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Gender, Sport and Physical Activity
HK/WMGS 332
Final Project
Presented to: Dr. Charlene Weaving
Submitted by: David Nippard 201005264
April 10th, 2014
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#1
From the analysis of the image from Vogue Magazine, it is clear to see the objectification
of the female supermodel. The image portrays the decathlon athlete Ashton Eaton using the
supermodel as an obstacle and hurdling over her as she poses in a lying position. Furthermore, it
is evident that the male athlete is the dominant force in the image as there is great emphasis on
his action, while the female is a stationary object. Also, the image does not portray an inclusion
of the supermodel in the sport, in this case she is only a mere object or an obstacle that the
athlete has overcome.
According to Young, in our culture, women’s bodies are considered objects and women
are excluded from sport (13). With respect to the image, Young’s argument is applicable because
the female is considered the body-object because she is acting as the hurdle, and the male is the
body-subject, seeing that he is the individual performing the action of jumping over the hurdle.
This image may give the illusion that women are not entitled to participate in sport and that they
are considered objects to the dominant male. The image may also portray that women may only
be a part of sport for their beauty and grace, not for their athletic abilities. Furthermore, this
exclusion of women in sport may have a real effect on a women’s opportunity to develop human
capacities, in turn emphasizing the dominance of males in sport. Young also states that females
who define themselves as fragile, weak, awkward and passive, and receive little encouragement
to engage in physical activity, will by the large become fragile and weak, giving the fundamental
advantage to men (17). This image may portray such a message to younger females emphasizing
the fragility of females in the sporting world, portraying that females are just mere objects that
cannot participate. Also, the supermodel in the image appears to be fully clothed, except for her
arms, which according to Young portrays a revival of the feminine style and unfortunately makes
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the female body inactive in appearance and reality (14). Considering the supermodel is not
dressed in athletic clothing, but rather a decorative dress, places emphasis on the idea that
women are inactive in sport. Additionally, this image may be arranged in a manner that captures
both the male and female audiences. The supermodel in the image may attract the sexually
objectifying gaze of the male audiences as well as the measuring gaze from the female audiences
regarding the model’s “feminine beauty” (Young, 2010: 16).
Lastly, the supermodel in the image may be looked at as a sexual object and may fall
under one of five terms women are typically identified with; Neutral terms, Animal, Plaything,
Gender, and Sexual terms (Weaving, 2010: 84). Because of the model’s positioning, this may
appear to be seducing to some viewers and she may be identified with a plaything; being called a
“babe”, or a “doll”. Also, she may fall in the sexual category and be considered a “piece of ass”,
giving her a negative conception (Weaving, 2010: 84).
If viewers of the image were unaware that Ashton Eaton was an American Olympic
athlete it would be very difficult to make a connection with the image and the sporting world.
Moreover, for those individuals who cannot identify the athlete, the image would simply portray
a male jumping over a female whose sole purpose is to act as an obstacle, and have no useful
purpose in sport other than pose for beauty.
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#2
From the analysis of the image it may be difficult for one to make a connection with a
sporting context because the image is solely focused on the genital region and breasts of the
female. The female appears to have an athletic physique and is physically fit, however there is no
concrete evidence that this female is a part of a sports team, or is a competitive athlete;
nonetheless one can assume she is in fact an athlete. Unfortunately for some athletes, both male
and female, there is a sexual objectification directed toward them when they decide to pose nude.
Sometimes there becomes a negative conception toward individuals who pose nude, and some
athletes face negative repercussions when posing nude.
According to Saltman, “Breasts sell… They sell beer and cars and cigarettes and other
products that advertisers want to tell us feel good to use” (97). With respect to the image, the use
of the female’s breast may be a tool used to sell the sport in which the female is a part of. The
focus on the female’s breasts and genitals may attract a large number of male audiences and
show that females aren’t considered butch or masculine when they participate in sport, thus
promoting their sport. Cahn states that some critics believed when women participated in sport
and were considered female athletes, they would become manlike and adopt masculine dress,
talk, and mannerisms, encompassing the concept of “mannishness” (147). The female in the
image may be posing nude to prove that she has not adopted such traits and still possesses
feminine-like qualities. Moreover, she may be posing nude to protect the identity of female
athletes, proving that not all females that participate in sport are to be considered masculine, or
have masculine traits, but remain as “feminine”. However, this image may be problematic
because it can be highly sexualized due to the major focus on the body parts of the female for the
purpose of titillation. Davis and Weaving discuss that in a masculinist culture; women are
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defined as the body-object and are considered sexy, passive flesh sunk upon itself (3). Given the
content of the nude image, the woman athlete is less likely to be viewed as a body-subject and
more likely to be viewed like the masculinist culture perspective and be considered the bodyobject, resulting in a false sense of empowerment.
With respect to athletes posing nude, can an athlete pose nude and still be admired and
respected for her athletic ability? Or does the hypersexualized view of the female body hinder
our ability to overlook their body and focus on them as athletes? (Davis and Weaving, 2010: 5).
From the analysis of the photo there is such a great emphasis on the nudity that most viewers
may see the female only for her physical traits, for example her breasts and genitals, and not for
her athletic ability. This can be problematic for athletes whose purpose of posing nude is to seek
the admiration and respect of their athletic abilities, not for the objectivity of their bodies.
The posing of nude athletes may have positive benefits, as well as some negative
drawbacks. For example, some benefits for athletes posing nude may be that they take pride in
their bodies and want to show off the hard work to obtain such physique. It may show that they
are fearless and have no worry toward being judged and that is it their way of feeling free. Some
athletes may feel as if they are tied to their sport and posing nude may give them a sense of
choice and liberation. However, there may be some negative drawbacks with athletes posing
nude, especially for female athletes. Posing nude may create sexual objectification and
sexualization toward the athlete. The individual’s athletic ability may be trivialized and it may
portray a women’s sport as a “joke”, and not considered a real sport. Also, nude posing in
magazines, for example Playboy, may create negative role modeling for younger athletes and
may further perpetuate a sexist sporting culture. That being said, it is the athlete’s choice to pose
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nude, however they must be aware of the possible positive outcomes and negative backlash when
engaging in such revealing actions.
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#3
With respect to the SMU football team and the incident involving controversial tweets
via twitter, it is clear that the culture of sport is still revolving around a hegemonic and hypermasculine identity. Individuals who are avid users of social media are well aware of the lack of
security regarding information that is posted, and it is readily available to the public eye. For
example, users of Twitter post statuses and information that anyone can access and view, and
many times there are misconceptions regarding the posts. The Saint Mary’s football team is one
of the elite teams in the AUS division of Canadian universities. That being said, they are treated
like elite athletes and placed on a pedestal with respect to the student body. Furthermore, the
actions of the football team, much like any elite athlete, are carefully watched and are more often
than not placed under the microscope. The actions and attitudes of the athletes can often shape
peer norms and have positive or negative impacts, therefore the image that they portray as
athletes is often easily detected.
The controversial tweets from the SMU football team that endorses violence against
women strengthens the system of sport revolving around hegemonic masculinity. The
objectification of women in the tweets is rather disturbing as some athletes post things regarding
sexualized violence toward women. It is believed that this attitude toward women remains
prominent because it has been thoroughly engrained in the jock culture. There seems to remain
an exclusion of women with respect to sport, leaving them viewed as body-objects, having no
place in sports, thus empowering the idea of male dominance. Young states, “The major symbols
and institutions of sport in our society continue by and large to exclude women. This exclusion
of women from sport implies our exclusion from full participation in humanity, at both the
symbolic and practical level (16). Therefore, the identity of the sporting world remains shifted
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toward a hegemonic masculinity, and the exclusion of females in sport make it easier for the
male culture to treat women in a sexist manner, much like the SMU football team. As the
sporting world continues to exclude women from sport, there becomes a growth in the exclusion
of women in humanity, therefore leaving women to become ostracized.
Not only are athletes guilty of such controversial actions via social media, but also all
individuals are capable of such things. Some people believe that they can hide behind a username
and get away with posting sexualizing messages all over social media, and for the most part this
is true. There are numerous individuals who create aliases and take advantage of the unknown
identity to post sexualizing, objectifying messages toward women. However, it appears that elite
athletes such as the SMU football team use this sort of media to showcase their hegemonic
masculinity, and their male dominance. Throughout the years in the sporting world it has been
difficult for women to compete in a male dominant society and be taken serious. The exclusion
of women in sport still remains in today’s society, and the ostracizing of women continues to
exist. It is through education, and the inclusion of women in a male dominant society, that this
sexual subjectivity and disregard of women will diminish.
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#4
The attached photo portrays both male and female athletes celebrating major victories by
drinking from champagne bottles, however the pictures appear to be captured in a manner that
can have different interpretations, both negative and positive. With respect to the female
downhill skier, she appears to be celebrating solely on her own and is pouring champagne on
herself. When looking at the male volleyball players, both male athletes appear to be sharing the
celebration and pouring the champagne in each other’s mouths. The timing of the photos can
create misconceptions of the athletes, some of which can be negative. Although both pictures
share similarities with respect to the champagne celebrations, there are also differences that may
be interpreted.
There appears to be a growing number of sexualized images in the sporting world and
with respect to the female skier celebrating with the champagne, this image may fall into the
category of sexualization. The positioning of the bottle and the reaction of the female athlete’s
face may be intended to be sexually provocative. Davis states that sexualized imagery of athletic
performance is considered the performance-specific species of sexualization (57). Furthermore,
what makes an image considered sexualized is “the attunement to bodily postures that, through
freezing or emphasis, are intended to be sexually titillating (Davis, 2010: 57). With respect to the
female skier, there is emphasis on the placement of the champagne bottle and how she is being
sprayed in the face with the champagne, creating a rather sexualized pose. This pose may not
have been intentional, but photos like this are commonly found throughout the coverage of sport,
creating a strong sexualization of women in the sporting world. Lastly, there appears to be an
artificial focus on how she is holding the bottle and how she is reacting to the champagne
striking her face, appearing as if she is in some sexual discomfort. The photo does not emphasize
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that she is celebrating a victory; rather it places large emphasis on the sexualization of this
female athlete in sport.
With respect to the two male volleyball players celebrating their victory, the picture
displays two topless males pouring champagne in each other’s mouths. To some, this picture
may appear to be rather homosexual or homoerotic because of the actions of the two men.
However, for Pronger, he argues that, “men’s sport… permits them to play with each other’s
bodies, to surround themselves with naked men in the showers and locker rooms, to enjoy that
all-male contact, without suffering the verification that usually comes from the open
acknowledgement and pursuit of masculine erotic contact, the stigma of “being homosexual”
(161). Therefore, if two men are to engage in a sport where they are surrounded with such
things, in this case topless men in the sport of volleyball, they are to do so without the stigma of
being considered homosexual. Moreover, the sport allows these men to become erotic but not be
misjudged as homosexuals. The photo captures a particular focus on the bodily postures of the
two men and emphasizes that they are enjoying the help from one another in the celebration, not
that they are engaging in homosexual acts. While some may agree that this photo portrays a
homosexual performance, this is merely an act of celebration where two males are
commemorating one another on a significant victory.
The photos captured of all of the athletes may portray them in a negative context. I agree
with Davis as he claims that the bodily postures of many photos in sport can be intended to be
sexually titillating and sexualized. With respect to the female skier, this image certainly portrays
a high level of sexualization, placing the athlete in a provocative pose. When looking at the male
volleyball athletes, it is easy to agree with Pronger in saying that men’s sport allows them to act
in ways that would be considered homosexual outside of the sporting context. If this image was
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captured of two men that were not identified with the sporting world, it may be considered
homosexual; however the inclusion of sport protects the men from the stigma of being
considered homosexual or gay.