This week I have not consumed a great amount of media, however the small amount that I did caught my eye. The Australian Open Tennis tournament started this week, and while I was watching it I was intrigued by the outfits that the female players were wearing. Women’s tennis apparel has changed greatly over the years, and it was striking to me how these days women look less like they are playing a sport, and more like they are about to walk down the cat walk. There is of course nothing wrong with wearing nice outfits when playing tennis, however it seems to me that fashion and beauty are starting to overshadow the sport. Therefore instead of the sporting realm being a place where women are liberated and can shed the stereotypes that are so prominent in other parts of life, it is beginning to be just as controlled by them as other industries. It seems to me that women are acknowledged less for their talent, and more for their appearance. Even in sport women are very much objects of the male gaze.
The Reason I find this troubling is because I feel it has as number of negative consequences for women. The outfits are very much based around a certain body image, one which promotes being slim, as there really is no where to hide in the clothing these days because it is so revealing. Commentators are constantly making references to players bodies, how they are in great shape, or look like they need to get back in the gym. This not only effects the players I’m sure, but wider society also. For young girls taking up the sport, the image part of tennis is fundamental, and being someone who plays myself, I have witnessed this first hand. Many people cannot meet the norms that have been created in women’s tennis, the average girl playing at amateur level may be unable to meet these in the same way that elite athletes do. For me the hyper feminisation of women’s tennis is demonstrative of the way in which women’s sport is being increasing regulated by society, as it is still very much controlled by the gender norms that are prevalent in wider society.
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Nice work!
Back in the day, I was a college athlete at a division I school and I will never forget the day my coach showed up to practice with our new outfits for the season. Replacing the normal shorts and pants were what she referred to as 'skorts'. A mix between shorts and skirts (technically both, I guess), they were a great deal shorter than what we normally wore. I found it even more interesting that a majority of the girls on the team had their 'skorts' altered even shorter than they already were.
Even though the sexualization of female athletes isn't a new issue, I agree with you, it has become so prevalent that the pressure for younger generations to conform must be close to impossible for young female athletes to ignore.
The following link might interest you - it's about how the sexualization of athletes has impacted the women on the LPGA tour. This would be a great topic to pursue for your final paper (and apply it to tennis). Here's the link:
http://www.lpga.com/entertainment_content.aspx?pid=3202
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