Sexualization Of Women In Sports Essay

Do the names Alex Morgan, Simone Biles, or Jackie Joyner-Kersee ring any bells? They are extremely powerful women who have accomplished prodigious records in sports in the recent decades. Now do Ann Meyers, Helen Wills Moody Roark, Flo Hyman, and Lyn St. James also sound familiar? If not, it may be from the lack of media representation of women in the past, for all of these women are phenomenal athletes who have each broken records, setting bars for the next female athletes to break. Media creates an immense influence on the way things are viewed, such as propaganda leading people into believing in something. Coverage of women in sports is similar, for they shine and demolish their sport, but that is not always shown in the media that covers

In interviews as well, there is a clear divide between what both women and men are asked. Many times the media wants to ask the male athletes about how they feel after making it thus far, but for women it can be completely unrelated questions such as clothing, hair, and family. As mentioned before, female athletes are many times depicted to be crying or emotional in sports images, while males look powerful and triumphant. That ties to the idea that women are shown in the media as weaker, more vulnerable beings, while men are the strong, victorious type(Friedman 2021). Figure skating, along with gymnastics, is a sport where the ranking of points system includes categories that involve beauty and femininity. This relates to the idea that women are meant to stay within a realm of certain sports that do not align with the more masculine side of them. This growth of media is a fantastic thing, but there is a vast difference between the depiction of women and men in sports. Looking on an international level, coverage for women in sports is just as unfair. Regarding coverage for sports on Twitter, it is mentioned that the underrepresentation of female athletes actually causes a lack of female role models in media(Sainz-de-Baranda 2020). Sports coverage for female athletes is extremely poor, and needs to be embraced in order for Title IX

All of the athletes mentioned earlier are incredibly influential and powerful women that set standards and allowed for the newer generation of girls to become successful athletes. They fought for an increase in the media coverage that was originally given to them, and did so while absolutely dominating their sports. Media coverage to the public has grown substantially for women in sports, but so have the negative stereotypes that come alongside. Social media is a fantastic place to spread information and grow platforms for strong women in sports, which is another factor that must be considered when discussing the growth of media internationally. As easy as it is to post stereotypical comments based on women in sports, the world needs to move forward on accepting and encouraging women of all ages, sizes, races etc. to strive for the gold. Allowing and empowering these women to participate in sports allows for a more inclusive world where media coverage can continue to grow, while hopefully eliminating the harmful backlash and stereotypes tied to women in