this case I was talking about what they're choosing not to wear! Yes, all athletes have the right to take it off for Playboy, but in my mind, that sends the wrong message and reduces these remarkable women to bimbo-ness.
Wouldn't you rather be know for your athletic accomplishments as opposed to your boobs?
Jeff
Paul Bryant
5:01 pm on Friday, December 9, 2011
I think if they are posing in Playboy after having been an accomplished athelete, they are wanting to be known for both their accomplishments AND their assets.
Perhaps it does send the wrong message (in your opinion), but as this is their choice as free individuals, perhaps as a parent you should help guide your children to more appropriate role models, rather than trying to dictate what another adult should or should not do.
Robert Bykowski
1:37 pm on Friday, December 9, 2011
Well, for me, I don't think athletes should be required to send "the right message" in the first place. I think if you're talking about a kid/teen/whatever looking up to athletes, I think you've got some problems there in the first place. ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8vh2MwXZ6o ).
But beyond that, I think the beauty of the era/generation/society we live in is that people don't have to be one or the other, and I can't think of too many successful women athletes that are thought of more for their looks than their accomplishments. When I see Danica Patrick, I think "race car driver" before I think "Go Daddy commercial girl" (though, she's not much of a race car driver, to be honest). When I see the Williams sisters, I think of their tennis prowess, not their outfits or pseudo modeling or what have you. Those aspects of them exist, and I'm aware of it, but that doesn't take away or diminish from their athletic accomplishments. I just don't believe a woman athlete or a woman period has to choose to be one thing or the other. Have your cake and eat it, yknow?
Jeff Ward
2:00 pm on Friday, December 9, 2011
Robert,
Yes it does take away from their accomplishments! In essence what they're saying is, "Please ignore my dedication, hard work and amazing accomplishments and instead focus on something that, to a large degree, is an accident of nature."
Just because they choose to turn themselves into an object, doesn't make it the right thing to do!
All high school volleyball uniforms and many cross country uniforms are sexist. And exactly what is that teaching our daughters? That we value them for...
Jeff
Robert Bykowski
2:11 pm on Friday, December 9, 2011
If you feel it takes away from their accomplishments, I think that might say more about you more than it says about them. I don't think they're saying "please ignore my dedication etc..." at all, but if that's how you interpret it, it is what it is, i guess.
Like I said before, I think there's merit to your argument about the differences in uniforms, (but to be fair, high-school male swimmers wear far less than female swimmers!), and I think there's a lot of different reasons (though not all of them are good, for sure) for the discrepancies. I was, and am, really only taking issue with the idea that a woman is automatically a "brainless bimbo" because she chooses not to conform to whatever vision of acceptability someone else has. I think that's unfair.
Justin Eggar
6:19 pm on Friday, December 9, 2011
If Danica Patrick being a race car driver mattered, they wouldnt need to put her in a bathing suit. Do a google image search for her name. Of the top 50 pictures, how many are of her tearing up the race track? So, in reality, Danica isn't famous for her "accomplishments" on the track. She's famous because somebody was able to transform recognition she received for being one of few females in the sport into advertisement prowess due to the simple fact that sex sells.
I would counter from your example that people are actually conforming exactly to the vision of what is acceptable culturally. Or did becoming extremely popular through sexualizing ones persona all of a sudden become counter culture?
Tina Tuszynski
2:20 pm on Friday, December 9, 2011
To be fair, Robert, Jeff & I come from a time when women had to fight to be taken seriously in both the business world as well as in sports. I remember how pigeonholed women of my mother's generation were by the standards of physical beauty. Just watch any Mad Men episode - the value of women was based a lot on their looks only. Believe me, I love the "girlie girl" things and am proud of the beauty of being a woman, but I also cringe when those things are emphasized more than brains or ability.
Robert Bykowski
2:25 pm on Friday, December 9, 2011
not Peggy or Miss Blankenship!
Tina Tuszynski
2:55 pm on Friday, December 9, 2011
Ahh, but the struggles they had to endure to get where they are. Remember when Peggy went to the gynie to get birth control? That is exactly why women of my generation fear our rights being taken away.
Susan Carroll
3:19 pm on Friday, December 9, 2011
Blakenship was the hotness, Bykowski. What show were YOU watching?
Kelly
4:41 pm on Friday, December 9, 2011
If an adult woman chooses to dress provacatively, then that is her choice and I am not going to judge her unless I have to look at her crack while in line at Target. Female sexuality sells most every product in our culture and yet some people are shocked when women breastfeed in public. I think that Female High School uniforms are a different matter. The uniforms are chosen for these young women by the coach or other adult and they are in most sports too sexy for my taste.
Dean Nelson
5:59 pm on Friday, December 9, 2011
20 Year old male here, and Thank you for writing this. In one of my classes (I go to COD) one of my classmates came right out and said he watches females sporting event to "enjoy the female body". Thanks for writing this.
Paul Bryant
8:30 am on Saturday, December 10, 2011
and the problem with that is...
Jeff Ward
8:37 am on Saturday, December 10, 2011
Dean,
That's my point exactly. He ain't watching it for their athleticism.
Jeff
Rick Nagel
6:58 pm on Friday, December 9, 2011
In the poll results so far, 64 percent say female high school athletes' uniforms are sexist. I think this is a serious issue that merits a harder look from the IHSA or individual school districts. Some adults apparently have decided that the high school uniforms for volleyball, track and cross country (not at all schools, but at some) should be skimpy for girls and knee-to-shoulder for boys. That just doesn't seem right.
Paul Bryant
8:22 am on Saturday, December 10, 2011
The only thing this unscientific poll and less than 30 comments indicate is that 66% of the 136 Patch voters think the female high school athletic uniforms are sexist.
How many of those voters are from Geneva?
How many have high school age females playing a sport?
How many female athletes and/or their parents have complained to the school/district?
Without answers to these questions, all you can show is that 66% of the poll voters are more conservative in their attitudes toward female ahtletic uniforms, nothing more.
jen
7:50 pm on Friday, December 9, 2011
I am just curious as to how many girls do not participate in sports just because they don't like or are too embarassed to wear the uniform.
Howard Hoffman
9:07 pm on Friday, December 9, 2011
I think you are confusing two issues. If professional sports dress their athletes in uniforms that will attract viewers with more than tennis or volleyball on their minds, or if the athletes themselves wish to market themselves in this fashion, they are free to do so. Seems to me the right to make a buck trumps everything in American society. If you don't like it, don't watch. On the other hand, high school students have no choice if they wish to be athletes. They wear the uniform or quit the team. It is the adults, the coaches, administrators and IHSA officials who have the power here, and ought to consider the appropriateness of the uniforms. The girls don't wear that uniform because of Gabrielle Reece; they wear it because they get if from the school.
Jeff Ward
9:46 pm on Friday, December 9, 2011
Howard,
But where do the schools get the idea?
And if the girls said, "We most certainly aren't wearing that!" watch how fast those uniforms would change.
A couple of years ago a group of Connecticut high school cheerleaders saw the uniforms they were supposed to wear, went to the School Board and forced them into a more modest alternative.
Jeff
Paul Bryant
8:25 am on Saturday, December 10, 2011
That's a big "if" Jeff. Why don't you call the GHS athletic office and find out how many complaints have been filed about the femail volleyball and cross country uniforms? Then you might have some actual material for your article. Without that, you're simply trying to foist your ideas of morality on Patch readers.
Rich
7:43 am on Saturday, December 10, 2011
Jeff is spot on in this matter and I'm glad to see that 64% of the readers agree. I honestly was expecting a much lower number based on the apparel that I see parents buying for their teenage girls.
Jeff Ward
8:37 am on Saturday, December 10, 2011
Rich,
Good point! If you told me two-thirds of my readers would agree with me on this one I would've told your significant other to lock up the liquor cabinet.
Jeff
David
8:28 am on Saturday, December 10, 2011
Jeff, I find it interesting that you don't show pictures of men's track, men's beach volleyball (what does the beach volleyball photo have to do with high school other than to try to get the reader on your side) or swimming when you try to make your point. Men's swimsuits are way more revealing than women's and have you seen what the men's sprinters wear. You have chosen only those photos that support your point. I spend at least 4 days a week at a high school and see what the girls wear to school. Have you seen how many girls wear yoga pants everyday? I have daughters that play volleyball and run track and have been wearing uniforms like that all through high school and have never said word one about them feeling humiliated as you seem to imply.
Jeff Ward
8:35 am on Saturday, December 10, 2011
David,
Though I'm not passing the buck, and primarily due to sticky copyright issues, Geneva Editor Rick Nagel chose the pictures from those that had previously run on patch.
As far as swimwear, as a former Triathlete (chlorine allergy made me a duathlete), men are now wearing compression shorts-like swimsuits that have been proven to make you faster. And they're not nearly as revealing as speedos.
I'm never said these female high school athletes were being humiliated, but they certainly are learning that their true value lies solely in specific body parts.
Jeff
Paul Bryant
8:40 am on Saturday, December 10, 2011
David,
There is a fifth dimension beyond that which is known to man. It is a dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity. It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition, and it lies between the pit of man's fears and the summit of his knowledge. This is the dimension of imagination. It is an area which we call "The Jeff Ward Zone"!
Elaine Johnson
11:18 am on Saturday, December 10, 2011
I'll confess that I've wondered why girls in cross country and certain other sports are asked to run in bathing suits--a garment that would seem not to be the most comfortable or practical for such an activity. And clearly it's not necessary for performance, because we don't see the guys dressed that way. With all the fabric choices and style choices available, why something so skimpy? If my daughter were a runner, I'd be asking the coaches why those uniforms were necessary.
meg
11:25 am on Saturday, December 10, 2011
Uniforms follow fashion trends as well as advances in material technoloy (ie, spandex) The styles are not decided at the high school level so putting the blame entirely on the high schools is not really fair. 30 years ago basketball shorts were short and tight now they are big and baggy. Was this because high schools decided the players were exposing too much or because of fashion trends.
In volleyball many of the uniform and rule changes occur at the national level. The rules filter through college and club and eventually high school. Prior to spandex shorts, buns were the uniform. Spandex was an improvement!
Jeff, the high schools are not to blame for uniform styles and uniform styles are not responsible for female athletes who choose to pose for playboy. They are just kepping up with the trends.
Jennifer Weggeman
12:09 pm on Saturday, December 10, 2011
Jeff, thanks for bringing the issue of young girls/athletes being sexualized into the local community conversation. Sex sells, advertisers figured that out along time ago but at what cost to society?
We live in a very visual world and thought I would share this short video by Dove Self Esteem project which helps to raise awareness on what damage these images in the media have on girls (duh...who grow up to be women).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYhCn0jf46U
There is also a facebook page for Dove which has powerful statistics on global perceptions of beauty. Example: 72% of girls feel tremendous pressure to be beautiful.
Jeff Huppertz
12:10 pm on Saturday, December 10, 2011
Taken to its logical conclusion, the author's argument would lead to
imposition of uniforms which are identical for both genders in a given
sport. I can imagine how much male swimmers would enjoy a one-piece
that covers their chest, or a female volleyball player with shorts to
her knees! Team uniforms have always reflected popular fashion of the
day, plain and simple.
While we're on this 'uniform-as-a-judgement-of-our-morals' kick, let's be honest and eliminate the age-old sexist bastion of Cheerleading. To what purpose do these cheerleading 'teams' exist? Why are their uniforms designed the way they are? Shouldn't cheerleading outfits be loose fitting tops with long sleeves and pants rather than miniskirts?
What I think this column lacks is researching what the athletes,
coaches, and parents think of the team uniforms.
And the author shouldn't stop at track and volleyball. Include gymnasts, dance squads, marching bands v flag corps outfits, softball v baseball, etc.
VIVE LA DIFFERENCE!
Justin Eggar
12:37 pm on Saturday, December 10, 2011
Male swimmers love one pieces that covered their chests. Unfortunately they were banned recently. http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/full-body-swimsuit-now-banned-professional-swimmers/story?id=9437780
Jim McMahon
12:25 pm on Saturday, December 10, 2011
Why don't the girls who play these sports speak up if it bothers them, my guess is they like the skimpy outfits and dress that way whenever the can.
I wonder what IMUS would say......
ken loebel
8:13 am on Sunday, December 11, 2011
Had to add the following: If you could have seen yesterday's Geneva Girl's Basketball game in Springfield last night- you would have seen a thrilling game, filled with great sportsmanship, awesome talent, close competition from both sides, and a thrilling fininsh, where, the team who was behind most of the game came back and tied it with 2.2 seconds left, and then with 2.2 seconds remaining in regulation, Kelly Gordon makes a 3/4 court past to Ashley Santos, who then catches the pass on the bounce, sets, takes a 25' jump shot while guarded and scores right before the buzzer, to win and remain undefeated. Geneva Girls HS Basketball is ranked 43 in the country (before this game). We drove 3 hours there to watch it and three hours back, and it was better than any live Bears Game, Packers game, or Bulls game that I have ever seen. And it was only $5 to get in. Fans got what any sports fan wanted - and there were plenty of fans.
I think a Geneva HS Girls vs. Boys game could be a great fundraiser and help to raise the level of awareness for both teams' talents - we'd see then how long it takes people to realize that if they focus on sexualizing the female athletes, they will get their butts handed to them in public - and then the athleticism will be the focus, nothing else.
Jim Court
9:56 am on Monday, December 12, 2011
This reflects our societies increasing narcissism and sensationalism. The "look at me" mentality permeates sports, Hollywood, and society at large. Woman have allowed themselves to be sexualized and apparently buy into the notion that their own value comes from their appearance. Character, decency and goodness take a back seat to appearance. Go on Craigslist and look in the rants and raves section. Endless woman expose themselves for strangers. Truthfully, I am sick of it. A woman is my mother, my sister, my niece, our daughters, our friends. I do not think of them as sexual beings. I think of them as people with hopes, dreams, fears, goals, friends, and the roles they play in our culture. I am not a prude but I see our society shifting in a way that allows other cultures to look at us with disrespect.
I also think that sports is our new religion , the sports arena the new coliseum and that sports figures as well as those from the entertainment industry are the new "idols" of this age.
If I sound a little old fashioned, perhaps I am. Strange for someone who has some liberal leanings although I also has some conservative values. I guess it depends on the subject
Kristi
2:22 pm on Wednesday, December 28, 2011
I'm a mom and I totally agree. I have been scratching my head for years, trying to figure out what female parent (or male) would allow their daughter to wear what they do wear on the courts and track. I cannot see how a female can run any faster in speedo type attire than a male in board shorts and tanks. And you're also correct in noticing what parents wear to school functions; there should be a dress code for them as well as the students. When people are screaming about sexual predators online and around their neighborhoods but then have no issue with their kids' athletic attire, then something is wrong. I don't expect a burlap bag over their bodies, but someone does need to stand up and take charge about what the kids are asked to wear. Thankfully, my daughter is in martial arts and her skill is based on what she can do, not on how much skin is showing.