Sexualization. An ongoing issue since the 21st century. Women have been perceived as the inferior gender and constantly underestimated specifically in sports. Since the creation of the sport in 400 A.D., surfing has been a segregated sport between men and women. 1,624 years later, the issue remains the same. Female surfers should be recognized for their skills and achievements, rather than being objectified. Author Darby Moore, writer of the article, “Butts over Barrels: The Sexualization of Female Surfers,” explains that women’s surfing will remain as a “show,” rather than a sport if sexualization keeps preventing women from showcasing their abilities. Women are underestimated in surfing and perceived as “incapable.” Sexualization in surfing …show more content…
In the article, “WOMEN AND SURFING: AN ESSAY, BY A MAN,” written by JP Currie, he mentions that women who say that they want equality, really mean they just want to be more masculine, putting more pressure on women. Achieving equality needs determination from countless women, not just a few. If women are “too masculine” it’s gross and they need to be “more feminine.” But if women are “too feminine” they are too gentle and need to be tougher. There is all of this pressure on women to be perfect, yet when they are, it isn’t enough according to men. “‘I don’t see women achieving equality. I see women striving for masculinity.’” stated Currie in an opinion piece. “I believe the quote, which lit my maleness like a flare, was used to exemplify an atypical attitude of men. Silly women, thinking they can do what men do. Stop trying to be like us.” The quote states that women should stand down, and not try to compare themselves to me. This quote provides clear evidence that men are afraid of women threatening their dominance. Currie also wrote in his article about the women’s Pe’ahi surf contest. This specific contest had a substandard turnout, despite the fact that there were very empowering advertisements. Out of the 12 female surfers competing, four of them caught waves, and two of those women were hospitalized. This competition was a reminder that there are physical barriers to big wave surfing. Currie intends to spread the message that it doesn’t matter how skilled a female professional surfer is, they should stick to the smaller, safer
The text Mariah Burton Nelson, “I Won, I’m Sorry” is centered on the culture of women cannot or should not masculine men. The gender is going to affect the other people feeling. Even though, women who are able to make it on finally step on things. All the people will assume women are loser. Nelson gives us a few examples from the book. Like many women do not want to be taller than their boyfriend or husband. That’s seems to be what society expects from couples, for the man to be taller the woman. Nelson also mentions how sports like cheerleading, volleyball and figure skating are all considered feminine sports, while men dominate the physically demanding sports like football and wrestling. Of course, sports are not the only place where women
Title IX was passed in 1972 and according to the Women’s Sports Foundation, as of 2011, women make up 38-42 percent of all sport and physical activity participants. Yet, research shows that women receive only 6-8 percent of the total sports coverage. A double standard is defined as a set of principles that allows greater freedom to one person or group than to another. (dictionary.com) In athletics, women are judged more on their appearances and their non-sport related activities, than their male counterparts who are judged primarily on their skills and performances. Female athletes are scrutinized based on their appearances more than their skills and athletic performances in the media.
In 1970 only 1 in 27 girls participated in high school sports, today that ratio is 1 in 3. Sports are a very important part of the American society. Within sports heroes are made, goals are set and dreams are lived. The media makes all these things possible by creating publicity for the rising stars of today. Within society today, the media has downplayed the role of the woman within sports. When the American people think of women in sports, they think of ice skating, field hockey and diving. People don’t recognize that women have the potential to play any sport that a Man can play, with equal skill, if not better.
(Coaxley, pike 2009, p.277) The article also looks at how both men and women faced seemingly insurmountable barriers when attempting to break into a spoit that is not “proper or stereotypical for their gender to participate in. But society seems to be making some headway towards equality in sports their is still a long way to go. Evidence still shows that as a society we are still far more comfortable with women being involved in the traditional sports such as field hockey rather than boxing and men participating in sports such as rugby rather than synchronized swimming this is because they are pre conceived as “ NORMAL” for a specific gender.
Sports, in general, are a male dominated activity; every “real” male is suppose to be interested and/or involved in sports in the American society. However, it is not expected of a female to be interested in sports and there is less pressure on them to participate in physically enduring activities. These roles reflect the traditional gender roles imposed on our society that men are supposed to be stronger and dominant and females are expected to be submissive. As Michael Kimmel further analyzes these gender roles by relating that, “feminism also observes that men, as a group, are in power. Thus with the same symmetry, feminism has tended to assume that individually men must feel powerful” (106).
Gender in sports has been a controversial issue ever since sports were invented. In the early years, sports were played only by the men, and the women were to sit on the sidelines and watch. This was another area of life exemplifying the sexism of people in which women were not allowed to do something that men could. However, over the last century in particular, things have begun to change.
This shows that the men don’t think she can compete on the same big waves as they do. At one point in the movie when she goes out to try and prove herself to the guys, they clear the wave so that she can take it. She hesitates and doesn’t take the first couple waves. Her fear overcomes her and she looks weak in the eyes of the guys. The fear of failure is the driving force in what holds her back in become a great surfer period. It's not holding her back just in the female surfing world but the male and female surfing world as a whole.
Within todays sporting community, certain aspects of sport and its practices promote and construct ideas that sport in general is a male dominated. Sports media often provides an unequal representation of genders. Women athletes are regularly perceived as mediocre in comparison to their male equivalents (Lenskyj, 1998). Achievement in sport is generally established through displays of strength, speed and endurance, men usually set the standards in these areas, consequently woman rarely reach the level set by top male athletes. Due to this, the media significantly shows bias towards male sports while we are ill-informed about the achievements in the female sporting community. On the occasion that a female athlete does make some form of an appearance in the media, images and videos used will usually portray the female in sexually objectified ways (Daniels & Wartena, 2011). This depiction of female athletes can cause males to take focus solely on the sexual assets of the athlete in preference to to their sporting abilities (Daniels & Wartena, 2011). Sexualisation of sportswoman in the media is a prevalent issue in today’s society, it can cause physical, social and mental problems among women of all ages (Lenskyj, 1998).
There has been claims saying that women are not as strong as men, women do not have the physical capability to play sports, and that a woman's place is in the home rather than on the playing field. These claims have been in existence since the beginning of time. Until pretty much the 19th century these claims kept woman from participating in any physical activities. Before this time men were the only ones allowed to be apart of the Olympics, participate in sports, and even attend these events. Women were basically only allowed to work around the house, cooking and cleaning. People would try to keep women from playing sports because they believed women are fragile and it has also been said that women do not have the skills or talents to play and compete alongside men.
In some ways, women today face more pressure to be perfect than ever before in history. The feminine ideal of the past has been replaced by a new face — stronger and more independent, but under no less pressure to conform to society's expectations than her predecessors. Today's woman must be all that she was in the past, and more. In addition to being beautiful, feminine, and demure, she must also be physically fit and academically and socially successful. It is no longer appropriate for a woman to depend on anyone, for that would imply subordinance and inferiority. Instead, woman must fill all of these roles on her own. Although achieving independence is an important step for women, it brings added pressure. This is especially visible in films about women in sport. These women experience these pressures at an intense level. They are expected to be phenomenal athletes, and are not held to a lower standard than men. However, they must also be beautiful — if they are not, they face the possibility of discrimination. Added to this is the pressure that they are representative of the entire gender. Films about women in sports show the intense pressure on female athletes to fulfill all aspects of the ideal woman.
Gender inequality in the United States is a serious problem, and it is often overlooked. It is a big issue, especially within sports. We live in a society where our culture prefers men 's sports over women 's. Labeling activities as feminine and masculine is a social construction based on stereotyped expectations regarding gender and perceived gender differences (McCullick, 2012). In 1972 Title IX was passed stating that, no person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance. This opened up athletics to women and girls (Education Amendment Act of 1972, 1972). Although
Whether its baseball, basketball, soccer, hockey, or tennis, sports is seen all over the world as a representation of one’s pride for their city, country, and even continent. Sports is something that is valued world-wide which has the ability to bring communities together and create different meanings, beliefs and practices between individuals. Although many people may perceive sports to have a significant meaning within our lives, it can also have the ability to separate people through gender inequalities which can also be represented negatively throughout the media. This essay will attempt to prove how gender is constructed in the sports culture while focusing on female athletes and their acceptance in today’s society.
This poem about female swimmers in the 1920's written by Grantland Rice depicts the male perception of women's ability as a whole: With the women in their swimmin' Turning Records into wrecks With the ladies raising hades In a matter quite complex, With their biceps getting stronger Where their strides are getting longer In about four generations Who will be the weaker sex?(Kidwell,120) It sounds like this man is scared that women might someday
This situation tends to undermine women participating in sports (Duncan and Hasbrook 1988). Alongside dealing with problems related to stereotyping, women
Ann, 2007, pg. 57), however this is not true. This mentality causes males to resent the female athletes, thus rendering it even more difficult for them to succeed. Without a shift in gender ideology, females will continue to face adversity, regardless of the amount of change that has occurred over the last 30 years. There does not need to be equality between the genders within sports, however equity must be seen, with the perception of the abilities that female athletes possess not being compared to that of males. This would aid males to not feel as threatened by females participating in sports and physical