I certainly do use column space here to make fun of the outfits of coaches, broadcasters and athletes. I don't always feel 100% great about it, to be honest. But I like to think I'm not contributing to an already existing power dynamic, the way Tony did. I rarely talk about clothes being too tight or make implicitly sexual references; I never talk about arbitrary standards of attractiveness or the way a person looks other than the clothes; I talk about men's clothes too. Most importantly, I'm not a man with a national audience who is watched primarily by other men. Women's bodies in the public sphere are still considered male property, to be looked at and judged, and some men feel it's their right to critique them if they don't live up to standards (women are often told to "smile" on the street by strange men). I'd like to think that "Oh, honey, that dress...no" is like friendly advice, and different from acting like this athlete/broadcaster owes me something. Maybe I'm fooling myself.

View Original Post at ftlouie.typepad.com/womensports

• Filed Under:  
• SportsPLUS, OpEd, Media/Marketing

• Tags:
• women and sports
• Broadcasters and Journalists