That's the Tea Sis #4 : Maru on Menstruation and the Media ~ Part I
- Mary Richardson
- Aug 3, 2019
- 4 min read
“America’s Next Great Running Hope, and One of The Cruelest Twists in Youth Sports” is the title of an article written by New York Time’s contributor Matthew Furman that was published in June of 2018. If one clicks on the article online, a photo of a familiar young distance runner greets the screen; Katelyn Touhy. During her first three years at North Rockland Highschool, Katelyn has set multiple high school and national records and has dominated the distance scene from the 1500m through the 5k, and has also proven to be an indomitable force during cross-country season. She has great ability, talent, and range, and has raced some of the country’s best competition, and yet Furman predicts that the “real challenge for Tuohy is solving one of the cruelest puzzles of youth sports: Why do so many gifted teenage female distance runners fizzle out by their early 20s, unable to capture the speed of their youth?” Furman demonizes puberty and blames the transition into womanhood in his answer, and yet there is no “cruel puzzle” to solve here, and using such terminology to label it as such is offensive, ignorant, and small-minded .
Allie Ostrander, a recent graduate from Boise State and a freshly-signed athlete for the Brooks Beasts Track Club, was featured in a FloTrack article in June after one of her Instagram posts went viral following the 2019 D1 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. During said meet, Ostrander won her third consecutive 3k steeplechase, “a streak no other collegiate woman can claim”. Ostrander won by surging ahead in the second half of her race, but stated that she was “briefly taken out of her zone when she heard in-stadium announcer Mike Jay broadcasting her height and weight to the crowd of track and field fans gathered in Austin, Texas.” Ostrander recalls how she “had a moment where I was like, ‘that’s a little strange’” but how in the heat of the race she let it pass so she could focus on her final few laps. Later that evening Ostrander describes how she ranted to her teammates and sister about the incident, and how they were all supportive of the post she would soon share on Instagram. Within the caption for said post, Ostrander wrote how sharing such statistics about her body were wholly inappropriate and unnecessary especially “in a sport where eating disorders and body dysmorphia are so common.” Distance aces such as Emma Coburn, Charlotte Prouse, and Dani Jones all spoke up in the comment section in support of her, relaying that their physical proportions had also been broadcast or commented on by announcers. Dani Jones, Colorado’s recent distance great, also added that “All I ever hear anymore is ‘the pretty girls get the contract’ and it drives me insane. Judge my performance!!”.
Female runners, female athletes, are getting sent mixed messages about their bodies and how their femininity contributes to their careers. Serena Williams has been a tennis powerhouse for years (The Women’s Tennis Association ranked her world No. 1 in singles EIGHT different times between 2002 and 2017) but has been faced with body shaming due to her muscular, curvy build during her career. Misty Copeland, the first African-American woman to be promoted to principal dancer in the American Ballet Theatre, has also been judged for similar reasons. In a time when Alysia Montano, Allyson Felix, and Kara Goucher speak openly about how their pregnancies put their track careers on the line, it’s no surprise that young girls are fearful of becoming women within the athletic world.
There is SUCH a power within words. There is SUCH power within a message. The words and phrases and images we hear/read/see being used in tandem with our sport greatly influences how we perceive our role as an athlete and whether or not we “fit” in with our sport. It is SO important that we give athletes, ALL athletes, a POSITIVE and EMPOWERING message regarding body image, biological changes, and both physical and mental health issues that are often swept under the rug. Until the time comes when the media DOES do so, we must strive to do it for OURSELVES and for those around us. While we CANNOT dictate what others say about us or other athletes and the language that they use to do so, we CAN dictate our OWN language that we direct towards ourselves and how we react (if we choose) to the language of others. In my next blog entry I discuss how having positive body language has helped me gain perspective on what I want for myself as a runner, my journey with athletic amenorrhea, and how if we wield the POWER of words WISELY, how it will help us transform into
the athlete we dream of becoming.
(Though athletic amenorrhea is a condition that only occurs in female athletes, I wish everyone to feel welcome (and I encourage all of y’all!) to read Part II, regardless of your given sex or gender identity)
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