Lauren Fleshman blasts Maria Sharapova

Let me start by saying I've always thought Lauren Fleshman is incredibly smart and I've always respected her balanced viewpoint on body issues. I remember her saying way back when, i think in a RW interview, that it was ok to look a piece of cake and not eat as you realized you had a big race coming up. That didn't make you anorexic. If I recall, there was a big thread about it (but I can't find it).Anyway, here is what Sharapova said:

NY Tiimeswrote:

Maria Sharapova, a slender, blond Russian who has been the highest-paid female athlete for more than a decade because of her lucrative endorsements, said she still wished she could be thinner. “I always want to be skinnier with less cellulite; I think that’s every girl’s wish,” she said, laughing.

Sharapova said she avoided weights in her training, instead focusing on stretching and preventive exercises, which she believes are more beneficial for tennis than adding muscle.

“I can’t handle lifting more than five pounds,” Sharapova said. “It’s just annoying, and it’s just too much hard work. And for my sport, I just feel like it’s unnecessary.”

.

I don't have a problem with what Sharapova said at all. The vast majority of women do want to be thinner and have less celluilite. If she doesn't want to lift weights, that's her prerogative as well.

I know it can be incredibly hard to be a woman and feel the need to be skinny, but I don't think it's fair to crush those who are skinny or want to be it.

Who gave people the right to slam other people's wants/desires?

It amazes me that in the year 2015 when we are taught to accept every single viewpoint in the name of tolerance, it's totally acceptable to rip people who want to be skinny.

If I have a daughter, I hope that she isn't obsessed wtih her body but I certainly won't crticize her for saying "Yeah I wish I had less cellulite."

To each their own.

I do agree that the sentiment that thin women shouldn't criticize non skinny but don't get why it's cool to bash thin women. Yes, I know eating disorders are a problem but so is alcoholism, drunk driving, etc and we don't ban alcohol.

Frist off, I don't have a problem with what Sharapova said, thin and fit looking females are beautiful, but so are thick and athletic looking females as well. Being thin and unfit or big and unfit is something I don't find attractive. I saw Serena at a Cancun resort several years ago, my wife actually got a chance to met her. Serena is without a doubt all girl, lots of hips, butt and breast, but on a muscular frame. Serena, was with a model looking type dude and he seemed content. Face wise, in my opinion she's not a cutie, but I don't have a problem with her body. Btw, Serena definitely looks smaller in person, I think the aspect ratio most of us watch TV makes people like Serena look bigger.

I think Fleshman is being way to harsh on Sharapova. I am a guy in my mid 40s and I look at myself in the mirror and wish that I had less cellulite even though I am a fairly fit runner. Sharapova goes on to say that she doesn't lift weights, confirming that she will not exercise just to maintain a certain body image.

Also, tennis players do very minimal strength training. Tennis has become an endurance sport. Pure power does not get it done. Karlovic and Isner smash serve after serve, but get eliminated in the early rounds because they cannot move. Nadal had huge guns when he first started playing, but the extra weight was too much for his knees. He had to stop lifting and actually was even more dominant with a much lighter frame.

The issue for me, and a few others have addressed it, is why do so many women think feminism is to do whatever you want, "as long as it agrees with what I think." Sharapova can think and do whatever she wants and it is okay with me. Why do some outspoken women think ALL women should agree with their view on seemingly every topic?

Holy sh!t, you said all sorts of stuff I agree with! You should talk about women's body issues more often. No joke, I know this sounds facetious, but I'm being serious.

Of particular interest to me is your "year 2015" viewpoint. All too often I see tolerance rammed down our throats from the media, but it's like it's okay to criticize those who succeed, whether from birth/talent or from accomplishment. I mean success in a loose sense, where success could be having/obtaining a desirable body, income level, attending a university of prestige, sports performance, etc.

I also think Laura Fleshman should be realistic. No matter how politically correct society becomes, men will still appreciate slender bodies on females, and will continue to choose them. It's reality. It's also perhaps a consequence of all this tolerance. We live in a society where being transgender by birth is not only accepted but arguably promoted for its "bravery, where it's possible to surgically engineer a female from a male, and where chemically (with hormones) we an enhance transgender tendencies. Yet despite the disproportionate prevalence of transgender cases in the media, the vast majority of people on Earth are single-gendered, and heterosexual for that matter. Mark these words, as time goes on, men will be looking for a greater 'guarantee' that a woman really is a woman, and looking like a 'traditional' woman's body-type will become even more important.

The thing that I couldn't stand about sharapova's quote is that she said she couldn't lift 5 pounds as it was too hard.

Absolute horse shit.

Hey go wrote:

The thing that I couldn't stand about sharapova's quote is that she said she couldn't lift 5 pounds as it was too hard.

Absolute horse shit.

Are you socially dysfunctional or do you just not understand humor?

I think that being thin for a woman is like being tall for a man. I am pretty happy with my height at 6'. I wouldn't mind being 6'2", but I would not want to be any taller than that. Actually, I kind of like being right at 6' because it is tall enough without causing any issues with sports. I know a college basketball player who is 6'9". His daughter is in my son's class. I am sure he loved being 6'9" in college when he was playing ball, but I can tell that he feels uncomfortable in social situations now.

So am I a terrible person for saying that most men would like to be around 6 feet tall? Is a woman a terrible person for saying that she might prefer a man who is 6 feet tall? Sure, there are plenty of men who are shorter/taller who might be great. I have two close friends who are in the 5'9" range who always attracted more ladies than me. I am not saying that being 6 feet tall automatically makes me better than someone who is 5'7", but I am saying that most guys who probably choose 6' over 5'7". Nothing wrong with that.

When it comes to women, there is no room for skinny-bashing. I have women on my facebook feeds who post pictures of actual people and then go on to bash the crap out of them for being too skinny. One time it was a picture of Shalane and I had to speak out in her defense. It was some stupid lady who wrote some diatribe right around the time of the 60 Minutes Boston Marathon piece. Her rant was about how it was wrong that girls looked up to Shalane and how her body was unhealthy. Total bullcrap.

I respect women of all sizes, but I have to say that I prefer what I prefer. That is my choice, no?

I won't bash Sharapova on what she said or that she doesn't want to do weights.

Serena is doing all the bashing on the tennis courts. hahahaha

Don't worry Eddie I will wear a wig tonight.....

Forget Sharapova's eating-disordered “I always want to be skinnier" comment. Here is the stupidest quote of all:

“It’s our decision to keep her as the smallest player in the top 10,” said Tomasz Wiktorowski, the coach of Agnieszka Radwanska, who is listed at 5 feet 8 and 123 pounds. “Because, first of all she’s a woman, and she wants to be a woman.”

Right. Because 5'8" and 123 lbs is the definition of womanhood? Um...no.

Now let's listen to an intelligent female athlete:

Eugenie Bouchard, who was often dubbed “the next Maria Sharapova” as she ascended the rankings last year, said she hoped to gain more strength and muscle as her results have fallen off.

“If I start to see it, I’ll be happy,” Bouchard said. “If it’s what you need to lift trophies, who cares what you look like?”

jjj wrote:

It was some stupid lady who wrote some diatribe right around the time of the 60 Minutes Boston Marathon piece. Her rant was about how it was wrong that girls looked up to Shalane and how her body was unhealthy. Total bullcrap.

She was right. Long distance running is a fringe sport that is unhealthy and unnatural for adult females and nobody but fatties should be encouraged to do it.

It is because Lauren is actually believes the way she thinks is the way all other female athletes should think. If they don't , she will point this out in the open public on social media. I'm sure Sharapova could care less, but if she did, she would most likely be thinking why would a mother use their young son on Instagram and place products beside him.

WTA #1 wrote:

ana ivanovic also said something similar, didn't want to look like a female meathead. I think Anna is correct .

So do you think that male runners should eat massive amounts, lift heavy six days a week and try to put on weight so they don't look like women?

I am a big Jager fan but don't tell me that you could tell his gender from 200 meters away. Should he change that to satisfy stupid ideas of "masculinity" or "femininity"? No.

girlie men running in circles wrote:

WTA #1 wrote:

ana ivanovic also said something similar, didn't want to look like a female meathead. I think Anna is correct .

So do you think that male runners should eat massive amounts, lift heavy six days a week and try to put on weight so they don't look like women?

I am a big Jager fan but don't tell me that you could tell his gender from 200 meters away. Should he change that to satisfy stupid ideas of "masculinity" or "femininity"? No.

Where did I say this ? I was talking about Ana Ivanovic. She doesn't want to look like a gym lunk. This is her Brand she is protecting .

1.5 million a year (tennis prize $ ) 11 million a year (off court ).

There is a 100% chance she won't be squeezing her legs to see if she has cellulite like Fleshman did , because Ivanovic is playing in a much bigger world stage.From Esquire Mag:

I think many of you are missing the point.

Maria wants to be skinny because society would find her less attractive if she was bulkier. She isn't being skinny because it makes her a better player.

Every single person in the world knows that lifting weights and having some muscle makes you a better athlete (especially in a power/sprinting sport like tennis). You can obviously get away without lifting in tennis, but I think a good sports specific lifting program would help anyone.

In an ideal world, Maria would make decisions based on what would make her a better tennis player. Not what would make her prettier. This is what Lauren was upset about.

Also: the NYtimes would never, ever write an article about men and their body image. Because they don't have nearly the same issues that women do and people don't care about mens bodies in the same way.

1. Lauren just tweeted the NYT piece with a line added saying Sharapova's input was the worst part, right? And then we have this thread? Seriously? Am I missing a blog post or something else much more significant? 2. Who the hell cares what Lauren Fleshman thinks? She was a decent American pro for a few years and now she's a marketing person for an apparel company and a food company. It's her job to write things that get retweets and press. Don't like it, stop making threads about it.

xcskier66 wrote:

In an ideal world, Maria would make decisions based on what would make her a better tennis player. Not what would make her prettier. This is what Lauren was upset about.

In an ideal world Maria would make decisions that would make her happy and satisfy herself, not Lauren Fleshman or any other person that feels his or her opinion is fact and the only one. Anyone who cannot see and support someone else's viewpoint should be the one to look in the mirror.

I thought Sharapova could only grunt loudly, can she actually speak?

Still tennis is doped to hell and nobody good ever fails a test same as soccer - too much $