’Spare us the unaesthetic spectacle of women trying to look and act like men’ - IOC member, 1950
For too long sportswomen have faced the almost impossible task of competing as athletes whilst also maintaining what society deems as typically ‘feminine’ appearance in order to appeal to broadcasters, promoters and sponsors.
And so we see women still playing elite sport in dresses, hiding their muscular bodies and being asked about their outfits rather than their performances in post match interviews, while sports brands chose models over athletes to promote their products and sports federations put women and girls in skimpy outfits in order to increase their sex appeal.
This 'female athlete paradox’ also prevents thousands of young women from enjoying sport, concerned their femininity will be questioned if they participate in ‘mannish’ sports.
This chapter explores all those issues and highlights how things are finally changing for sportswomen.
Thank you to Sport England who support The Game Changers Podcast through a National Lottery award.
Thank you to Sport England who support The Game Changers Podcast with a National Lottery award.
Find out more about The Game Changers podcast here: https://www.fearlesswomen.co.uk/thegamechangers
Hosted by Sue Anstiss
Produced by Sam Walker, What Goes On Media
A Fearless Women production
Jessica Ennis-Hill: On being the poster girl at a home Olympics
Orla Chennaoui: The power of being authentic as a woman reporting sport
Pippa Grange: Understanding the role of fear and how to combat it
Esme Morgan & Charlotte O'Neill: Leading the way in women's football
Rimla Akhtar, Wendy Taylor, Tess Howard & Holly Bradshaw explore the impact of women's sport clothing
Jackie Oatley: Changing career to follow your passion
Lauren Steadman: How para athletes change society's perceptions
Tanni Grey-Thompson: Calling out sports governing bodies for lack of diversity
Steph Houghton: Lessons learnt as a captain of club & country
Mo Hunt: The journey to professional rugby
Lisa O'Keefe: Uniting women’s sport across the world
Kristen Dusting: The cultural and community impact of roller derby
Sabrina Pace-Humphreys: Running Towards Inclusivity
Sue Redfern: Breaking boundaries for cricket umpires
Claire Taggart: The impact of Boccia – a totally inclusive sport
Jess Carter: The reality of life as a Lioness
Series 16 of The Game Changers
2023 Highlights
Kelly Smith: Why talking openly about mental health is so important
Casey Stoney: On embracing mistakes & the desire to keep learning
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