Awesome awesome article. Worth reading the whole thing to see who she nominates as a Wattie.
http://espn.go.com/...es-espnw-got-watties
Forget the hotties, espnW's got the Watties
Sep 7 | By Kathryn Bertine
There's a right and a wrong way to rank female athletes. When it comes to cycling, Kathryn Bertine finds there's a lot more power in the top Watties than the top Hotties.
Last week, Bicycling Magazine came out with a poll asking, "Who's the hottest female cyclist?" Five racers' photos were included. None of them was pictured in the heat of competition, most of the photos were glamour shots and all of the cyclists are inarguably beautiful, wonderful women. Now, I'm not going to start preaching about sexism and equality and blah blah blah -- I'm actually fine with this kind of hottie list coming from the likes of Maxim, FHM or even People. That's what those publications do. Ranking physical beauty is their thing. But you know what else they do? Those magazines also write about the women.
What I'm not okay with is that Bicycling Magazine, a supposed "friend" in helping to promote women in sport, rarely gives professional (or amateur) female cycling any coverage at all. Three of the women in Bicycling's hottie poll -- Britain's Victoria Pendleton, the USA's Dotsie Bausch and Sweden's Emilia Fahlin -- are so much more than beautiful faces. They are an Olympian, a world-record setter and a national champion, respectively. But who would know that? From race results to training features to personal profiles, very little of Bicycling Magazine's content is about women.
If Bicycling's hottie list were one of many features on females, that would be one thing. But it's not. So the hottie list is just a tad insulting when it's the only time Bicycling pays attention to the fantastic females of the sport. And honestly, it makes the magazine look just plain silly. Bicycling Magazine rating female pro cyclists is like Entertainment Weekly grading opera performances.
Either stick to what you know, Bicycling: mass-market male clothing, high end bikes for triple chain ring weekend warriors -- or start covering women regularly and knowledgeably. Start measuring talent by watts, not hots. If you're going to rank a female athlete, here's the right way to do it:
Announcing, in no particular order, the first-ever 10 Super Female Watties of Road Cycling, where physical power is beauty. Vote for a winner if you must, but espnW thinks these top 10 (plus three) are all equally awesome.
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Jen
"In order to keep a true perspective on one's importance, everyone should have a dog that worships him and a cat that will ignore him." - Dereke Bruce
http://espn.go.com/...es-espnw-got-watties
Forget the hotties, espnW's got the Watties
Sep 7 | By Kathryn Bertine
There's a right and a wrong way to rank female athletes. When it comes to cycling, Kathryn Bertine finds there's a lot more power in the top Watties than the top Hotties.
Last week, Bicycling Magazine came out with a poll asking, "Who's the hottest female cyclist?" Five racers' photos were included. None of them was pictured in the heat of competition, most of the photos were glamour shots and all of the cyclists are inarguably beautiful, wonderful women. Now, I'm not going to start preaching about sexism and equality and blah blah blah -- I'm actually fine with this kind of hottie list coming from the likes of Maxim, FHM or even People. That's what those publications do. Ranking physical beauty is their thing. But you know what else they do? Those magazines also write about the women.
What I'm not okay with is that Bicycling Magazine, a supposed "friend" in helping to promote women in sport, rarely gives professional (or amateur) female cycling any coverage at all. Three of the women in Bicycling's hottie poll -- Britain's Victoria Pendleton, the USA's Dotsie Bausch and Sweden's Emilia Fahlin -- are so much more than beautiful faces. They are an Olympian, a world-record setter and a national champion, respectively. But who would know that? From race results to training features to personal profiles, very little of Bicycling Magazine's content is about women.
If Bicycling's hottie list were one of many features on females, that would be one thing. But it's not. So the hottie list is just a tad insulting when it's the only time Bicycling pays attention to the fantastic females of the sport. And honestly, it makes the magazine look just plain silly. Bicycling Magazine rating female pro cyclists is like Entertainment Weekly grading opera performances.
Either stick to what you know, Bicycling: mass-market male clothing, high end bikes for triple chain ring weekend warriors -- or start covering women regularly and knowledgeably. Start measuring talent by watts, not hots. If you're going to rank a female athlete, here's the right way to do it:
Announcing, in no particular order, the first-ever 10 Super Female Watties of Road Cycling, where physical power is beauty. Vote for a winner if you must, but espnW thinks these top 10 (plus three) are all equally awesome.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Jen
"In order to keep a true perspective on one's importance, everyone should have a dog that worships him and a cat that will ignore him." - Dereke Bruce