In the process of writing this paper I have gotten a deeper knowledge about representation and women in sports. Since it something that is close to the heart it has been a really fun time researching it and I find my self scrutinizing any sort of sport coverage to find unfair representation or to find NO representation at all of women.
Because of the deadline for the bibliography and presentation I stayed better on top of things than usual. But the blog was harder because it is more free and I have a tendency to do everything in last minute. I did like the Idea that you can write and comment about your paper in a more informal way though. Because you have to put where you're at in the process it helps to formulate your thoughts and structure what you really do want to say.
Overall I am glad I found a topic that interested me and that a friend and a Professor at the University was so engaged in the topic which also contributed to the experience. But now it is done and I am glad to have it done!
Last writing class... Sad but also a relief!
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Monday, July 27, 2009
Comments
My conclusion after comments from the presentation, on the blog and from my own research is, first, not only women are misrepresented. But, no matter what level of athlete or what kind of athlete there will alwys be some kind of comment on your looks or sexiness if you are an female athlete. That is what is why I want to write about womens miss representation. Men are already acknowledge good athletes and it may be a plus for the commentators to acknowledge if he is good lookoing, it is not the base of any coverage like it is whit Sharopova or harkelroad...
Good example:
This video is as the pictures I showed in class focused on the passive movement whereas men considered hot are depicted whit more action shots when they are pursuing their sport. Example:
This video is a tribute to Beckham... showing his ACTUAL playing... Not him in boxers during his famous underwear commercials. The two are held separate unlike Sharopova's case.
Good example:
This video is as the pictures I showed in class focused on the passive movement whereas men considered hot are depicted whit more action shots when they are pursuing their sport. Example:
This video is a tribute to Beckham... showing his ACTUAL playing... Not him in boxers during his famous underwear commercials. The two are held separate unlike Sharopova's case.
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Planning ahead
As the presentation is almost done! I now need to get the length and structure on my paper. Preparing for the presentation has helped me figuring out what I want to focus on the most and what my point of view is. I still don't have a solution for the problem though.
The sources I found help me look at the amount of time women and men are represented and also the quality of the representation. Not only have women only 6% of the time on air on big sport channels in the US, the way they are represented is degrading and more focused on their appearance than on their performance.
I am also looking at the way women are represented in Magazines where they are also not valued through their performance, but the readers are shown a down to earth, heterosexual "normal" woman when an athlete is covered. Men, on the other hand, are more often pictured with their result board next to them, saying how fast they are or how many people they tackled or home runs they've made and the report is more often about their actual sport, not about their homey private life as good husbands which is the case of the women.
Furthermore I am looking on a article where they looked at college kids attitudes toward sports. If their attitudes had traditional gender views of sports eventhough they've grown up during the title IX era and they had. So I want to talk about if it is the audience who shape the media or the media shapes the audience.
So I have some different thoughts going on but it all has the same base in women's coverage in sports and I think I can have a good thread running through my essay if I connect them in the right way.
Getting back to the question how I should solve it...
Possible solutions I can think of:
To force equal coverage time between women and men upon sport channels and magazines. But does that conflict with freedom of speech?
A respected award for journalists who makes fare and interesting coverage on women athletes like the Pulitzer prize. Both individually and whole newspaper or TV channel too make it more desirable to cover it. With better coverage the numbers watching will go up too.
Michel Messner, a pioneer in these studies who has been writing and researching hte subject for a long time, suggest in one his articles that what is really takes is a new way of feminism to fight the issue and from people to not accept this kind of coverage. I agree but how would you argue for that and have a possible plan to make that happen?
The sources I found help me look at the amount of time women and men are represented and also the quality of the representation. Not only have women only 6% of the time on air on big sport channels in the US, the way they are represented is degrading and more focused on their appearance than on their performance.
I am also looking at the way women are represented in Magazines where they are also not valued through their performance, but the readers are shown a down to earth, heterosexual "normal" woman when an athlete is covered. Men, on the other hand, are more often pictured with their result board next to them, saying how fast they are or how many people they tackled or home runs they've made and the report is more often about their actual sport, not about their homey private life as good husbands which is the case of the women.
Furthermore I am looking on a article where they looked at college kids attitudes toward sports. If their attitudes had traditional gender views of sports eventhough they've grown up during the title IX era and they had. So I want to talk about if it is the audience who shape the media or the media shapes the audience.
So I have some different thoughts going on but it all has the same base in women's coverage in sports and I think I can have a good thread running through my essay if I connect them in the right way.
Getting back to the question how I should solve it...
Possible solutions I can think of:
To force equal coverage time between women and men upon sport channels and magazines. But does that conflict with freedom of speech?
A respected award for journalists who makes fare and interesting coverage on women athletes like the Pulitzer prize. Both individually and whole newspaper or TV channel too make it more desirable to cover it. With better coverage the numbers watching will go up too.
Michel Messner, a pioneer in these studies who has been writing and researching hte subject for a long time, suggest in one his articles that what is really takes is a new way of feminism to fight the issue and from people to not accept this kind of coverage. I agree but how would you argue for that and have a possible plan to make that happen?
Sunday, July 12, 2009
My Choice
So after I've looked at articles I find it easier to make a clear thesis and easier to find good resources if I choose females representation in media. My project discusses why the representation of females are both very time limited in comparison to men and also very degrading. Women are often not acknowledge as athletes but instead from the basis of their appearance. While men are covered depending on, goals, tackles and home runs, women's sports are covered if their clothes are short and sexy enough and a good locking female (by that, a not so muscular and intimidating female) are more likely to be covered than a opponent with muscular and other NON socially accepted appearances, even though she might be a better player. If you're a girl and you wanna do sports.. you better work on your model career too it seems like!
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Why Human Performance?
I remember one of my first rowing regattas abroad. I was going in a double sculler to Hamburg, Germany. We had tough competition and where preparing to fight hard. We made it to the final and we knew we could win, but these 2000m had to be the best 2000m race we had ever done. The race started well we where leading the field but a German boat was close behind. They started to take in and passed us with just an inch only 500m to go. Still we had time to catch them but something had to happen right away! We started our final sprint earlier than planned, but the German boat responded... We where switching places every stroke and we passed the finish line with the lactic acid rushing through our veins and with little clue what really happened. Did we win? We were waiting for the result to pop up on the result board, it seemed like an eternity. Finally, there it was! We had WON!
Human performance interests me a lot and is something that affects my everyday life. My own goals in sport require me to know what I’m doing to be able to develop in best possible ways. That is why I am interested in writing about it as well because it is a knowledge I need and am interested in.
I have several Ideas; first how human performance are affected by psychological or physiological variables, and where it has an effect. This is hard to narrow down as it is right now. The articles I’m looking into are hard to connect and it is hard to do an interdisciplinary study about that. Second subject; how women are portrayed in sports. A subject that is really interesting and in need to be explored and also a subject I consider because my friend has done an amazing art project covering this issue and she would be a great resource. Robins Web page AND Robins Project
I will need to do some major work to get it figured out! Back to article researching!
Human performance interests me a lot and is something that affects my everyday life. My own goals in sport require me to know what I’m doing to be able to develop in best possible ways. That is why I am interested in writing about it as well because it is a knowledge I need and am interested in.
I have several Ideas; first how human performance are affected by psychological or physiological variables, and where it has an effect. This is hard to narrow down as it is right now. The articles I’m looking into are hard to connect and it is hard to do an interdisciplinary study about that. Second subject; how women are portrayed in sports. A subject that is really interesting and in need to be explored and also a subject I consider because my friend has done an amazing art project covering this issue and she would be a great resource. Robins Web page AND Robins Project
I will need to do some major work to get it figured out! Back to article researching!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
