This document explores how the media portrays female athletes in a negative light. It discusses how women's sports and athletes are often framed in magazines and media to attract male consumers by objectifying women and reducing them to just their appearance or body parts. Examples are given of magazines like Sports Illustrated posing female athletes in passive, sexualized ways and focusing on their looks rather than athletic accomplishments. The document concludes that while female athletes may now get more coverage, the way they are covered has not really changed and remains objectifying rather than portraying them as serious athletes.

1. How does the media bring out the
negative portrayal of sportswomen?
Exploring this issues of how female athletes and women’s
sports are framed in the media and in particular sports
magazines

2. ESPN The Magazine
Maria Sharapova, June 2005 Ray Lewis, 2001

3. “Men act and women
John Berger
appear”
This states that men are shown in advertisements as the
more important role, while women attract the consumers.

4. Maybe it’s the way your looking at it?

5. The fact that women are viewed
as objects is also evident in the
tendency of men to dissect
women’s bodies into parts, which
are then discussed separately
from the whole person.” Timothy Jon Curry (1991)

6. Sports Illustrated
- Passively posed in a way which
intends to attract or intrigue
readers
- Comedien Bill Murray pointing in
the direction of her breasts. In this
way she is reduced from a woman
to an object.
- Women’s sport is downgraded
to the same level of importance
as animals in sport.
Jennie Finch
July 11, 2005

7. “Coverage and acceptance of females as athletes
depend on their ability to mange traditional feminine
roles” Hilliard, 1983
Depicting athletes in the role of a
traditional mother or wife -
Kerri Walsh
Predominantly advertising
for beauty products –
Jessica Ennis

8. Jessica Ennis
Powerade
John Huet in 2011
“We Can Do It!”
J.Howard Miller in 1943

9. Conclusion
- The portrayal of women has not changed
- Having more coverage of sportswomen in magazines in
not effective unless the way the coverage changes from
its current form of objectification