Looking Back: The Tough Questions

I'm taking a break from blogging this week to enjoy the unofficial kick-off of summer. I thought I'd take a look back at some of the posts I've written during the last couple of years. This one, "The Tough Questions," originally ran on my Fit In Real Life blog on Aug. 22, 2008. See you back here with a brand-new post on June 1!

Sitting with my daughter the other night, watching some silly entertainment wrap-up show, a brief piece came on about female Olympic athletes...specifically, female Olympic athletes who'd chosen to pose for Playboy magazine's "Women of the Olympics" pictorial. We watched together in silence for a few minutes, then my daughter turned to me and said, "Why would they do that, Mom?"

I'm a pretty open-minded mom who doesn't back away from any subject -- I prefer that my kids get their answers from me and I've answered some doozies already in my time as a parent -- but I'll confess that this one stumped me. "I don't know," I told her.

We talked a bit about female empowerment -- you know, the old "it's my body and if I'm controlling how it's presented, and benefiting from it, then I'm in charge" argument that some women have used to justify their choice to become strippers or prostitutes or anything else that requires them to put themselves forth as sex objects. We also talked about objectification and how it can be very demeaning to put yourself in a role where others are invited to judge you solely on what you look like, or on their fantasy of you.

First, the empowerment argument. Check out this piece from ESPN.com by writer Laura Boswell. Then, for another perspective on objectification, read thispiece written by Caroline Heldman for Ms. Magazine.   

In the end, I told my daughter that many female athletes are rightfully proud of their bodies and the hard work they put into them...and that opportunities like Playboy pictorials offer them money to pay for their training, as well as opportunities for more media exposure (no pun intended) that will continue to bring in more fame and money. But we also talked about the price of such fame -- and whether you'd rather be famous for winning an Olympic medal for your hard athletic work or be famous for what your body looks like...because when they see those pictures, some people might not care or remember that you're a world-class athlete. To them, you might be just another naked woman.

I'm curious: What would you all have said?

I'm a pretty open-minded mom who doesn't back away from any subject -- I prefer that my kids get their answers from me and I've answered some doozies already in my time as a parent -- but I'll confess that this one stumped me. "I don't know," I told her.

We talked a bit about female empowerment -- you know, the old "it's my body and if I'm controlling how it's presented, and benefiting from it, then I'm in charge" argument that some women have used to justify their choice to become strippers or prostitutes or anything else that requires them to put themselves forth as sex objects. We also talked about objectification and how it can be very demeaning to put yourself in a role where others are invited to judge you solely on what you look like, or on their fantasy of you.

First, the empowerment argument. Check out this piece from ESPN.com by writer Laura Boswell. Then, for another perspective on objectification, read thispiece written by Caroline Heldman for Ms. Magazine.   

In the end, I told my daughter that many female athletes are rightfully proud of their bodies and the hard work they put into them...and that opportunities like Playboy pictorials offer them money to pay for their training, as well as opportunities for more media exposure (no pun intended) that will continue to bring in more fame and money. But we also talked about the price of such fame -- and whether you'd rather be famous for winning an Olympic medal for your hard athletic work or be famous for what your body looks like...because when they see those pictures, some people might not care or remember that you're a world-class athlete. To them, you might be just another naked woman.

I'm curious: What would you all have said?

Comments

[January]

I think you did good. I have a nine year old daughter and body image is already an issue and the concept of "sexy" is starting to come up. It's a tough topic, especially since I think some of us mom's have our own hang-ups about our bodies (I know I do). I think your last paragraph is beautifully put.

[Jami]

Frankly, if I was a mom, I would've told my kid what my mom told me. That those women deep down have heavy self esteem issues that should've been faced in therapy. Instead they're trying to receive outside validation by being a cheap s**t.