I am a feminist. I also love high heels. I like getting all glammed up and hitting the town. I don't shun make up...or fashion...or shaving. Yet, I am still uncomfortable with the feminization or sexualization of EVERYTHING. Not that this is anything new....it's just on my mind. This morning the Today show talked about the spa trend among young girls. (7 year olds getting facials. WHAT?!) And last night, tennis player Maria Sharapova sported her "little black dress"...while she was playing. Tennis. On the court. With a barrette in her hair. A barette the shape of a bow. A BOW. I don't get it. You are a strong woman. Strong women can be feminine. You are a pretty woman. Pretty women can be feminists. But do you have to wear bows? While you play? Isn't it enough to be strong and capable? *le sigh*
18 Comments:
UGH and how about that tennis commercial "You're so pretty...oh so pretty!" BLAH!
yeah, maria sharapova also wears long dangly earrings during every match. i happen to know that those would whip you in the face during a match and are probably the last thing i would ever wear while playing tennis. someone is paying her big $ to keep up this ultra-feminine image while kicking ass in tennis to brainwash/confuse little girls everywhere.
Hey, what's the name of that Fat Joe album? Oh, right, Jealous Ones Still Envy is what it's called. Thanks for helping me remember that.
You know who this all-American male-type person watches women's tennis for? The WILLIAMS SISTERS. I have no time for Maria Spellitwronga. Boring. And what's with all that screaming? Lili's got it right: it's all about marketing using sex. Again.
As for 7 year olds going to spas... just another reason why the rest of the world hates us.
And as a final note, I don't remember ever seeing any of the women on the US National Soccer Team wearing "bows." Sheesh.
QD,
But what about billboards of Brandy Chastain in her athletic underpants?
Why does Maria's wardrobe start this rant rather than Serena's hooker-boot tennis shoes (since QD brought up the W sisters)?
hmmm, lots of anon comments... must be really proud of these viewpoints ;)
maybe it is just my lack of tennis history knowledge...but i've never heard the W sisters sexualized nor do they endorse products/do commercials which are hyper feminine. they seem to embrace their strength and go with it.
"strength"
Hmmm...this is very interesting indeed. I wonder who should be blamed/credited with the oversexualization of maria and the under sexualization of the williams' sisters.
see i am completely biased because i grew up watching tennis-especially women's tennis and the women i grew up idolizing wore none of these crazy outfits. lets bring the focus back to the sport, shall we? look at lindsay davenport. she, like serena and maria, is sponsored by nike but is not wearing these outfits. wonder why this is, have some ideas but it's interesting to think about what role the players play and what role their sponsors play.
Sponsors...ding, ding, ding
I wonder if we will ever be able to escape the pitfalls of sexism (and racism) while firmly entrenched in capitalism.
whoa, thats a lot of isms.
Kristen, you know we won't be able to "escape."
Sex sells.
i've decided only to speak in isms
"Isms", in my opinion, are not good. A person should not believe in an "ism". He should believe in himself. John Lennon said it on his first solo album. "I don't believe in Beatles, I just believe in me." A good point there. Afterall, he was the Walrus.
Isms can be trouble...however, they do a basic funciton of identifying a social ill. BUT, I am kidding about only speaking in isms...:)
There is a problem in identifying a large social problem as it allows us to overlook the individual aspects of fighting those problems.
are you arguing with the logic of ferris bueller?
are you arguing with the logic of ferris bueller?
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