#CoverTheAthlete: Male Athletes Are Never Asked to Twirl
Serena Williams. (Photo: Getty Images)
Along the same lines of the #AskHerMore campaign, in which actresses are asking red carpet commentators to go beyond the outfit, there is a new burgeoning campaign for professional athletes called #CoverTheAthlete. Jessica Schnurr and Hannah Smit, two creative consultants at branding agency John St., made a video in which professional male athletes look flabbergasted or dumbstruck when they get asked the exact same questions that female professional athletes have asked.
“These are not the actual responses of the athletes featured in these clips. These are comments or questions asked of female athletes that we’ve adapted to fit these news clips, in order to show how ridiculous it is that female athletes are asked these questions,” Schnurr and Smit disclose. But why couldn’t they just find and put together the actual video clips in which men were asked these questions? Because these interviews with men don’t actually exist — men don’t get asked to twirl, for example. But that’s not stopping hundreds of Reddit users from criticizing Schnutt and Smit. “This is garbage feminist propaganda bullsh-t,” says one user. But just because the clips are construed doesn’t mean the conclusion is false. Sports broadcasting may be full of silly comments (someone has to fill up the timeouts) and male athletes get their share too, but male gymnasts are never said “to have a look like international judges love.”
Eugenie Bouchard. (Photo: Getty Images)
Immediately after winning her second-round match at the Australian Open in January 2015, 20-year-old Canadian tennis champion Eugenie Bouchard did an on-court interview — standard protocol for athletes, male or female. Like any professional tennis champion, she spoke about her match-day preparation and mental focus. Just kidding. She twirled.
“Can you give us a twirl?” the male presenter asked her. “A twirl, like a pirouette, here you go.” She obliged with a giggle, covering her face with her hands afterwards. Earlier, the same presenter had asked Serena Williams to twirl, too. “I didn’t really want to twirl because I was just like, you know, I don’t need all the extra attention,” she said. At a news conference later, Bouchard commented, “I don’t know, an old guy asking you to twirl. It was funny.”
These are examples of sports commentary about female athletes, as compiled by #CoverTheAthlete:
“You’re getting a lot of fans here…A lot of them are male, and they want to know: If you could date anyone in the world of sport, of movies – I’m sorry, they asked me to say this – who would you date?” –Channel 7, to Eugenie Bouchard
“Generally, I’m all for chunky sports stars…but tennis requires a mobility Serena cannot hope to achieve while lugging around breasts that are registered to vote in a different US state from the rest of her.” –Telegraph columnist, about Serena Williams
“So, did you hear about the hair controversy?” –Asked of Gabrielle Douglas
“You see the young ladies all turn their head, they didn’t want to catch one in the grill. They might not have wanted to mess their hair…they might not have wanted to mess their hair it’s possible.” –Sports Centre, about German Women’s Soccer Team
“Olympic Beach Volleyball: Great Bodies, Bikinis and More.” –NBC NEW YORK Headline, 2012 Summer Olympics Women’s Volleyball
#CoverTheAthlete is asking supporters to Tweet the message at major news networks. “Sexist commentary, inappropriate interview questions, and articles focused on physical appearance not only trivializes a woman’s accomplishments, but also sends a message that her value is based on her looks, not her ability. And it’s much too commonplace,” the website states.
Related:
#AskHerMore: Why The Questions Shouldn’t Stop at the Mani Cam
