Just like in most other spheres of social life, the media portrayal of female athletes is sexualized and objectified through the construction of the male gaze. Not only does this serve to marginalize the success of women athletes, but it also perpetuates gender stereotypes. In a similar way to that found in much mainstream pornography, these women are objectified for the scopophilia gaze of the audience.
Earlier on, sports were considered to be the dominion of the male sex, power, and aggression, and this has marginalized women into the peripherals. Failure by the media to shift from what they refer to as ‘Sexual Objectification’ of female sportswomen is another major challenge, despite the progress over time in the participation of women’s sports (Walsh, 2015). For instance, even today, we may find attractive females who like sports are presented with a focus on the incorrect perspective of feminism, mainly on dressing or even the shape of their bodies, among other things (Aryal, 2024). This also comes out clearly in how media houses often focus on writing about a person’s private life or the size of a footballer rather than on his talent and hard work put down in strenuous training for the sporting event.
Furthermore, male performativity can be seen through fashioning female athletes’ sports uniforms, where the focus is placed a lot on the erotic attractiveness rather than on the effectiveness of the uniform. To please males, individuals who have taken up the phenomena of sports are forced to get back to the looks that males find appealing; this leaves them frustrated, surrounded by noises that pull off their performance and enjoyment of the same in a sporting field (Joshi, 2021). However, these objectifications can have some adverse effects on female athletes, such as lowered self-esteem and motivation to deliver innovative performance in sports.
Nonetheless, with the increased emergence of female athletes, there has been a fight for female athletes’ stories to be told and given a different perspective from the usual sexualized stereotype. They can do so with increased social media frequency, displacing prior stereotypical representations asserting their first and foremost identity as athletes. In contemporary society, as the status of women in sports is improving and their abilities in various sports activities are evident, the ladies should not only be seen as eye candy to most sports-loving men.
To enhance status of women athletes in sports media it is necessary to praise them as sportspersons first and ignore or conceal their sexual characteristics as objects of desire. To continue with the fight against the objectification of female athletes there needs to be an effort from the media houses, sponsors, and the athletes themselves. Authentic content and focusing on the accomplishments of women in sports can make the situation equal and give preference to the development of musculature, not thinness. It is critical that there be change in how female athletes are depicted in media and other platforms. Then only can we begin to break down the gender biases that have for years persisted in the sports media realm and witnessed the progression of women in sport into the future.
References
Aryal, S. (2024, July 5). The male gaze and women’s sports: It’s high time we change how we look at sportswomen. Feminism in India. https://feminisminindia.com/2024/01/12/the-male-gaze-and-womens-sports-its-high-time-we-change-how-we-look-at-sportswomen/
Joshi, S. (2021, November 23). Male gaze in sports: Female athletes are sportspersons, not bodies to be objectified. Feminism in India.https://feminisminindia.com/2021/11/24/male-gaze-in-sports-female-athletes-are-sportspersons-not-bodies-to-be-objectified/
Walsh, S. L. (2015). Unsportsman-like Conduct: Subverting the Male Gaze in Televised Sports Performances.
The article highlights how deeply entrenched the male gaze is in the portrayal of female athletes, but it could delve further into the systemic implications. For instance, the sexualisation of uniforms like those in beach volleyball exemplifies how institutional practices reinforce these objectifying standards. These uniforms are often justified as functional yet fail to prioritise athletes comfort or performance, indicating how male dominated decision making processes shape sportswear.
Additionally, the parallel drawn with mainstream pornography is provocative but apt, showing how women’s bodies are commodified for consumption rather than celebrated for their athleticism. While the rise of social media has allowed female athletes to reclaim narratives, it also invites new challenges, such as navigating harassment and maintaining professionalism in the face of persistent objectification.
To fully dismantle this framework, it’s vital to explore solutions beyond representation, such as amplifying female voices in decision making roles within sports organizations and media. What would a truly equitable sports culture, free from the constraints of the male gaze, look like? How can policies reshape uniform standards, media coverage, and sponsorship priorities to reflect respect and equity?