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[first_seventhe]

Female Olympians fight back against shamers and haters

The Olympics may have provided us with a global exhibition of some seriously retrograde ideas about athletes and femininity, but they have also provided us with something even more important, and that’s the sight of female athletes fighting back.
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Comments

[salarta]

As a penis-haver, I have to say that yes, guys spend a lot of time focusing on how women look, because our society is so obsessed with that. However, it's definitely wrong for people to ignore that these women are at the Olympics to compete in sport events and win medals and break world records. Swimming 100m freestyle or competing in boxing isn't the talent portion of a beauty pageant. Though now that I think of it.... :P

It shouldn't matter if the gold medalist of an event came to it looking like a hobo, since that has nothing to do with their accomplishments. It IS nice when said medalist is attractive to go along with such amazing talent, but anyone that considers "Her boobs look great!" to be more important than "Holy crap she just broke the world record for the 100m dash!" is a huge tool. Especially if their comments are mean.

[first_seventhe]

It's hard, too, because there's like a line between... "I find you attractive and want to express that positively" and "Your only value to me is in your appearance." I feel like the latter sentiment is so fucking prevalent these days -- it's an amazing Olympic fucking athlete, but we only like her if she's also fitting into that narrow box of physicality that we deem 'attractive' -- that it makes even the former problematic. And it's so focused on women, because women are so often devalued if their appearance isn't "right". It's increasingly become so that it's hard to get any positive vibes out of talking about looks and attractiveness, because the rest of the field is just so fucked up.

[salarta]

It might be because I write adult fanfic and I'm just seeing what I expose myself to the most, but it seems to me like our society is sex-obsessed. Preteens are dressing in skimpy clothes with words like "Slut" on the front. Radio shows even on a laidback station that used to feel much deeper now talk about sex every day. Formerly strong female protagonists in video games like Aya Brea, Lara Croft, Jill Valentine and Samus Aran have been reduced to helpless personalities that recent writers seem to think everyone (especially men) wants to see in women, alongside focusing heavily on the fact they have breasts and butts and other womanly parts. Our most popular music artists these days are constantly singing about having sex and mindlessly partying. The most popular books these days aren't anywhere near literary masterpieces, but things like Twilight and Fifty Shades of Grey where sex is the primary focus

[astrangerenters]

This is a great read. And made me want to punch things. But these ladies are my heroes.

[sissyhiyah]

Things like this are what I plan to read to my niece when she gets a bit older. She's already asking why she can't play the same games as her brother, so she needs things like this. I think everyone does.

[lil_1337]

Seriously? I thought the 50s and getting back in the kitchen was an attitude of the past. Catch up or get the hell out.

[first_seventhe]

Right??? Are people actually still saying these things???

[lil_1337]

Why are they are the planet using up oxygen that could support viable human beings?