You cannot really look anywhere online lately without seeing something about the Olympics in Rio, and for good reasons. It an exciting display of athleticism from countries all around the world and people can't help but discuss the happenings - the triumphs, the devastating loses and everything in between. But this year, something extra at the Olympics has been getting media coverage. Feminism. The lack of it, the need of it. Feminism is a hot topic at the 2016 Summer Olympics and.
The United States Olympic team has more female athletes than men for the first time ever this year. This is an awesome milestone because it means that more female athletes are getting the recognition they deserve. But this doesn't mean that there is no sexism at the 2016 games in Rio. There have been many examples which proves why the Olympics need feminism just as much as the rest of the world.
Media coverage is huge for the Olympics, how could it not be? It's the world's greatest athletes competing against each other and everyone is watching. One of the biggest sexism controversies thus far in the games is the Fox Sports Court segment about whether or not female Olympians should wear makeup while they compete. There were many problems with this segment but the main one is the two people called into the studio to discuss the topic were two men. So right off the bat you have people discussing what a population should be doing despite the fact that they are not part of the population. The group goes on to discuss how athletes should cover up their acne because how dare a natural skin occurrence show when you're one of the best athletes in the world, right? Wrong. It isn't about acne or makeup, it's about how hard these women have trained and the incredible athleticism they possess. I will give them props for discussing that the men could also wear makeup if need be, but it shouldn't be considered a "need". If any of the athletes, male or female, want to wear makeup they should be able to without any questioning or judgement from outsiders. The segment ends on a very disturbing note, when one of the guest commentators compares women without makeup to used dishrags. This segment is a perfect example of why the Olympics needs more feminism. There should not be a discussion about the decision an athlete makes to wear makeup or not during their events.
Speaking of physical appearance,ever since the games started there have been articles on the internet this summer discussing attractive male Olympians with pictures of their muscly bodies inserted. Typically there has been no mention of their athletic capabilities, but just encouragement to ogle at their bodies. It's okay to recognize that these men are attractive, but just like women, men are not only their bodies. These men are also incredible athletes and there should never be a published form of media that doesn't recognize that. In truth, all Olympic athletes have worked tremendously hard to get where they are and they deserve all the recognition in the world for what they've accomplished.
Another common theme of these Olympic games is focusing on the husbands of female athletes. When Hungarian swimmer Katina Hosszu broke the world record in the 400 meter individual medley, all the credit was immediately given to her husband, Shane Tusup. Yes, Tusup is not only her husband but also her coach, but he has recently come under fire for possibly using fear tactics in order to push Hosszu. Even though he is her coach, all the credit for her success being given to her husband is disregarding all the hard work she has put into her swimming. Also, while watching NBC's coverage of the events, amidst an intense female event, they often show the participants' husbands and then the commentators discuss how crucial the husband is the the athlete's success. Again, this is completely ignoring the hard work of the athlete. Of course the husbands are probably very supportive, but they are not the one partaking in the grueling training it takes to be an Olympic athlete.
Many outstanding female athletes have often been compared to men during media coverage. Two examples of this are gymnast Simone Biles and swimmer Katie Ledecky. When Biles was dismounting flawlessly from the uneven bars, NBC's Jim Watson exclaims "I think she might even go higher than some of the men." In Watson's mind, people wouldn't be able to understand her athleticism without mentioning male gymnasts. Similarly, Katie Ledecky has been called "the female Michael Phelps" and comments have been made about her such as "she swims like a man." Thankfully Rowdy Gaines shut down those sorts of sexist comments about Ledecky by saying "She swims like Katie Ledecky!" which could not be more true. Female athletes do not need to be compared to male athletes in order to be considered great.
It is unfortunate to even be talking about this because it's hard to believe this is where we still are as a society. Some places have it much worse which is unthinkable. But talking about this moves us a step forward and there is always room for improvement. Bottom line is that the Olympics in Rio are showcasing unbelievable athletic talent and it is unfortunate that these are some of the attitudes about athletes but the more we discuss the more we can change.
