“An athlete’s image and body affect his career.” when beauty dictates women’s sports

Sprinting 100 meters in a wig and long colored nails, scoring goals with neon pink or blue hair, receiving your trophy with red lips… Some athletes don’t go unnoticed on the field. Outward signs of coquettishness are far from superficial, as we know they can have a real impact on their athletic careers.

Race for sponsors

“The image and body of a female athlete has an impact on how we seek sponsorships and how we talk about her,” explains Natasha Lapeyroux, a researcher in the sociology of media, gender and sport, who clarifies that until the 2000s. “Those who presented themselves as very feminine and conformed to Western standards of beauty—that is, especially white and slender women—did best.”

The image and body of a female athlete influence her search for sponsors and the speeches made about her.

Natasha Lapeyroux, researcher in the sociology of media, gender and sport

According to teacher-researcher Beatrice Barbus, author of the book Sexism in sport (Ed. Anamosa, 2016), “the pressure is greater today than it was fifteen or twenty years ago.” In some disciplines, top female athletes have had much more difficulty finding sponsors for competitions than their male counterparts, as they have been asked to highlight their aesthetic qualities. Tokyo women’s team saber Olympic runner-up Charlotte Lembach experienced this when seeking support for the Paris Olympics. “It doesn’t matter if you win medals if you’re not in the codes that brands are looking for, and what’s more, your sport is under-publicized, it’s difficult. On the other hand, athletes who don’t have half of our record, but are more beautiful, taller and slimmer, manage to find incredible contracts,” laments the fencer. The view of Melina Robert-Michon, Olympic runner-up in the discus throw at the 2016 Rio Olympics and twenty-two-time French champion. for all his triumphs, he also struggled to find funding. “Those who meet the criteria can continue their careers under better conditions. In addition, there is always a more important view of an athlete’s physique than an athlete, on an equal level… whereas for men, performance promotion will always be a priority,” he adds.

Being sexy is a choice

However, there was a break after 2005, continues sociology researcher Natasha Lapeyroux, “when we started publicizing the women’s world championships in boxing, soccer and rugby, historically male sports. These competitions were televised on major television channels and we saw the emergence of new female sports models. Hardware brands have launched subversive campaigns highlighting bodies that don’t fit current standards of beauty to promote diversity, such as those of Caster Semenya or Serena Williams.

A development observed by Sandy Montagnola, a researcher at the CNRS Arènes laboratory. “Until 2012, the Olympics were not open to female boxers. Today we are making them public. This questions things and we move forward even if the archetypes persist. We accept that female athletes have an athletic body, provided that they show signs of femininity.”

We accept that female athletes have an athletic body as long as they show signs of femininity

Sandy Montagnola, researcher at the CNRS Arènes laboratory

So the work of sociologist Kathryn Luvo has shown that those who played “boy sports” tended to wear make-up and style their hair more than others, as if they had to “guarantee” conformity to sponsors and spectators.

Some athletes use this hyperfemininity as a way to claim their freedom and reclaim their bodies. A formempowerment which particularly attracted the Afro community, as described by journalist and writer Jennifer Pajemi in her book; Selfie. How capitalism controls our bodies (Ed. Stock, 2023). “With their nails short or long, natural or gel-coated, designed or not, plain or elaborate, black women show off their nails. I think of athlete Sha Curry Richardson, who competes with her long nails, her false eyelashes, her wigs. She pays homage to her predecessor, Florence Griffith-Joyner, with her incredible looks and extraordinary manicure; Christine Aron and her lovely short blonde hair; Inica McPherson and her fabulous tattoos; Muriel Hurtis and her beautiful weavers; and everyone else,” he explains.

A springboard for self-assertion, not submission? “On the one hand, this individual freedom gives everyone the right to do what they want, but on the other hand, this choice probably does not contribute to the progress of the collective struggle, potentially justifying the instructions to be sexual. The line between the two is complicated,” says teacher-researcher Beatrice Barbus, who, however, admits that “having a choice is the cry of the new feminists. Athletes should also have the right to wear what makes them feel good to perform.

More and more athletes are also questioning their gear, as at the Tokyo Olympics, where some opted for a full jumpsuit rather than the traditional low-cut tee. Same story with the Norwegian beach handball players who were fined after refusing to play in bikinis during the 2021 European Championships.

However, “they remain exceptions, and this only applies to subjects where women’s place is guaranteed and publicized,” emphasizes researcher Natasha Lapeyroux, “the more they are financially protected and supported by federations, the more they can be a strategy of resistance in , daring to do something and allow himself to break the norms. And mention the case of disruptive soccer player Megan Rapinoe in her many colors…

Increase confidence

So what can we expect from the next Olympics in Paris? “We are not here to play a role, we should not feel obliged to impose the line just to say that we are feminine. The most important thing is to show the diversity of sports bodies, so that young girls can identify with it,” insists discus thrower Melina Robert-Michon, who says she likes to style her hair, put on makeup or paint her nails with colors. France. before the competition “to have fun and feel good, even if performance remains the priority.”

The most important thing is to show a diversity of athletic bodies so that young girls can identify with it.

Melina Robert-Michon, athlete, discus thrower

The same goes for French heptathlon runner-up Celia Perron, a combined event specialist and Aven ambassador in the race to qualify for the Olympic Games. Always sporting a ponytail on the runway, she does her eye makeup and semi-permanent manicures in her bathroom to feel comfortable in front of the cameras. “This allows you to put yourself in the performer’s shoes. In front of the mirror, in front of us, before we go into battle, we need a little self-confidence, and this step helps us do that. Once on track, all we have to do is focus on our goal without worrying about our image. With effort and sweat, the naturalness is still there.”