(Action Images via Reuters/Jason Cairnduff Livepic) This
week, Serena Williams won her sixth Wimbledon victory. It was her 21st
Grand Slam tournament win overall (and her fourth in a row).
As
a woman in the public eye, it seems like even being one of the most
gifted athletes isn't enough to stop the media from calling you fat.
On Friday, just as Serena Williams was preparing to clean up her historic sixth Wimbledon victory, the New York Times decided it was a good time to critique her body:
Williams, who will be
vying for the Wimbledon title against Garbiñe Muguruza on Saturday, has
large biceps and a mold-breaking muscular frame, which packs the power
and athleticism that have dominated women’s tennis for years. Her rivals
could try to emulate her physique, but most of them choose not to.
The real disgusting part of this, though, is that the
Times didn’t really critique Williams. Instead, it let her competitors
do it by explaining that they don't envy Williams' physique even as she
uses it to dominate them.
In the story, the Times printed the words of several
top female tennis players unloading about their body image issues and
describing their wish to be seen as small.
“People say, ‘Oh, you’re
so skinny, I always thought you were huge,’ ” [Andrea Petkovic] said.
“And then I feel like there are 80 million people in Germany who think
I’m a bodybuilder. Then, when they see me in person, they think I’m
O.K.”
Body image issues are something that should be discussed with a therapist, not a New York Times reporter. That
women everywhere have body image issues isn’t exactly news. It’s the
opposite of news. It helps no one to have those insecurities validated
as worthy of considering by being paraded around in the pages of the New
York Times.
I don’t really understand how publishing
female tennis players expressing their desire to be perceived as petite
does anything other than adding to the public perception that women
should be constantly critical of their bodies. And it's all especially
silly since Williams' body type that they're belittling is regularly
beating them at their own game.
Saying we shouldn't attack muscular women like
Williams for their body types isn’t just about sexism or body
positivity. It’s about health. According to the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders,
elite athletes have a significantly higher rate of eating disorders
(20%) than the average group of women (about 9%), who in turn have a
higher rate of eating disorders than men.
That’s in part because many of the personality traits
that a person needs to be an elite athlete also show up in patients
with eating disorders. The ANAD says these are all the common
psychological profiles in common between elite athletes and people who
develop anorexia:
Kelechi Iheanacho has admitted he is eager to get his chance for Manchester City next season.
