Amanda Beard is a successful swimmer who competed in four olympic games. She competed in the olympics in 1996 when she was 14 and won the first place. Amanda Beard won a total of 7 olympic medals and she has an olympic record in 200m breaststroke with a gold medal. However, besides all of her achievements the media only talks about her depression and her struggle with her body image. Amanda thought she had unrealistic body image and she hated her body since she was a teen.
The fact that Amanda started swimming and competing in olympics, she had to go through tough trainings. Because of puberty and tough trainings, there were quick changes in Amanda’s body which slowed her performance in water and made her lose a lot of competitions. This made Amanda develop depression and bulimia. Once Amanda said “Swimming was like my escape but it was also like this huge prison because I felt like I had to swim up to people’s standards.”
With her strong body struggles and depression she started a therapy. Because of the therapy she was not able to compete in olympics or any other competition. After her return, it seemed like everybody forgot about Amanda Beard so they offered her to pose naked for the cover of Playboy to show what an athletic body looks like. However, for a female athlete it’s not necessary to show their athletic body by posing in a sexualized way. They can show their athletic body by giving active poses like during competition like men do. But because of patriarchy it became necessary for women to pose in that way or to use their sexuality to boost their careers.
When sports is mentioned, all people think of is men in sports and ignore women in sports but sports is universal and sports is not gendered. Women should not feel like they have to use their sexuality to be mentioned or recognised in sports and instead women should be mentioned with their achievements in sports.
sosc111: Studies in Popular Culture 