“It’s… making me very, very insecure that I have to look a certain way.”
Those were the words of a tearful Rebecca Adlington on ITV’s ‘I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here’ as she spoke about the abuse she received on Twitter about her looks whilst competing as a swimmer.
Despite becoming Britain’s greatest swimmer of all time, it was the Twitter trolls taunting her image that got Adlington’s attention.
And it turns out she’s not alone. In a survey conducted by BT Sport, 89% female athletes shared the insecurities expressed by Adlington on the reality TV show.
Of the 110 women surveyed across 20 sports, 80% said they felt pressured to conform to a certain body type, whether that be from governing bodies, coaches or … the media.
A worrying 67% of the athletes felt the media and the public valued their appearance over their sporting achievements. And that figure makes me really sad.
There’s a stereotype flaunted by the media that you’re only worthy of column inches or screen time if you look the part. Somewhere along the way someone decided it meant, as Adlington put it “Stick thin, big boobs and a pretty face” were ‘normal’ and women’s sport needed those things to attract attention.
It’s not the athletes fault if they’re thrust into the limelight because the fit the bill and they happen to be pretty good at what they do. But surely the latter is the most important part?
Everybody comes in different shapes and sizes. Everybody is different. That’s something we’re taught from a young age and it still applies to athletes.
What makes them different is what makes them great. The swimmers shoulders, the cyclist thighs. All these things are normal, normal for an athlete.
For Adlington, it’s what made her a Champion.
But how can they believe that when they’re subjected to abuse on social media sites or if someone says “You’re never going to be a looker” about them in the media.
I don’t judge male sports on how good looking or how ‘perfect’ I think the athletes are and I don’t think the media do either. Why can’t women be accepted as the same?
The issue extends way out of sport too. 97% of those who responded to the survey said that they thought the body image was a problem in wider society. And you only have to scan the magazine shelves in a shop to see the way women are ‘meant to look’ on a lads mag or how this week’s glossy has a diet that can help you get that perfect body.
There we go, that word again. Perfect.
Maybe I’m being an idealist here but surely being fit and healthy matters more than being the size or shape that is constantly alluded to as perfect in society.
I hope one day, not too soon, that being a successful athlete will be enough for a woman to get the recognition she deserves. Beauty, however you might define it, is only skin deep. Success lasts a life time.