Emilie Stevens                      Gender stereotypes in athletics                       Stevens1

Ms. Aultman                                      Blurring the lines

ENG3U

Dec,10,2015

Gender stereotypes within sports are commonly converted back to whether something is masculine or feminine. As well, the physical capabilities of each sex are assumed. In most sports, individuals stand out if they are different causing them to be viewed in a negative way. This demonstrates that many individuals will struggle to be accepted by their teammates and society for being a different sex. Traditional gender roles are still being negatively reinforced in modern day athletics even though many men and women are beginning to blur these lines.        This advertisement for the Olympics stated that 2012 was the first year every participating country had at least one female athlete on their Olympic team. It's unfortunate that only in the last Olympics there was at least one woman representing her team  in each country across the world. This shows that traditional gender roles were still being implemented in international sport even up until the last Olympics. Some countries would not want women to compete because of religion, in some places the women are suppressed and treated poorly. While in other countries it is strictly  

French, Monique. Olympic Rings In Look Of Female Symbol. Digital image.PUB209healthcultureandsociety. N.p., n.d. Web.

sexism stopping women from competing in the Olympics. This proves how gender equality is still a struggle in our time.  This means that we are one step closer to representing everyone athletically. The interlocking of the rings represents the community and respect our world has brought to the Olympics by having female representatives. The contrast in the Olympic rings make them stand out emphasizing that the rings have been meshed into the universal symbol for women further celebrating how far women have come in the fight against sexism within athletics.

In this article a young girl is set out from the rest of her team just because she is a girl. This proves that people will set someone apart for being different, in this case this young girl is set apart from her team

because she is a girl and they are boys. This young girl will probably have to face a lot of struggles within her athletic career to be accepted by this group and society. The color of the boys jerseys are blue and the girl’s is red, further setting her apart from the team. But, further analysis of this text may tell a different story. If you look at her body language compared to the boys, she is confident. She is also placed in front of them, possibly showing superiority. One could even guess that she's the best player on this team. The negative body language and facial expressions of the young men in the background show a direct juxtaposition with the female player because it shows her hands on her hips; that is a sign of self assurance and confidence as well as a sense of leadership on her part.  The boys seem less engaged than the girl.  Her slight head tilt may also show that she knows this. She knows that she is the best player on this team and that the boys, who are traditionally the best players, are not in her league athletically.     

          Male cheerleaders have often been stereotyped as being homosexual or at the very least, feminine. It is seen as not being masculine for a man to cheer for another man. They are probably heterosexual men that possibly join to be with all the girls.  In reality, it takes a lot of strength to lift multiple people into the air and there is no

"Nc State Cheerleaders." N.p., n.d. Web.

shame in having a few strong people to help lift. The men on this team are the core of their stability.  This cheerleading team was the 2001 Grand National Cheerleading Champions and almost half of their team was made up of men. From the excitement and joy on their faces and in their body language shows  these men seem just as happy to be representing their school as cheerleaders, just as happy as most representing as football players. The current NCAA champions for 2015 are from the University of Alabama and half of their cheerleading team is made up of men.

This image is a production still taken from the film Billy Elliot.  This film tells the story of a young boy who wants to become a dancer but his father doesn’t want him to because he is afraid of the fallout of his son’s choice. Billy’s father wants him to choose a more masculine

pursuit.  Dancing takes skill and concentration as well as muscle so men make very good dancers.  Some of the greatest dancers in history are men like Patrick Lavoie of the Canadian National Ballet, and Mark Alexander Ballas an American professional ballroom dancer on Dancing with the Stars. Men face a multitude of challenges as dancer, they are often very graceful which is the opposite of what society has taught men to be. They are supposed to be tough, and not thought of as sensitive.The concentration on this boy’s face compared to the little girls around him shows that even though he's a boy he has immense dedication and perseverance. These skills are taught to us everyday by parents and teachers, but once applied to something that is not the stereotypical male or female, the activity is frowned upon by social standards. This young man is the focus of this picture but further setting him  apart if that he is wearing blue and the other dancers are wearing white, just making him stand out even more. His position in the front of this troupe of dancers generally means he is one of the better dancers and is leading the rest of the girls behind him. Billy Elliot shows that with courage and dedication you can conquer any doubt people may have about your gender, because in the end Billy becomes a professional dancer going against the traditional gender stereotypes and his father's wishes.     

Gender stereotypes in our society have traditionally been very strict in athletics, but recently we see that has been changing and evolving into better situations for both men or women. Allowing them to exceed the expectations that our society has set in place for men and women, we see this in the Olympics, on sports teams, cheerleading, dance, and many other activities. Athletes are overcoming adversity to blur the lines that have been drawn for them creating a new and better generation of athletics.