Women Athletes in a Man’s World
Posted
by
WinterWomen
on Friday, January 30, 2015
Gender stereotypes begin at birth. Just last week, I saw a post on my Facebook page of a sonogram of the baby inside my friend’s wife’s belly. The picture was posted with a status update that read, “we are going to have tutu much fun with our little girl,” and the baby’s black and white image was dressed in a pink tutu with a pink bow on her tiny head. The post got me thinking about how this baby had already been gender-stereotyped before she was even born.
Girls are considered to be “delicate” and “soft” and take on roles such as housewife or graceful ballerinas. Baby boys, on the other hand, are dressed in blue, and are described as being “strong” and “alert” and are expected to grow up to be fireman or athletes. But what happens when the expected and accepted gender roles are reversed and men go on to become dancers and stay-at-home dads and women grow up to become firefighters and professional athletes?
Throughout the past few decades, gender roles of men and women have started to change drastically in our society--especially in the world of sports. Females have started to participate in many sports that have been previously been male-dominated. By challenging the stereotypes, women have proven that they can compete and succeed in these “manly” sports and have made gigantic steps in gaining equal representation and media coverage. The definition of a female athlete has also changed. Women athletes today are not only seen in a feminine manner, but also as more significant and physically-empowered individuals that have become role models for the younger female athletes of today.
The following women are some of our favorite role models that are known to be one of the first females to excel at a particular sport deemed to be male-dominated from the start. First up is Shannon Dunn. Dunn became the first American woman to earn an Olympic medal in snowboarding with her bronze at the 1998 Winter Games. A gifted figure skater from a young age, Dunn became interested in skiing after she moved with her family to Steamboat Springs, Colorado when she was 9. After Steamboat Ski Resort first began allowing snowboards on its slopes in 1987, she became hooked on the prevailing sport. Snowboarding started out as a male-dominated sport; however, Dunn was one of the first women to perform such difficult tricks as the McTwist and the Frontside 720 in halfpipe competitions. Tricks such as these allowed her to claim the U.S. Championship in halfpipe in both 1993 and 1994. Due to her charismatic snowboarding techniques, Shannon Dunn was the first woman to have a pro-model snowboard named after her.
One of WinterWomen employee Heather’s role models is Lynn Hill. Hill is an American rock climber, known not only as one of the best female climbers in the world, but also as one of the best climbers of all time. Recognized as one of the first successful women rock-climbers, Hill became a public spokesperson and assisted in gaining wider popularity among females interested in the sport and fighting for gender equality. Although Lynn became famous in the late 1970’s, her most known accomplishment is making the first free ascent of The Nose on El Capitan in Yosemite Valley, California in less than a day in 1994, which she went on to repeat the next year. Appearing on numerous television shows and in many magazine publications, Lynn also co-authored her own biography and is now working on a climbing technique video. In Hill’s words, “climbing is appealing for so many reasons… the lifestyle, psychological aspects, the people, community and values associated with the beauty of the natural environment.”
Another one of our favorite women role models is professional surfer Layne Beachley from Australia. Beachley began surfing at the young age of 4 in the 1970’s and was competing and winning against men’s heat at age 15. By age 20, she was ranked sixth in the world. Beachley tolerated harassment from men who didn’t think a girl should be surfing and at many different times she felt as though she had reached her limits, but she never gave up. In 1998, Beachley’s determination and competitive drive paid off when she won the first of 7 consecutive world titles. Regarded as the most successful female surfer in history, Beachley paved the way for women’s surfing and has been commended for providing service and support to the sport as well as different communities, charities and boards. With a deep commitment to ensure women’s equality in not only surfing but all aspects of life, Beachley went on to create the Aim for the Stars Foundation, which supports passionate females in discovering their true potential and accomplishing their dreams.
Impossible is nothing!
Who is your favorite female role model? We’d love to hear in the comments below!
Categories:
Health & Fitness
Tagged: womens fitness, womens health, Female athletes, women in sports
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