Win! But Look Good Doing It
Posted by anastasia on 10-30-2006
I mentioned last week that I'm working on a presentation about teen girls for a large athletic shoe company. They asked me to include "sport" in some way. It's funny because so much of what guides me instinct-wise is rooted in my own crazy adolescent experience. So for me, "sport" is as foreign as it gets. I tried out for the dance club at the all girls' school I attended in 8th-9th grades and didn't make it. Personally I thought my interpretation of Michael Jackson's Thriller dance was on par with any of his ghoulish backup dancers. I also tried out for varsity soccer. I loved playing soccer at summer camp. I just didn't realize how much running was involved in being on the team. I quit at about the 9th lap around the field. When I think back to the girls who were active in sports, they did seem confident and strong. They were friends who could high five over kicking butt on the field instead of over how quickly they could drink a beer.
Since my experience wasn't exactly guiding me on this one, I turned to the next best place to explore: pop culture. I racked my brain to think of images of girls or young women athletes in the media/entertainment space. I thought about how there seemed to be a definite upsurge in interest around the 1996 Olympics when the U.S. Women's soccer team won and Mia Hamm and Brandy Chastain became household names. There was also the debate over the media's focus on the Olympians' bodies (not just soccer, but swimmers and of course volleyball players). There was suddenly a new beauty standard - athletic and toned. Movies like Bend It Like Beckham and Blue Crush showed young women athletes could be just as tough as guys but also still get guys. And the WNBA had a brief moment where people paid attention to it before ending up mired in trying to defend itself against claims that its players were (gasp) lesbians (it seems at least one high profile player just came out). I thought about the young women athletes I see the most in the media Anna Kournikova , Michelle Kwan, Amanda Beard, Natalie Gulbis, etc. Theme emerging: Double standard for women in sports. Women in sports are being judged not only on their athletic ability but on their ability to look good, maintain hetero femininity and sell product.
The other trend seems to be the decline of teen participation in sports in general. The Zandl Group just emailed their latest trend report (I'll publish the highlights in a separate post), which stated:
"Sports involvement has dropped significantly (down 30-60% in all categories including fun, media, role models and aspirations). Reasons for the downturn vary from cuts in school funding to heavy practice schedules that kill social lives to the scandals/crimes associated with pro athletes. [Note: the L.A. Times, reg. required, just did a story on the 'professionalization' of high school sports at the expense of recreational exercise] Free agency also runs counter to building loyalty to teams and makes athletes seem selfish. Most importantly, no one on the sports horizon has the leadership, talent and star appeal of '90s basketball idol Michael Jordan.
The decline in sports involvement appears to be bottoming. More young people are concerned with health and fitness as obesity reaches a tipping point (e.g. drinking more water and cutting back soda). Additionally, the mainstreaming of alternative sports like skateboarding and motocross is creating a new group of sports idols (e.g. Ali Boulala) who are more down-to-earth and closer to their fan base."
I think what's key to remember is how good sports can be for girls self esteem and body image in general. I found this older interview with the authors of a book called Raising Our Athletic Daughters: How Sports Can Build Self-Esteem and Save Girls' Lives. The challenge is how to represent what is great about sports and fitness in a way that doesn't reinforce a cultural ideal that is unattainable for most girls. And also to not forget, girls are more resilient than we give them credit for — the New York Times, reg. required, ran a story this weekend about a girl who plays high school football on her brother's team. She said:
“I can’t say that it never bothers me what people think of me,” Holley said. “So many people judge me that I don’t even care anymore.”
For a cool site about girls and sports, check out Pretty Tough.
October 31st, 2006 at 12:41 am
The double standard that exists with women in sports is a reflection of what society is telling our young women in general. In essense, what is being said is, "You don't have to be the best, just the cutest." With the media putting celebs like Lindsey Lohan and Paris Hilton on a pedestal, the wrong values are being construed.
In the world of surfing, unless you were a size two and were able to double as a model in ads, chances of sponsorship from a major surfwear company were slim. With more and more women beginning to participate in the sport and excel at it, that mindset is starting to change.
The fact that sports participation is declining is worrisome. As a competitive swimmer from the age of seven, sports taught me mnay of the lessons that have gotten me where I am today: how to work toward a goal, how to be a gracious when I don't come out on top, what teamwork is and most importantly, willful determination. Sports were my family, my social circle and kept me focused…hopefully they will continue to serve these important spaces for young women in the future.