As a fan of women's tennis, I usually watch the televised professional women's tournaments. I've recently noticed a change in the way female tennis players are dressing. It seems as though the players are more concerned with the how "pretty" their outfits look, rather than how easy they are to play in. From cleavage-enhancing dresses to pink, lacy mini-skirts, women's tennis has become much more "fashionable." I feel that female athletes are so concerned with not looking "masculine," and feel the need to control their image. Thus, the way they dress is a way of controlling the way the public receives them. It's their way of saying, "I am a professional athlete, but I'm still feminine." It's a way of fighting the ridiculous stereotype that athletic women are "manly" or that they are all homosexuals. Some of these athletes are dressing sexily, which I think is unnecessary for a professional athletic event. However, if these new outfits are not impeding their athletic performance, then I guess it's okay. I just hope that it's not putting out the idea to young, aspiring female athletes that they must dress sexily or "girly" to get attention for their athletic abilities. (-Brooke Ammerman)
2 comments:
It is interesting that more and more women athletes believe that they need to dress more feminine during sport. I wish being a strong female athlete was enough to draw a crowds attention, but it seems that skimpy outfits are becoming more common in female athletes. They feel they need to emphasize that they are female through their attire. This also separates them from the idea that strong women are "lesbians". Our society is so homophobic that we often concentrate on an athletes sexual orientation, rather than their ability to play and excel in an activity.
As sport originally began as dominantly a "man's activity", women are faced with struggles of equality and respect. Men's sports are still much more publicized and often receive more funding. Women have to work extremely hard to gain acknowledgment. Is that perhaps another reason why women athletes are dressing in a more "sexy" manner? Hopefully soon, women athletes will be equally respected and admired for their athletic achievements rather than their cute looks.
I think it is a choice of the female athlete to wear what they want. If a professional athlete has made it to the status of professional, then they have worked hard to meet that status. If a female wants to look feminine than I think that is ok. The problem arises when the females who are not so good athletes, when they wear these provacative types of clothing, one may begin to think that the women is not interested in the sport but rather interested in her percieved look. I do understand that some women may dress sexy to catch the eye of the media, however I again feel that it is their right to do this as a person.
S. Kooner 338I wed 7 - 9:30
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