Samantha Brennan's Blog: News and Events
April 13, 2013
Bike races and podium girls: Time to kiss goodbye?
1. The story of the pinch
After the Tour of Flanders at the end of March, Cannondale rider Peter Sagan caused controversy in the cycling world and beyond by pinching the bottom/behind/butt (choose your country’s preferred slang as our readers are from all over the world) of one of the podium girls who was occupied planting a kiss on the cheeks of the winner. For those unfamiliar with the ways of professional cycling, that’s what podium girls do.
Jane Aubrey, in Cycling News, writes:
“The move by the 23-year-old was crass to say the least, but it was just another example of disrespect being shown against women in cycling. Ask yourself, on a day where the great Marianne Vos ticked off one of the few major races she had yet to add to her extensive palmares, why instead of celebrating another achievement by one of the most prolific athletes in the sport regardless of gender, we were again left to consider ways in which cycling sets women back and an industry that – at times – perpetuates a misogynistic attitude.”
Aubrey does a terrific job listing and tearing apart the excuses offered up in Sagan’s defense. He’s 23. So? A talented rider? Non sequitur. It was a joke? Of course. And the most pernicious, she was asking for it. Because podium girls, hired for their good looks for the job of kissing winning male cyclists, agreed to have their bottoms pinched? I don’t think so. It’s sexual harassment. Aubrey notes that we can clearly see the woman in question trying to move the rider in question’s hand. Receiving pinches isn’t in her job description.
You can read the rest of Aubrey’s piece here, The bottom line on Sagan’s Flanders podium pinch.
You can also get a flavour of the comments chucked about here where critics of Sagan’s pinch are called, “Humourless Puritans – ignorant knee-jerks since the 15th Century.” It’s not pretty. Some of the commentators claim that she was his girlfriend. She isn’t.
Read more here, http://fitisafeministissue.wordpress....
After the Tour of Flanders at the end of March, Cannondale rider Peter Sagan caused controversy in the cycling world and beyond by pinching the bottom/behind/butt (choose your country’s preferred slang as our readers are from all over the world) of one of the podium girls who was occupied planting a kiss on the cheeks of the winner. For those unfamiliar with the ways of professional cycling, that’s what podium girls do.
Jane Aubrey, in Cycling News, writes:
“The move by the 23-year-old was crass to say the least, but it was just another example of disrespect being shown against women in cycling. Ask yourself, on a day where the great Marianne Vos ticked off one of the few major races she had yet to add to her extensive palmares, why instead of celebrating another achievement by one of the most prolific athletes in the sport regardless of gender, we were again left to consider ways in which cycling sets women back and an industry that – at times – perpetuates a misogynistic attitude.”
Aubrey does a terrific job listing and tearing apart the excuses offered up in Sagan’s defense. He’s 23. So? A talented rider? Non sequitur. It was a joke? Of course. And the most pernicious, she was asking for it. Because podium girls, hired for their good looks for the job of kissing winning male cyclists, agreed to have their bottoms pinched? I don’t think so. It’s sexual harassment. Aubrey notes that we can clearly see the woman in question trying to move the rider in question’s hand. Receiving pinches isn’t in her job description.
You can read the rest of Aubrey’s piece here, The bottom line on Sagan’s Flanders podium pinch.
You can also get a flavour of the comments chucked about here where critics of Sagan’s pinch are called, “Humourless Puritans – ignorant knee-jerks since the 15th Century.” It’s not pretty. Some of the commentators claim that she was his girlfriend. She isn’t.
Read more here, http://fitisafeministissue.wordpress....
On yummy mummies, post baby bodies, and life getting better with age
What’s the quest for a better post baby body got to do with fitness?
Partly, I’m not sure. We all talk about getting into shape but that word ‘shape’ means different things to different people. Physical fitness is one thing, looking good another. Clearly many women who’ve given birth want to look better and want to look more like they did pre-baby but I’m skeptical that’s got much to do with fitness. This blog has talked about the distinction between aesthetic and athletic values here.
I confess that there is incredible pressure going on now to look good after childbirth that I didn’t ever experience. And my children weren’t born that long ago. They’re teenagers now. No one ever asked or expected to me to be back in shape weeks or months after each of them was born. Frankly, many of us new mothers then thought we’d get all of the pregnancy and childbirth stuff out of the way before returning seriously to fitness activities. Getting in shape between pregnancies seemed kind of like making a bed when you have an afternoon nap planned.
Read more here, http://fitisafeministissue.wordpress....
Partly, I’m not sure. We all talk about getting into shape but that word ‘shape’ means different things to different people. Physical fitness is one thing, looking good another. Clearly many women who’ve given birth want to look better and want to look more like they did pre-baby but I’m skeptical that’s got much to do with fitness. This blog has talked about the distinction between aesthetic and athletic values here.
I confess that there is incredible pressure going on now to look good after childbirth that I didn’t ever experience. And my children weren’t born that long ago. They’re teenagers now. No one ever asked or expected to me to be back in shape weeks or months after each of them was born. Frankly, many of us new mothers then thought we’d get all of the pregnancy and childbirth stuff out of the way before returning seriously to fitness activities. Getting in shape between pregnancies seemed kind of like making a bed when you have an afternoon nap planned.
Read more here, http://fitisafeministissue.wordpress....
How equating being fat with being out of shape hurts thin people too
I’ve been trying to write a post for awhile now about the dangers of conflating fitness and thinness. I started out wanting to address the concern a few people have raised about why there aren’t more fat fit people since clearly it’s possible to be both fat and fit.
My draft post on fatness and fitness begins by asking everyone to reconsider the claim that there aren’t lots and lots of fit and fat people. Recall my post Fit, Fat, and What’s Wrong with BMI in which I talked about the number of Olympic athletes who are overweight or obese using BMI as a measure. Then there’s the Fit Fatties Forum, and Ragen Chastain.
That’s a picture of her at the end of this post. She’s amazing and articulate and I’m a big fan.
Read more here: http://fitisafeministissue.wordpress....
My draft post on fatness and fitness begins by asking everyone to reconsider the claim that there aren’t lots and lots of fit and fat people. Recall my post Fit, Fat, and What’s Wrong with BMI in which I talked about the number of Olympic athletes who are overweight or obese using BMI as a measure. Then there’s the Fit Fatties Forum, and Ragen Chastain.
That’s a picture of her at the end of this post. She’s amazing and articulate and I’m a big fan.
Read more here: http://fitisafeministissue.wordpress....
April 2, 2013
Do ladylike values clash with the norms of sports performance?
I wonder sometimes about the clash between the gender role socialization of girls and the demands of athletic performance. I’ve been reading and writing about the history of women’s cycling (see Riding this summer? Beware of bicycle face! and Bicycles: Making good women go bad since the 1800s) and it strikes that the mismatch between ladylike behavior and the norms of sport haven’t entirely gone way. What worries me is that if I think this, given that I consider myself mostly free from the oppressive aspects of femininity, I imagine there’s lots of other women for whom it’s worse.
I know, I know. I’m not free of femininity entirely, and I even embrace some aspects of chosen femininity as fun, but I don’t think of myself as particularly ladylike.
Read more here.
I know, I know. I’m not free of femininity entirely, and I even embrace some aspects of chosen femininity as fun, but I don’t think of myself as particularly ladylike.
Read more here.
February 13, 2013
Loving the body you’ve got: Love a better motivator than hate
I love fitness and physical activity. Faster, fitter, stronger, more powerful? All goals I share.
But I also love the body I have now. Yes, it’s slower than I’d like and not as strong as I hope to be but it’s a pretty amazing body nonetheless. I posted a bit about why I feel this way here.
What does it mean to ‘love’ this body? I don’t think it’s perfect aesthetically speaking. That’s not what I mean at all. I could list its flaws–I spend enough time with other women to know how to do that–but I won’t. I’m nearing fifty years old. If perfection were ever in my sights, that was a long time ago....
Read more here
http://fitisafeministissue.wordpress....
But I also love the body I have now. Yes, it’s slower than I’d like and not as strong as I hope to be but it’s a pretty amazing body nonetheless. I posted a bit about why I feel this way here.
What does it mean to ‘love’ this body? I don’t think it’s perfect aesthetically speaking. That’s not what I mean at all. I could list its flaws–I spend enough time with other women to know how to do that–but I won’t. I’m nearing fifty years old. If perfection were ever in my sights, that was a long time ago....
Read more here
http://fitisafeministissue.wordpress....
December 7, 2012
New blog on feminism and fitness
Fit, Feminist, and (almost) Fifty
Where fitness is a feminist issue
http://fitisafeministissue.wordpress....
About Our Blog:
We’re two feminists in our late 40s who lead active lifestyles and have set ourselves a goal: to be the fittest we’ve ever been in our lives by the time we’re 50. That’ll be on August 31 (Samantha) and September 24 (Tracy) in the year 2014. But we’re also feminists and philosophers, so we want to ask: what does it mean to be fit? What are appropriate measures for the goal? And, from a feminist perspective, in what way(s) does women’s quest for fitness and health contribute to empowerment and/or oppression. You’ll find some posts about our personal approaches to fitness/health, and some posts that are more reflective, critical and meant to challenge common assumptions. We also plan to have fun with the whole thing and hope you do, too.
Where fitness is a feminist issue
http://fitisafeministissue.wordpress....
About Our Blog:
We’re two feminists in our late 40s who lead active lifestyles and have set ourselves a goal: to be the fittest we’ve ever been in our lives by the time we’re 50. That’ll be on August 31 (Samantha) and September 24 (Tracy) in the year 2014. But we’re also feminists and philosophers, so we want to ask: what does it mean to be fit? What are appropriate measures for the goal? And, from a feminist perspective, in what way(s) does women’s quest for fitness and health contribute to empowerment and/or oppression. You’ll find some posts about our personal approaches to fitness/health, and some posts that are more reflective, critical and meant to challenge common assumptions. We also plan to have fun with the whole thing and hope you do, too.
February 15, 2012
Public Ethics Radio
You can listen to me on Public Ethics Radio.
Episode 16. Samantha Brennan on Microinequalities
[UPDATED] In the West, women and men share equal status under the law. But in countless practical ways, women experience inequality on a daily basis. Why is it that a woman can lead a country, yet women are slower to be served in coffee shops? Today on Public Ethics Radio, we dive into the structure of women’s inequality with Prof. Samantha Brennan.
http://publicethicsradio.org/2012/02/...
Episode 16. Samantha Brennan on Microinequalities
[UPDATED] In the West, women and men share equal status under the law. But in countless practical ways, women experience inequality on a daily basis. Why is it that a woman can lead a country, yet women are slower to be served in coffee shops? Today on Public Ethics Radio, we dive into the structure of women’s inequality with Prof. Samantha Brennan.
http://publicethicsradio.org/2012/02/...
