We all know that sex sells, and many people are all guilty of using the suggestion of sex to their advantage from time to time. I’ve just done it here by putting the word ‘sex’ in the title of my blog, when really, that’s not what my blog is about. Well, it’s not the complete focus anyway.
So, let’s talk about sex…
Recently, I caught the pre-game promo for a televised Australia v Malawi netball match. The promo showed various members of the Australian Diamonds netball team with long flowing hair, and meticulously applied make up in semi-staged catching and passing poses on a netball court. Don’t get me wrong, there are some attractive girls on that team, but the promo was not indicative of what really goes on on the netball court. Only one week earlier, I had watched the same girls live at the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) in a match against New Zealand, and there was lots of body contact, quite a few spills, and even a few drops of blood.
My initial reaction was to be appalled that those elite athletes had to ‘reduce themselves’ to using their feminine wiles to attract spectators, but then I stopped myself and wondered… should I be appalled, or should I stand up and applaud these women for doing whatever it takes to ensure the longevity of their sport?
In the year 2000, the Australian women’s soccer team, the Matildas, launched a nude calendar, displaying each of the 12 players naked in black and white photos. The initial print run of 5,000 copies had to be increased to 45,000 copies to meet demand, and the launch party was standing room only. (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/543803.stm). News related to the calendar was reported globally, and so, it is fair to say that the goal of increasing the publicity of the Matildas was achieved. However this publicity did not escape criticism, and many questioned why the media typically focused more on the physical attributes of female athletes rather than their sporting prowess. (http://fulltext.ausport.gov.au/fulltext/2000/ascweb/sexploitation.asp).
Picture source: The Daily Telegraph
The Matildas are not the only female athletes to release a calendar, in fact it’s fairly common place these days. I recall seeing a Maria Sharapova calendar a few years ago which actually did feature pictures that demonstrated Sharapova’s sporting prowess: either hitting a strong forehand, or smashing a lob. It would have been perfect except for the inclusion of the side on profile of Sharapova eating a banana. Subtle, this was not!
Picture source: Photobucket
‘Sexploitation’ is a term that is commonly used to describe the sexualisation of athletes (http://www.ausport.gov.au/participating/women/resources/issues/sexploitation) and some may say this is taken to a new level with the development of sports such as the Legends Football League (LFL) (formerly known as the Lingerie Football League), which is the fastest growing pro sports league in the US, according to NBC Sports (http://www.lflus.com/). In the early days, this league literally featured women playing gridiron in bras and underpants. They wore no shoulder padding, and could often be seen as the halftime entertainment at games of the National Football League (NFL). Interestingly, a few years down the track and now that the LFL is well established, subtle changes are beginning to occur such as the competitors now wear uniforms that are now classed as performance apparel and not lingerie (yes, they are still skimpy) and images of sexy women are being omitted from team logos.(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legends_Football_League). Does this mean that even though the sport began by hooking people in with the suggestion of sex, fans now appreciate the players for their sporting ability and not just for their physical attributes? The clip below demonstrates that these women are proper competitors and they play the game hard!
To be honest, I am really torn about this topic. In a perfect world, female professional athletes would be recognised more for their sporting prowess and performance on the field, and less for how they look, with or without their clothes on. But it is not a perfect world, and female athletes face the same challenges that women in all professions do - the main challenge being that it is not always a level playing field (pardon the pun). Even though it is not a perfect solution, and part of me is cringing as I am writing this, why shouldn’t women feel empowered to use whatever means they have at their disposal if it means they can increase viewership, and media exposure, and fans, and sponsorship. And if the suggestion of sex is one of those options, then I say, use it!
As always, its difficult to know whether females are exploiting themselves when doing "sexy" things like calendars, shoots etc. When men do calendars (like the old Men of League calendar), they were certainly not seem as being exploited and group of men didn't complain about the calendar not appropriately representing males or male footballers.
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