We've been writing about the sexualization of female Olympians and been discussing the complete exlusion of women from the teams of certain countries . It's strange to realize that in the midst of these very serious conversations, traditional sophomoric sexism can still find room to rear its ugly head.
The caption for this image from an online Guardian photo gallery reads: "She could do with losing a few pounds, but she doesn't answer back much. Zhang Xiangxiang, of China, finds love in the weightlifting hall"
Let's count all the ways this statement is offensive...
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Argh...
I wonder how they feel about women's weightlifting. On the first day of competition I saw Chen Xiaxia of China and Sibel Ozkan of Turkey lift...truly amazing that such small (under 48 kg, and somewhere around 5'0) women can lift over 110 kg. But dudes like that one? Would probably just dismiss them as 'scary.' Pisses me off.
bonus points: it's filed under "Weird" photos. oh, those cray-zee Chinese!
sexist? check! misogynist? check! fat-phobic? check! racist? check! heteronormative? check! othering? CHECK!
stay classy, Guardian...
*sigh* also this:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/gallery/2008/aug/11/olympics20081?picture=336615320
asshats.