!"#$%%"&!$%'"& (#()*+& Using the examples of Too Fast to Be a Woman?

The Story of Caster Semenya and Fast Girls, critically analyze how traditional notions of femininity continue to shape public perceptions of female Olympic athletes. Why are women not allowed to participate in all of the same sports as men? Traditional norms of femininity have been brick walls for many women trying to fight for their right to compete. To fully understand how the mass media has shaped and benefited womens chances to compete more openly in sports today, the overall view of women Olympic athletes is analyzed in their history, their overall feminism portrayal by the media, and the medias view of women Olympic track athletes in Too Fast to Be a Woman? The Story of Caster Semenya and Fast Girls. Women did not always have the opportunity to compete or to attend the Olympic Games. Men were the first to participate in the Olympics; however, they were not the ones who created the sports competitive idea. Despite the macho aura of sport, the concept, the very idea of ancient Olympics, had been borrowed from the women-only Herean Games, which had been going on at least since 1000 BC (Blue 1988:2). The very first games were considered a religious festival, and the rules required a priestess of the goddess Demeter, a married woman, to be a witness at the Olympics. Attendance of women is uncertain, but most were not allowed to attend the games (Blue 1988: 1). At one of the games, a woman named Kallipateira was able to enter the games dressed in a robe; she was not going to miss her son competing at the games in 440 BC. As her son won the race, she rushed over to greet him. That is when she was spotted as a woman; however, she was not harmed because her father was a famous sportsman. Since then, coaches and athletes had to arrive and register in the nude to prevent women from & ,&

!"#$%%"&!$%'"& (#()*+& sneaking into the Olympics (Blue 1988: 2). This made it difficult for women to even consider competing in the games. The first official Olympic Games began in Athens, Greece, in 1896. Women did not appear in Olympic competition until the 1900 Games in Paris. This was because In the 19th century, women, like the ovens they cooked on, belonged in the home and not on the sports ground (Pfister 2000: 3). Although women were allowed to participate, they were not given official consent from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to compete. In 1908, at the England (birthplace of modern sport) Olympic Games, women were allowed to compete in three events: tennis, ice-skating, and archery. Additionally, two women were allowed to compete with their husbands in sailing and motor boating. In 1912, at the Stockholm, Sweden, Olympics, women were allowed to compete in swimming. This popular sport attracted more women to compete, and about fifty-three of 2,430 participants were women (Pfister 2000: 4). Even with the gradual increase of women in the Olympics, the IOC still did not officially recognize women. The 1920s began a new era for women, as they began to fight for their rights. Even though track and field has been a male dominated sport from the very beginning, women pushed to join the sport that has always been the attraction of the Olympics. The gentlemen were reluctant to add any track and field events for women because to perform them properly women had to breathe heavily, look messy and sweat; they might also have to develop a little muscle (Blue 1988: 6). This would go against the socialized norm for women, and the men were not ready to see a change in civilization. In 1921, the International Sporting Club of Monaco, in Monte Carlo, decided to create the Womens World Games so that women could participate in track and field events, even those that & -&

!"#$%%"&!$%'"& (#()*+& were normally restricted to men, like shot-put and the 800m, as well as basketball, pushball, and a dance form of gymnastics. Three hundred women participated in 1921, and in 1922, the number of competitors rose to seven hundred (Pfister 2000: 5). In 1922, the Fdration Sportive Fminine Internationale (FSFI) organized the first Olympic Games for Women and they continued this competition until 1936, when they lost power and had to disband. In 1928, the FSFI was able to add high jump, discus, 100m, 4X100m relay, and 800m to the list of track and field events in which women could participate. The 800m race was very controversial and gave reason for the IOC and Amateur Athletic Federation to question these events because some women collapsed with exhaustion and some needed help off the track (Holmes 2004: 8-9). Luckily, only the 800m race was excluded from the 1932-1964 Games. Wilma Rudolph was the first of a long line of great black American sprinters. In 1960 in Rome, at age twenty, she won three gold medals at the Olympics. Her story is heroic because she was raised in a poor black family, and at the age of six, her right leg became paralyzed from polio. She was able to transition from a paralyzed leg to a leg brace, corrective shoes, and finally barefoot. Her strength and courage have given women confidence, and encouraged others to compete in track and field (Blue 1988: 9). In 1964, when the 800m race was re-added to the Olympics, history happened for Great Britain. Ann Packer won the Gold in the 800m, as well as the Silver in the 400m. She was the first British woman athlete to have won a track event the (Holmes 2004: 73). This opened doors for women athletes, and In 1972 in Munich, women were allowed to run the 1,500 meters at the Olympics for the first time (Holmes 2004: 10). In 2004, Great Britain had another Golden Girl track runner, Kelly Holmes. Holmes is very & .&

!"#$%%"&!$%'"& (#()*+& thankful that the 800m and 1,500m had been added back in the Olympics in 1964 and 1972. She pulled off a great feat for Great Britain by winning the Gold in both middle distance events (Holmes 2004: 68). Finally, in the 1980s, women were allowed to take part in the Olympic Games in both endurance sports and team sports with body contact (Pfister 2000:13). These changes in Olympic history have been epic, and today women are continuing to fight for fairness in all sports. The media is very powerful in todays society. Media can present positive and negative images to viewers, and this is why it has been difficult for women to have a fair opportunity to compete in sports. In the 1920s, the fashionable ideal look for women was to have a slim body, no hips and long legs, be gainfully employed, and successful in love, as well as in sports. The mass media, especially popular movies, tried to push this physical appearance; however, the majority of women, who had no money for silk stockings or tennis club fees and had to work hard in order to maintain their families, were not influenced by this trend (Pfister 2000: 5). Today, female Olympic athletes are influential role models in pop culture, and companies hire them and use their popularity to market fashion, beauty, and other products. In this process gender images and stereotypes are seized upon by the advertising industry, which exploits the athletes sporting achievements and successes, thus creating roots for new meanings and cultural indicators of femininity and masculinity in the material world (Pfister 2000: 15). Mass medias main goal is to appeal to their readers, and that is why their published material is not always accurate and beneficial to female athletes (Hills and Kennedy 2009: 112). Not all mass media film female Olympic athletes just to promote products. When athletes win medals at the Olympics, they symbolize victory for their nation, and the & *&

!"#$%%"&!$%'"& (#()*+& inherent newsworthiness of Olympic success can lead to an even spread of gender representation in the mass media. The Olympics, therefore, represent an opportunity for the mass mediation of exceptional sporting female bodies with the potential to contest preconceived understanding of gender identity (Hills and Kennedy 2009: 117). For example, Kelly Holmes, winner of the 800m and 1500m at the 2004 Olympic Games, was recognized as an unprecedented heroic figure of both her massive achievement and her social identity, the particular intersection of being a black, working-class, British woman (Hills and Kennedy 2009: 113). Olympic female achievements like Holmes are inspirational and give reason for women to push the media toward gender equality. If the Olympic motto is Faster, Higher, Stronger (Blue 1988: 18), why are female Olympic athletes like Caster Semenya, questioned about their gender just because they run fast? Too Fast to Be a Woman? The Story of Caster Semenya is a documentary about Caster Semenya, a South African 800m female Olympic track athlete. Her troubles began on August 19, 2009, when she was eighteen years old. She was at the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) World Championships in Berlin, Germany. She ran the 800m with a winning time of 1:55.45 (Ginnane 2011). The IAAF could not believe how fast her time was; some even thought she was too fast. She was forced to take a gender test to declare that she was a real woman. By testing for her true gender identity, the IAAF was suggesting that athletic achievement was not a characteristic of real women (Lenskyj 1986: 87). She was found with a little more testosterone than the average woman, but blood testosterone levels can be deceptive. Defining gender on testosterone is misleading (Ginnane 2011). Unfortunately, physical

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!"#$%%"&!$%'"& (#()*+& educators, sports administrators, journalists, and the general public treat medical opinion as the voice of reason and authority (Lenskyj 1986: 139). Even when she arrived back home in South Africa, she could not escape the news media. Thankfully, her country welcomed her home. After her arrival, Athletics South Africa (ASA) President, Leonard Chuene, told Semenya that she would have to participate in random dope tests; in reality, the dope tests were a cover for more sex verification tests. On September 19, 2009, in Johannesburg, South Africa, Chuene denied that Semenya had been sex tested after the World Championships. The Olympic Committee decided to sack him for his dishonesty (Ginnane 2011). Semenya was allowed to go back to her training, but unfortunately she was not allowed to compete in any international competitions. In 2010, she was awarded a full scholarship to attend Pretoria University to study sports science. She had to train with the university, and although she loved running, it was hard to want to train with no race to train for (Ginnane 2011). A woman being suspended from competing in track just because men cannot believe she is fast is absurd. Women have every right to run just as fast as men. Caster had a hard time trying to understand the IAAFs reason for suspending her, and she feels that the way you are born is the way you are born (Ginnane 2011). Women cannot help if they were born a little bigger, stronger, or have a deeper voice. Professor Tim Noakes, a sport scientist, has found through research that gender is what the individuals perceive themselves to be, because no one can scientifically define gender. The idea that she does not even hold the world record in the 800m is astounding to consider; why are they judging her if her time is slower than the time set by the world record holder for women? Men are not treated the same way as women. For example, Noakes wondered, & )&

!"#$%%"&!$%'"& (#()*+& what if a male has a biological disadvantage, you know what we call him, Usain Bolt (Ginnane 2011). Instead of suspending a male figure for their outstanding achievements, they are recognized as the greatest athlete ever. Since 2005, the IAAF has admitted having eight cases involving gender, four of which involved the IAAF quietly asking women athletes to end their careers (Ginnane 2011). Finally on July 6, 2010, Semenyas lawyers win her case and she is eligible to run anywhere. Now in 2012, Caster is happily training on the South African Olympic Track team for the 2012 London Olympic Games. She will be running the 800m at her first Olympic Games. Athletes, like Semenya, should not have to suffer because of the male prejudice and stereotypical norm for women. After World War II in the nineteenth century, norms for womens sporting roles had been established over debates in medicine and anatomy. Women were pushed into certain sports that were deemed feminine, with a focus on sports emphasizing aesthetics and grace over strength and speed (Polley 1998: 92). Womens sport is considered to be separate and inferior to mens sport (Markula 2009: 6). As soon as women challenge a male dominated sport, women are targets for sexism. This documentary is an inspirational movie for all women Olympic athletes. Although the documentary is a story about a tough athletic struggle for fairness, the ending explains that with hard work and determination, the righteous will succeed. Britain has had a tough time producing outstanding sports women outside of track and field. Mass media suggests that even with track women like Paula Radcliffe, Denise Lewis, and Kelly Holmes, national sporting icons will likely remain a largely male affair (Carrington 2010: 164). Fast Girls challenges this idea as women Olympic athletes continue to gradually rise to the level of men in sports. In Fast Girls, the women show & 0&

!"#$%%"&!$%'"& (#()*+& how much power, strength, and potential they have throughout their preparation for the London 2011 World Games. The main Team Great Britain runner, Shania Andrews, is a working class woman who is extremely fast. She is put onto the Team Great Britain sprint relay to ensure their chance of winning a gold medal. Throughout the movie, Shanias main struggle is with the relay and the team member to whom she hands off the baton, Lisa Temple. One reason Lisa is hard to deal with is because she has a dominating father who wants her to win a gold medal in the World Track Championships like he had done in the past. Lisas dad is the reason Shania and Lisa cannot share the same coach and why she is kicked off the relay team near the end (Borgars et al. 2012). Another male figure that is dominant over women is Carl, the physical trainer. Every time Lisa or Shania get upset, it seems like he always appears to comfort them. He has complete access to their body whenever he has to check them. He does not take advantage of his job, but he does have the power to say if they are fit and healthy for competition (Borgars et al. 2012). At one point in the movie, the women relay runners show their power and speed over men. The women were running out of a club from drunken men attackers. Their speed greatly exceeded the mens and they were able to get away. By the end of the movie, Lisa and Shania became good friends and were able to connect with their relay hand off in the final race, but Shania would not have been allowed to compete if Lisa had not stood up to her dad and told him that she would begin making her own decisions. Her dad was furious, but he could not dominate her anymore because she had challenged his real reasons for wanting her to succeed. She was tired of trying to please him and she decided that as long as she was happy, she had succeeded (Borgars 2012). Fast Girls encourages women to stand up and dominate their own lives because men should not & +&

!"#$%%"&!$%'"& (#()*+& have complete control over a woman. Women can be just as strong and fast as men, and Fast Girls strongly emphasizes these modern sportswomen ideals. Both Too Fast to Be a Woman? The Story of Caster Semenya and Fast Girls challenge the idea of male dominated sports; however, the documentary of Caster Semenya is better evidence for fighting the stereotypical norm for women Olympic athletes. Semenya knows she is different and looks more masculine, yet she continues to fight for her womanhood and right to compete. The downfall to Fast Girls is that womens relationships, appearance, and attractiveness are portrayed in the movie. Fortunately, the mass media did not trivialize womens athletic prowess, their ability to compete, and their strength, speed, and tactical ability as sportswomen by also showing the womens personal lives (Markula 2009: 7). Some sporting females cannot be ignored, especially when they represent their nation. As a result, media portrayals of sportswomen continue to disrupt the norm and definition of gendered embodiment. Both movies show that the mass media is trying to get the word out that there is a new understanding of gender (Hills and Kennedy 2009: 129). The mass media has a powerful influence on the audience. Movies like these greatly impact women in the Olympics; therefore, allowing women to be part of the Olympic motto, Faster, Higher, Stronger, without facing any gendered prejudice. By analyzing the history, the overall feminism portrayal in the media and the medias view of women Olympic Track athletes in Too Fast to Be a Woman? The Story of Caster Semenya and Fast Girls, women Olympic athletes are shown to be making improvements to the traditional norm of women athletes. Today, women have more athletic opportunities in sports, partially because of the mass media. Women do not stand & 1&

!"#$%%"&!$%'"& (#()*+& a chance when the media is against them, but with help from the powerful media, women athletes can make a difference and have the chance to compete at the same level as men in the Olympics. References Blue, A. (1988). Faster, higher, further: Womens triumphs and disasters at the Olympics. London, Great Britain: Virago Press. Borgars, J., Brett, P., Jones, D., Law, G., Perkins, D., & Rimmer, B. (Producers), & Hall, R. (Director). (2012). Fast girls [Motion picture]. United Kingdom: StudioCanal. Carrington, B. (2010). Sporting multiculturalism: Nationalism, belonging and identity. In M. Featherstone (Ed.), Race, sport and politics: The sporting black diaspora (pp. 137-168). Los Angeles, CA: Sage. Ginnane, M. (Producer/Director). (2011). Too fast to be a woman? The story of Caster Semenya [DVD]. Hills, L., & Kennedy, E. (2009). Double trouble: Kelly Holmes, intersectionality and unstable narratives of Olympic heroism in the British media. In P. Markula (Ed.), Olympic women and the media: International perspectives (pp. 112-131). Basingstroke, United Kingdom: Palgrave Macmillan. Holmes, K. (2004). Kelly Holmes: My Olympic ten days. London, Great Britain: Virgin Books. Lenskyj, H. (1986). Out of bounds: Women, sport, and sexuality. Toronto, Ontario: Author. Markula, P. (2009). Introduction. In Olympic women and the media: International perspectives (pp. 1-29) [Introduction]. Basingstroke, United Kingdom: Palgrave Macmillan. Pfister, G. (2000). Women and the Olympic games: 1900-97. In B. L. Drinkwater (Ed.), Encyclopaedia of Sports Medicine: Vol. 8. Women in sport (pp. 3-19). Osney Mead, Oxford: Blackwell Science. Polley, M. (1998). Sport and gender. In Moving the goalposts: A history of sport and society since 1945 (pp. 85-110). London, England: Routledge.

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