History of Feminism
Related: About this forumWhat if every Olympic sport was photographed like (WOMEN'S) beach volleyball?
We were browsing Getty Images last week for images of Olympic beach volleyball, when we came upon something interesting.
And by interesting, we mean, kind of gross.
...
This got us thinking What if all Olympic sports were photographed this way? We decided to find out.
Basketball
Diving
Gymnastics
Swimming
...
More at the link...
ret5hd
(20,498 posts)TrogL
(32,822 posts)Most other sport coverage concentrates on what's going on, not the bikinis.
Archery coverage watches the target, not the buns.
demosincebirth
(12,540 posts)seabeyond
(110,159 posts)and everyone accommodates.
hence, the discussion.
seabeyond
(110,159 posts)gross.
meaning. some man did something perverted with women that were competing and the interpretation of that was..... gross.
redqueen
(115,103 posts)in this case it was close ups of women volleyball players' backsides.
I guess the writer didn't find the close ups appealing.
seabeyond
(110,159 posts)than merely a close up of the ass. so maybe that is what is being referred to. this was a slate article i think. and of course, the women and conversation was totally approached in a objectifying manner, cause that is what the teams and the olympic committee created. purposely
redqueen
(115,103 posts)which portrayed the decision to wear warm clothes in cold weather as a "betrayal" of the male fans who so generously deigned to actually bother to watch a women's sport.
I guess she was trying to be funny and sarcastic.
seabeyond
(110,159 posts)BlancheSplanchnik
(20,219 posts)bodies without heads....
kind of gross, yes.
seabeyond
(110,159 posts)committee gave permission and encouraged these women being turned into things. and the world has gone hog wild with it. saying.
there are plenty of uniforms that show the body. the same could be done with all of them. BUT.... the nod has not been made to pornify these players. so people do not.
on the other hand, beach volleyball was encouraged to pornify. so the men did. there was nothing speciel, it is not a big deal. the men look like fools. and we have plenty on du that play the game. but that is all the game. it is the proof that it is not about "desire" or even fuckin "sexuality" it is about men dominating and reducing, degrading, demeaning women. this is a perfect example of how we encourage it.
aggiesal
(8,918 posts)In the past, bikini's were the required outfit in beach volleyball.
And over the years the bikini's have gotten smaller in the sport.
This year the women were given the option to wear something other
then a bikini, yet the majority choose to wear them anyway. This
was their choice, not some male official who wanted to pornify, degrade,
or demean women in this sport.
If you want to see small bathing suits? Check out the mens speedo's
in water polo, they are smaller then the women's bikini bottoms, and
these ARE the required uniform to play this sport.
seabeyond
(110,159 posts)required this as a uniform or an uncomfortable tight one piece that would hold the sand. it was hyped in sexuality from day one.
the men in baggy shorts and tops. the women in bikinis. they do not even use two piece. and they do that for a reason
the mens swimming wear the uniform that has always been worn in swimming and was no different from any other swimming or diving event and was not promoted sexually.
that is my point. other uniforms are two piece. and none of the other sports get this harassment for a reason.
aggiesal
(8,918 posts)the women are not required to wear bikini's
yet most are wearing them.
Also the women promote themselves as Cover Girls
so of course they're promoting their own sexuality.
Men may have mandated it at the beginning, but
the women are currently perpetuaring it.
seabeyond
(110,159 posts)in the hypersexualization to promote their sport.
that is not the issue and what is being discussed, nor what i said.
aggiesal
(8,918 posts)You posted in your original message the following:
[Font color=red]". . . it is the proof that it is not about "desire" or even fuckin "sexuality" it is about men dominating and reducing, degrading, demeaning women. this is a perfect example of how we encourage it. "[/Font]
I then posted this:
"This year the women were given the option to wear something other
then a bikini, yet the majority choose to wear them anyway. This
was their choice, not some male official who wanted to pornify, degrade,
or demean women in this sport. "
And I also posted the following:
"Men may have mandated it at the beginning, but
the women are currently perpetuating it."
I don't see how I"m off topic!
seabeyond
(110,159 posts)and thru media and men it has been well established and ok. now women have the option so there is no longer an issue?
whtever
Bok_Tukalo
(4,323 posts)I want to spend the rest of my life with the woman at the end of that table there, but that does not stop me wanting to see several thousand more naked bottoms before I die, because that's what being a bloke is. When man invented fire, he didn't say, "Hey, let's cook." He said, "Great, now we can see naked bottoms in the dark." As soon as Caxton invented the printing press, we were using it to make pictures of, hey, naked bottoms! We have turned the Internet into an enormous international database of naked bottoms. So you see, the story of male achievement through the ages, feeble though it may have been, has been the story of our struggle to get a better look at your bottoms.
~From Coupling
redqueen
(115,103 posts)Sorry, but no. There are too many enlightened blokes around who aren't interested in upholding the "bro code" for anyone to successfully sell that one anymore.
Y'all who still don't get it are free to cling to the lie that enables and rationalizes the objectification and dehumanization of women, but don't expect any thoughtful person to buy it.
seabeyond
(110,159 posts)Bok_Tukalo
(4,323 posts)I do not propose to discuss my love life. I will say that I still cant get over how women are shaped, and that I will go to my grave wanting to pet their butts and boobs.
~ From Timequake
Scout
(8,624 posts)we just don't have to know about it, see? just keep it to yourself.
we don't care what you want, and it's not a compliment for you to say you want to pet us. skeevy creep.
just keep your mouth shut and enjoy the view, can't you? no, that's too simple, you just HAVE to tell us about it. it doesn't make our day, it's not a compliment.
grow the fuck up, you're not all that.
seabeyond
(110,159 posts)degrading and demeaning come in if they kept their fuckin mouth shut and just "enjoyed the view".
none of this is about compliment or a good lookin woman or even the mans sexual desire. it is ALL about the putting in place and ownership. cant do that if they stfu.
hence, pet. knowing exactly what he is doing using those terms.
MadrasT
(7,237 posts)You always seem to say exactly what I'm thinking... <grins>
redqueen
(115,103 posts)Reducing women to interchangeable sex objects is WRONG.
There is NO justification. NONE.
Deal with it.
seabeyond
(110,159 posts)as he sits in moms basement.
sorry, no patience with a poster that comes into THIS forum to demean women. and that is his intent. he fails. miserably and looks no more than a fool
and there goes my transparency page getting hidden on the 4th, lol
redqueen
(115,103 posts)It's so widely perceived as being fine and dandy because it's "natural" ... and despite the fact that many natural behaviors are still very unethical, this one is enjoyed by a lot of people who simply don't see how unethical it is.
seabeyond
(110,159 posts)i feel that he is playing a game putting up quotes to insult. i may be wrong, but there is no history or attempt on his part to make it anything else.
MadrasT
(7,237 posts)The ubiquitous Appeal To Nature fallacy.
redqueen
(115,103 posts)seabeyond
(110,159 posts)in history men really really needed to debase a woman to feel superiority because of their fragile ego that us women must "stroke" at all cost.
MadrasT
(7,237 posts)Texasgal
(17,045 posts)HELLO!!!! Nice to see you, but damn, c'mon!
How have you been?
Because we know exactly what human "blokes" were thinking and how they were behaving back when fire was invented.
wendylaroux
(2,925 posts)1StrongBlackMan
(31,849 posts)ismnotwasm
(41,989 posts)See, I LIKE a fit human body. This constant objectifying of women ruins that for everybody.
redqueen
(115,103 posts)It is the reduction of that person to an object. Portraying them in such a way that strips them of their humanity, and sends the message that they are a sex object.
I think seabeyond is maybe better at explaining it than I am.
AtheistCrusader
(33,982 posts)Fuck 'em. I haven't turned on the olympics for 1 minute this year, and I'm not going to until they AT LEAST get rid of the volleyball cheerleaders.
seabeyond
(110,159 posts)it had changed. they were having little commercial specials on the athletes. this was the year before the to do with the beach volleyball hoopla. or maybe that year. what i noticed, on the womens intro commercial thing, was the women were displayed. consistently. like a thing. i could not believe they had taken our women athletes to that. i stopped watching. i do not know if they still have that going on, but that quickly did it for me.
aggiesal
(8,918 posts)None in London.
At Least that part has been satisfied, so you are allowed to turn on
the Olympics for 1 minute.
Enjoy!
AtheistCrusader
(33,982 posts)Maybe they just aren't showing them on TV?
http://blog.sfgate.com/olympics/2012/08/06/about-those-beach-volleyball-cheerleaders-at-the-london-olympics/
Added 'ballet' cheerleaders to some of the other events like Gymnastics.
redqueen
(115,103 posts)MadrasT
(7,237 posts)...cheerleaders?
seabeyond
(110,159 posts)and the others follow.
hoo yah. lol
ismnotwasm
(41,989 posts)Its just so frustrating. When I look at the above male pictures, I STILL see tone, muscularity, honest sweat and effort. Any women athelete photographed in the same manner would be a set up for a stupid porn joke.
A fit body is beautiful, a work of living art. For women athletes, they are still required to fit into some sort of "standard sexually desirable" category. They are picked apart body part by body part, with each part separately evaluated for sexual attractiveness.
Arms? Too muscular. Legs? too muscular, too short, too long. Breasts too small. Torso? Too muscular unless breasts are large enough. The butt is usually acceptable, neither too large or too small. Which is probably why they are considered an acceptable camera shot.
It's such bullshit.
seabeyond
(110,159 posts)you look like. and so they do. and work their fuckin ass off. and accomplish and succeed. then they are reduced to porn. men, society telling them, fuck that. it is not what you do. we do not give a shit. and it is all about us. not you. and we will make damn sure you know and live this.
i grew up in a time, in a sport where naked was a norm. and where success was just that. i know the feeling. i know we are that person. and i know today is not what it was a couple decades ago before the pornification of all women.
it does not mean each gender didnt not appreciate the other. it was also my exploration as a teen in sexuality. lots of fun. lot of respect.
redqueen
(115,103 posts)if only it was treated as such, rather than as a prop or a set decoration. It's bullshit, for sure.
seabeyond
(110,159 posts)i guess that is what struck me immediately. sticking it up the ass, or crotch is not about the power and grace of the human body.
those pictures that espn did of the naked body, i do not think, where sexualized.
One_Life_To_Give
(6,036 posts)and not for the guys athletic performance.
midnight
(26,624 posts)Deep13
(39,154 posts)How many games do they have to win to get a medal? Phelps swims once and gets a gold medal. He doesn't have to swim in a succession of one-on-one race to have a shot. May and Waldo have to beat many other teams for a shot at gold and somehow pull it off--at least they did last time. (Are they playing this year? I'm out of the country and have not had a chance to see it.) I certainly don't mind that they are attractive women, but the Olympic bosses seem to be pushing the sexualization with the media coverage and players' the lack of personal coverage.
seabeyond
(110,159 posts)myself. truly amazing. i watched the men (in much more comfortable uniforms, even double layer) and loved what i saw in skill.
you are right about the attempt by the olympic committee to sexualize the women. the women should challenge like the women in badminton and boxing that were told they had to wear skirts. fuck that shit. i imagine many of the women went along to popularize their sport. you know, use their sexuality as so many women do for easy and quick gain instead of confidence their skill and ability would take them there.
and swimming you have to do at least one preliminary race to make it into the finals.
Response to seabeyond (Reply #34)
Post removed
seabeyond
(110,159 posts)just mouthin'
pnwmom
(108,980 posts)It isn't because they're more comfortable.
I admit I've been watching very little of the Olympics. Do the men also wear swim suits with their bottoms hanging out?
I'm waiting for those pictures.
seabeyond
(110,159 posts)instead of the gals continually having to pull it out. lol. ya know.
pnwmom
(108,980 posts)hifiguy
(33,688 posts)See:http://www.slate.com/blogs/five_ring_circus/2012/07/27/beach_volleyball_bikinis_american_beach_volleyball_players_explain_why_they_ll_continue_to_wear_skimpy_attire_.html
In their own words, here are the top four reasons why the Americans will continue to wear bikinis.
1. Tradition/inertia. If the current uniforms work, why switch them up? Were staying in our [bikinis]. I dont see too many people changing. To each his own. If you get down to it, its about the sport and not what were wearing, says U.S. gold medalist Misty May-Treanor.
2. Physical pride/screw the body police. Im not a sex symbol; Im an athlete, May-Treanors teammate Kerri Walsh told Sports Illustrated. And May-Treanor adds that she prefers the revealing outfits because, What you see is what you gettheres no airbrushing.
3. West Coast pride. U.S. team member Jen Kessy brought out her Golden State credentials, explaining, We're not uncomfortable in our bikinis. Growing up in Southern California, that's what you wear from when you're a little kid to now in the summertime.
4. Sand. Apparently, it sneaks into the folds of extra fabric and makes players itchy. If you wear baggier clothing, Kessy explains, you get sand everywhere.
___________
They're the parties most directly affected and their explanations sound pretty sensible to me.
MadrasT
(7,237 posts)The uniforms themselves are fine if the players are comfortable with them.
Some of the photos -- and the associated salacious leering -- seem ridiculous to me. Doesn't rise to the level of "offense" for me, just juvenile and absurd.
hifiguy
(33,688 posts)redqueen
(115,103 posts)And I guess the body police are the people who *weren't* the ones mandating that women had to wear those up until this year.
Good to know they were only looking out for the women's best interest after all!
All those poor, poor men and their itchiness and lack of pride.
hifiguy
(33,688 posts)All I did was link to the article quoting the athletes.
redqueen
(115,103 posts)seabeyond
(110,159 posts)not about what they are wearing. the sexist stuff is bullshit.
Im an athlete. its about the sport
thank you for agreeing.
hifiguy
(33,688 posts)The athletes themselves are the experts on this issue. It's their call.
pnwmom
(108,980 posts)don't call attention to certain parts?
I just looked at images for men's beach volleyball uniforms, and they were wearing sleeveless shirts and bermuda length shorts.
seabeyond
(110,159 posts)as the volleyball gals, pretty much.
beach volleyball was promoted by the olympic committee to be sexualized and the men accommodated. it is no less than what they asked for, wanted.
zorro1
(27 posts)I think you may be over sensitive to the provocative nature of the skimpy beach wear worn by the athletic women. The guys don't wear speedos because of the adjustment factor. Please; these women are the most entertaining sport in the Olympics...
seabeyond
(110,159 posts)zorro1
(27 posts)I don't know why I thought you were a guy. I don't judge what I don't understand. I am way out of my element. Go USA!!!
Response to zorro1 (Reply #46)
seabeyond This message was self-deleted by its author.
Response to zorro1 (Reply #46)
seabeyond This message was self-deleted by its author.
Lucky Luciano
(11,257 posts)MadrasT
(7,237 posts)tridim
(45,358 posts)Kurovski
(34,655 posts)That is all.
ismnotwasm
(41,989 posts)That might actually help.
seabeyond
(110,159 posts)one of those tight suits, but interesting.
VPStoltz
(1,295 posts)More please!