When Will We Finally Stop Commenting on Women Athlete’s Bodies?

There should just be a hot button on everything like there used to be on ratemyprofessors.com. If you think the subject of the article or photos is hot then you click the hot button and be done with it. Then people would stop commenting about hotness or lack thereof.

Yea, the author picked the wrong fight. Commenting on body type man or woman is common. This guy or that gal getting more from being short or tall or whatever. Its not uncommon both ways. Im not however sure what you mean by "female athlete advertising their body to the world?" Not men? And how are they "advertising"? (beach volleyball aside) Although, they do wear bikinis in women's track but not men's, which sort of stands out like a sore thumb. But i dont think thats advertising.

Now, socially? I am quite sure we comment on athletic women way more. Cant stop that, nor should we? I dont know why gals dont comment on dudes as much. Maybe testosterone thing?

Women's beach volleyball is forced to wear the bikini. They wouldn't be allowed to compete in the pros or Olympics in shorts if they wanted to.

When they stop showing their bodies to us! Don't expect us to stop being superficial and overreaching on a dime, it's really hard to not really notice and scrutinize women's bodies in any context. We're perfectly happy to offer up a rating on a 10 scale of the looks of any woman in any profession, not just limited to models and strippers and porn stars. There's a LOT at stake here.

But didn't people comment on or make fun of Rothlisberger for being a fatty QB:

steelerswire.usatoday.com

Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger credits wardrobe for svelte physique

Allison Koehler

Big Ben’s health has long been a hot-button issue among Steelers Nation, particularly when it comes to his weight.

Link:steelerswire.usatoday.com/2021/08/18/b...

One of the many things contributing to the demise of print media is the obligatory virtue signaling that has to accompany every issue. every topic needs to be considered through the lens of fairness, equity, inclusion, etc. Everybody is a victim.

I personally don't plan on stopping

When will we see the end of these kind of articles?

If you don't want to be judged, don't do social media and professional sports.

Every woman is beautiful, regardless of weight.

The author is not talking about sexual appearance, but body composition, such as being "spritely" or muscular.

I still disagree with what she is saying, when she says it is time to stop mentioning those things. She admits that body composition is an element of athletic performance, saying, "body composition certainly plays a role, it’s just one of many physical factors." She them goes on to claim it is often the focus of commentary. I disagree. I've never seen a race or game where the commentators are predominantly talking about the womens' bodies. It may be mentioned along with other elements, but that seems normal to mention all factors.

When are people going to stop attacking free speech?

Remember when Michael Phelps was winning one billion gold medals, and every other article was about how, from a biomechanical perspective, his body was ideal for winning swim races?

Remember when Shaq was playing in the NBA, and every other article was a clever way to compare his body to something improbably massive?

Remember when Hafþór Björnsson...

Remember when Spud Web...

Anyhow, sports are physical pursuits, and it's hard to talk about how we compete in sports without talking about the bodies that enable us to compete.

The author of the article starts with the premise that people shouldn't draw attention publicly to women athletes in relation to their bodies. Then she writes a long article about women athlete's bodies, even repeating negative comments about certain women athletes, naming them publicly in the process. Seeing their names mentioned again, in the same context, can only reignite the hurt these women have felt from this unwanted attention. This type of woke hypocrisy, disguised as being helpful, makes the world a worse place This author is contributing as much or more to the problem as the people she's claiming to criticize.

Here's the crux of the article, and I do not agree with the author:

There's nothing inherently insulting about commenting on the kinds of physiques that tend to result in success in a sport. There's also nothing inherently insulting about remarking that a skier with an atypical body is generating elite performance. In fact, if someone wanted to know how to generate power without a typically powerful body, they might want to study this skier's technique. It's just relevant information, which is why the New York Times defended the journalist. I agree with them.

The author from Outside Magazine seems to believe there is a bright line rule that nobody should ever remark on a woman's body in any context whatsoever, and that's childish nonsense.

The NYT journalist didn't say anything wrong.

There are two categories here. The first is around how commentators feel about an athlete in regards to attractiveness. You pretty much see these comments on any thread about a woman here. Some guys are just knuckle draggers and this is the only way they see and relate to the world and women. The first thing they think about and feel the need to express is not athletic performance, but if they are personally attracted to the person. It is the lowest level of cognitive development by those with low self awareness.

The second is comments on body composition and how it relates to performance in sport. On one hand it is undeniable that this matters at the elite level in sports such as running. On the other focusing too much in this area can lead to destructive behavior like eating disorders and negative images of self. Sometimes comments are meant to be constructive, but often they are used to just tear the athlete down. Unfortunately, constructive discussions are pretty rare.

This results in articles like this calling for everyone to just stop talking about it.

Never I suppose. Or at least until our species is relegated to artificial insemination/test tube babies and we have come to live primarily in a virtual world.

Human's reproductive strategy is based on arousal. We don't have a great sense of smell nor penis bone so it's important that males are visually stimulated by females to keep the species going. It's why the human female has engorged teats even when not lactating. Female libidos ensure that they are receptive even when not ovulating.

Soooo, I suppose we can try to undue our evolutionary history and not notice females anymore through more editorial beatdowns or we can figure out a way to live with the cards we're dealt.

Certainly we're a lot better off than we were eons ago when women were essentially chattel but, the article would have be more pertinent if it explored how much further we can go in overcoming our collective DNA.

Well there's actual competitions that the main purpose is to comment on and judge men and women athletes. So never.

OK. Almost every elite woman mile racer looks the same, with a blond ponytail and bared midriff. Long distance racers look more varied. They are selected for their friends.

Growing up with three older sisters got over WOW A CUTE GIRL long ago.