I’d just finished viewing Serena Williams’ triumph at Wimbledon when I spotted a short USA Today piece that caught my eye. “Harry Potter” author JK Rowling had just tweeted her joy and support of Serena’s sixth Wimbledon title noting, “I love her. What an athlete. What a role model. What a woman.” But shortly thereafter, Rowling received this tweet from someone named Rob: ” Ironic that main reason for her success is that she is built like a man.” Not one to let that sling go unanswered, Rowling, attaching a sexy pic of Serena in a red dress, flung this retort his way: “Yeah, my husband looks like this in a dress. You’re an idiot.”
The body slam in question left me pondering all things women, athletes and body image.
Within 24 hours of Serena’s win, newspapers were bursting with adulations to Serena, declaring her the dominant force in women’s tennis. Among those articles was a surprisingly candid one depicting current women tennis pros’ avoidance of emulating Serena’s “mold-breaking muscular frame.” ” It’s our decision to keep her as the smallest player in the top 10,” said Tomasz Wiktorowski, the coach of 5-feet-8-inches tall Agnieszka Radwanska. ” Because, first of all she’s a woman, and she wants to be a woman.” So, being a woman is defined as someone who cannot be muscular? Sounds like the body police threatening to arrest on a muscle felony. Slender, blond, top-paid Maria Sharapova notes that she’s always wanted to be thinner, and “I always want to be skinnier with less cellulite; I think that’s every girl’s wish.” What? Maria, first, you’re not a girl. You’re a grown woman. Second, you’re reinforcing ridiculous and damaging assumptions about what women really want of their lives and bodies. Finally, girlfriend, have a look in the mirror with real self-compassion, and stop the self-denigration.
Then it got to the arms. Serena’s aware of her muscularity, and she deliberately wears sleeves in public because, as she told the New York Times, “My arms are really fit, but I wanted to cover them, because when I do people don’t recognize me as much.” Fourteenth ranked Andrea Petkovic admits to avoiding looking at action shots that showcase her highly defined biceps, forearms and shoulder muscles. The reason? “I just feel unfeminine,” she told the New York Times. “Our physicality is judged more, and it makes us self-conscious.” Uh oh. Score another for the body police who don’t approve of strong, sinewy muscles in women. Finally, recall the firestorm of misogynous public shaming in social media after Marion Bartoli, referred to as fat and ugly, won the 2013 Wimbleton crown.
Alright, what’s really going on here?
Studies show that gender stereotyping in major sports is rampant. The bottom line is that female athletes are frequently reduced to their physical appearance. The hours of sweat, tears and tireless workouts seem sidelined to the real focus — how feminine and sexy you look doing your sport.
But wait. Young female athletes are emerging and refusing to accept these old-guard stereotypes. They see Serena as a role model and body-blasting pioneer. Looking at the new 2015 ESPN Body Issue covers, you’ll see powerful heptathlete Chantae McMillan, who noted, “I don’t look in the mirror and think ‘slim’ … I look in the mirror, and I’m like, ‘Whoa, beast!'” And her arms are killer. Amanda Bingson, the USA track and field hammer throw Olympian, offered this in the same interview: “I’ll be honest, I like everything about my body. You might be prettier and skinnier than me, but I’ll kick your [butt] in a game of one-on-one.” At 5 feet 5 inches and 200 pounds, her cover shot as she readies for the throw is jaw-dropping. After I’d posted these cover pictures on my Facebook along with the athlete’s quotes, a tsunami of 26,000 views and a wave of enthusiastic comments followed.
But then, there’s the issue of Michelle Obama’s well-trained guns. Instead of criticism, response to the first lady’s curvy arms was overwhelmingly positive. This included her own Tumblr page and a whole spectrum of “Michelle Obama workouts” in countless women’s magazines. Timing is everything, and as Ms. Obama flexed, so also were legions of women who were finally embracing their own athleticism and escalating body image. A coup d’état seems to be occurring, and the body police are scattering.
As I write these words, I recall my own Serena moment. I’ve been athletic most of my life and was probably doing swim laps in the womb. My ultimate love is the triathlon, combining swimming, cycling, running and weight lifting. A number of years ago, I’d just published “Fight Fat after Forty,” and was invited to speak at the national annual bookseller’s conference. That day was hot and humid, and I chose to wear a lovely sleeveless lavender sheath. The great news is that my presentation was a hit, and my book topped the charts. Still high on my success, I met with my publisher shortly thereafter. During a discussion about the upcoming national book launch, I was gently told not to wear sleeveless clothing as my buffed biceps had made some women “intimidated.” I think that was also code for “not soft and feminine enough.” I laugh as I remember dutifully wearing sleeves until I launched my body composition and fitness book “Body for Life for Women,” and this time was then directed to go sleeveless. My biceps and I were getting whiplash. Hide ’em to be more soft and feminine. Show ’em to promote fitness. Today, as a Senior Olympic triathlete, I relish every muscle and the wonderful things my body can do. And I’m sleeveless whenever possible.
The bottom line is that there are still plenty of “Rob’s” out there, clinging to hurtful and outdated stereotypes of women athletes. That’s the reality, and those attitudes are slow to change — and frankly may never accept a new paradigm. However, there’s also a growing number of men and women who are embracing a new normal in which a woman’s body, power and strength are honored and celebrated. As Serena reflected in the New York Times interview, “But then I realized that you really have to learn to accept who you are and love who you are. I’m really happy with my body type, and I’m really proud of it.”
So, there’s your official permission to proudly bare arms and savor the moment.
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Up in Arms — and Baring Them originally appeared on usnews.com
