Women's Views on News |
| Ideas for women’s sports broadcasting Posted: 13 Mar 2013 07:00 AM PDT
So it is time for all those who love sport to make their views known. When Alison Mitchell tweeted recently that the Editorial Lead on Women's Sport at the BBC, Shelley Alexander, was looking for ideas about and comments on the future of women's sports broadcasting, I needed no second bidding. So here it is; my blueprint for a better future for both women's sport and women's sports broadcasting, which I believe should be inextricably linked for maximum mutual benefit. First and foremost, women’s sport deserves to be taken seriously. For far too long, it has been seen as an adjunct to men's, a stop-gap, a last resort for schedulers with airtime to kill. This has to stop. The BBC is trying, but there are times when women's sport is treated with a distinct lack of respect. During the Olympics, women's football was subjected to several channel changes. Matches were moved from BBC2 to BBC3, to the red button and back again. At this year's Cricket World Cup in India the broadcast unit was completely unprepared for a change of venue, causing the commentary team to be flown out in the dead of night to Cuttack. The result was a shambles; the commentators were ill-prepared and the broadcast was interrupted every few minutes by technical problems. This would never have happened to an England men's match. Never. Secondly, sports broadcasters have to recognise the product they have and market it accordingly. Women's sport is not just men's sport with curves. It's a totally different product and should be marketed as such. Don't market women's football as “like men's but a bit slower” or cricket as “like men's but less powerful”. Why should anyone watch that? Emphasise the skill, the technique, and in football's case, the lack of theatrical diving. Accentuate the positives of the differences, don't make them into negatives. Broadcasters also have to think about just who they are aiming at. They should get away from the idea that watching sport is a man's prerogative. Market it to women. If men tune in, so much the better, but don't think it has to be attuned to a man's way of viewing women. That way lies sexist, beach volleyball madness. Next, make sure that women are involved in the production of the programmes. From commissioning to producing, there should be a raft of female talent getting these programmes on air. In a 2006 interview with the Sports Journalists’ Assocation, Shelley Alexander was optimistic about women's opportunities in the sports media. "It's only a matter of time as the foundations have been laid, particularly with specific sports journalism courses being available," she said. And yet in 2011 still only 3 per cent of sports journalists were women. There should also be a wholesale re-education of male commentators. I have lost count of the times I've heard wistful male reporters talking about bouncing blonde ponytails – and yes, Charles Dagnall, Women's Cricket World Cup 2013, I do mean you. And if men refuse to be re-educated, replace them with women. There are already some fantastic female commentators and presenters out there; Alison Mitchell, Jacqui Oatley, Georgie Bingham, Sonja McLaughlan, Clare Balding, Gabby Logan and Hazel Irvine have all risen to the top of their profession, but more often than not they are commentating on men's sport. I have no problem with this; they are professional and knowledgeable. I love men's sport and am an avid listener and viewer, but I would like women's sport to be available. I daresay some of those listed above would also like to be able to commentate on it once in a while. Women's sports organisations, governing bodies and practitioners will have to shoulder some of the responsibility too. And just as women should be involved in the process of broadcasting, so they should be involved in the organisation of their sports. Women are woefully under-represented on governing bodies, as coaches and at grassroots level. Until this imbalance is redressed, women's sport will not move forward. There is no getting away from the fact that women's sport is often seen as inferior to men's. And as I said, there should not be so much direct comparison, but to be truthful there is a lot mediocre women's sport out there. This is primarily due to a lack of funding, grassroots support and promotion. No, there aren't as many professional teams and clubs for women, but until we take women's sport seriously there never will be. We all know the figures about women's participation; 80 per cent of women do not do enough exercise to stay healthy, and over 50 per cent of girls are put off sport at school, according to the Women’s Sport and Fitness Foundation (WSFF). But what do women have to aspire to? Where are the opportunities? Professional sportswomen often have to put up with incredible differences in pay and conditions to their male counterparts. A woman who would like to take sport seriously can look forward to being treated as second-rate, cannot aspire to play for her country, or in some sports, even represent her country. So why should she bother? It's a calamitous vicious circle. Currently, according to the WSFF, only 0.5 per cent of commercial investment goes into women's sport. But if the best aspects of women's sport are showcased, changes will come. Women's sport has to be shown to be full of skilful, committed professionals who try their hardest and are technically gifted. Funders and sponsors will respond to this and see it as a product worth backing. Consequently standards will improve, turning a no-win situation into a win-win. But broadcasters will have to buy into this. They will have to be the leaders. In some way, they will have to take a leap of faith. And this may be hardest obstacle women's sport has to face. In these cost-cutting days, broadcasters may be unwilling to take risks. Why should they? Well, in the BBC's case the answer is easy; the BBC is a public service broadcaster: 51 per cent of their public is female. I hesitate to say this, but isn't it time for some "joined-up" thinking? Cannot women's sport and broadcasters get together to devise a strategy? London 2012 was billed as a watershed moment in the history of women's sport. We are in real danger of losing momentum. And if ever there was a time to throw in that overused word "legacy" it is right now.  |
| Fashion shows that different is beautiful Posted: 13 Mar 2013 05:03 AM PDT
Despite being declared a trend in 2011 by Vogue, gender as art and performance in fashion appears to be lasting longer than a single season. With Casey Legler being signed to Ford models exclusively as a male model, she joins transgender model Lea T and male model Andrej Pejic in blurring boundaries between the definitions of gendered beauty. Challenging the traditional concepts of male and female may be easier in an industry that celebrates the outré, particularly in couture. However, for an industry often in the headlines for the wrong reasons – the skinniness of models, rather than the art of the design – using models who expand the definitions of beauty may help advance general acceptance and understanding of more fluid concepts of gender. Legler is a former Olympic swimmer for France who, after quitting swimming, moved to New York where she worked and studied before being signed to Ford. Lea T was born in Brazil to a Catholic family and was named Leandro. From the start of her modelling career, she has spoken out about being transgender and the loneliness it can cause. Andrej Pejic, while modelling both men's and women's clothes, is increasingly building his name on his beauty in pieces designed for women. While Pejic is known for his reticence on the subjects of gender and sexuality, both Lea T and Legler are using their public profiles as a platform from which to lead discussions on identity and gender. Lea has been open about her decision to undergo sex reassignment surgery in 2012, and it is her unique honesty coupled with her beauty that Benetton is featuring in its Spring/Summer 2013 ad campaign. Brand Republic says the ads show that Benetton ‘is aligning the social issues it features in brand advertising with its product campaigns for the first time.’ Benetton chairman Alessandro Benetton said that “this brand… holds diversity as a value, and the unity of differences as a wealth to be treasured.” In a recent interview with the Guardian, Legler said, “My job is to be brave. And to show what that looks like. "And if that moves other people to be exactly who they are, that’s what it’s for." As well as the models wearing the designs, the clothes themselves are playing a role in the new discussions about gender. British designer JW Anderson is making a name for himself through his androgynous designs which focus on the beauty of the clothes, rather than the definition of the person who may wear them. "I think the brand will always be about androgyny," he said. "That kind of mixture of sex and sharing of garments – I think it's normal. It's about wearing clothes that tell a story and an emotion; it's not so much about gender." It appears possible that an industry that is regularly accused of various "isms", particularly size-ism and age-ism, is providing increased space for openness about gender in its many forms. And as Lea says in her Benetton video, "I try to be myself."  |
| Posted: 13 Mar 2013 02:09 AM PDT
The Christian Feminist Network is a new organisation working to connect faith and feminism. On its website, the Network says that ‘We exist to advance the understanding that Christian feminism is not an oxymoron, but that Christian patriarchy and misogyny is.’ Writing in the Guardian recently, one of the Network's founding members, Hannah Mudge, said that a point that ‘is often missed is that religion itself is not inherently misogynist. ‘Anti-woman teachings and practices have often been the result of societal and cultural influences rather than Christian teaching itself.’ One of the most common critiques of women of faith is that by remaining involved with a religion, they are complicit in condoning inequality. The Christian Feminist Network disagrees, saying that ‘As Christian feminists, we believe the Christian message teaches gender equality and that gender-based discrimination and oppression should be challenged wherever they are found.’ The Network's role is not a niche one. While statistics show that religious affiliation is continuing to decline, women who declare a faith outnumber those who do not. It is the broadly disseminated assumption that faith and feminism cannot work together that feminists of faith are challenging. The Network's goals include liaising ‘with the secular feminist movement [to] raise awareness of our concerns; and to support existing feminist campaigns.’ Much of the international media coverage of faith and women has been commandeered by the debates over women bishops in the Church of England. “There’s no point replicating the work of existing pro-women-bishops organisations that are already doing excellent work," Mudge says, which leaves myriad other issues for the Christian Feminist Network to address. Mudge says the Network will be an activist one, ‘engaging with churches and Christian organisations on gender issues, encouraging them to take action.’ The addition of this Network to the fight for equality occurs not a moment too soon. At the time of writing, diplomats at the UN's Commission on the Status of Women were reporting resistance by Russia, Iran and the Holy See, among other parties, to efforts to strengthen global standards for the prevention of violence against women and children because of reasons of ‘religion, custom or tradition’. The UN conference runs until 15 March 2013.  |
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