Today we read Framed and Mounted: Sport Through the Photographic Eye. The chapter discussed the unique contrast in male and female stereotypes in the sports world.
The author likened the photographs of women that are featured in sports magazines to pornography. This, in my opinion, was certainly a valid point, however, it might not be the best generalization.
Publications like Sports Illustrated, are certainly sensationalizing the female body. After all, they do have an annual “Swimsuit Issue” that has images like this one on the cover:
This particular search led me to think, “What on earth is athletic about a woman posing in a bathing suit?” But I still held out hope, I searched a little further and I was lead to this image:
Yes, I agree, this photo is not much better than the previous one, but at least this woman looks like she knows a thing or two about muscle tone and exercise, rather than just dieting.
When you compare this image to those taken of men in sports photography, the Women’s Fitness photo is far from offensive. Men are often just as overexposed as their female counterparts.
The main discrepancy amongst men and women in sports photography is not necessarily the amount of overexposure that women receive but rather the frequency of which it occurs. Below are the same publication. The difference? Men are often far more covered up than women.
Discussion Questions
1. Do you think that society’s changing values can be attributed to the over sexualization of women in the athletic world?
2. Do you think that selecting sexy photos of women for the cover of fitness magazines is the best way to market the publication to their audience?
Dadgum Domestic 