In 2008, Lindsey Vonn won three consecutive World Championship events, becoming the first U.S. woman to ever do so. Even papers like Sports Illustrated, who typically underwrite about women, couldn’t ignore this monumental moment. Yet, in the story, Vonn is talked about like a sex object; the article is focused on what she looks like, instead of highlighting her actual athletic performance. Sports Illustrated rarely ever writes about women, so focusing that much attention on her body instead of her performance says a lot about what they care about. They care about money. By focusing on appearance rather than performance, the media undermines female athletes’ self-image, creates a false and harmful beauty standard, and marginalizes their athletic abilities.
The media typically focuses more on the appearance of female athletes than performance. Women’s sports are constantly shown in magazines and articles with skimpy clothes, leaving people only thinking about their bodies and not actual athletic abilities. This portrayal leaves female athletes constantly comparing their bodies to others, creating feelings of self-doubt.
Writers often argue that “sex sells” is just a marketing strategy. In a past issue of ESPN, The Body Issue, it was stated people would rather see sexy, revealing pictures of female athletes rather than muscles because some believe it isn’t attractive for women to have muscles. Putting women’s bodies on magazines does bring more money in, but it ignores how it affects the female athletes’ self-image. Female athletes often choose to participate in the photos because, with how little they are covered in the media, it is the only way to advertise themselves, get sponsorships, and be noticed by teams. However, female athletes only get around 2-4% of media coverage. Putting female athletes in skimpy clothes or finding an unrealistic body to pose as a female athlete hurts their image of themselves, creating false images and insecurities that can lead to unhealthy outcomes like eating disorders. It overall diminishes the years of blood, sweat, and tears they have put into their sport to become professionals.
When the media puts its main focus on how women look instead of how they perform, it influences big brands to do the same. This thinking is detrimental for athletes; an example of this is Mary Cain. In 2013, Cain joined the Nike Oregon Project after she became the youngest American to compete in finals at a world championship at only 17 years old. Sadly, Cain was constantly pressured to become thinner and thinner, which greatly affected her self-image. Cain reported that she broke bones, stopped menstruating, began having suicidal thoughts, and started cutting herself because she felt she wasn’t good enough. She lost the muscle and strength that made her fast and left the project in 2016. This struggle limits every female athlete who doesn’t fit the media’s “ideal body type”.
The media is not just hurting professional female athletes, but also young girls trying to make it in their sport. Due to female athletics being under-represented, participation rates are lower. In April 2025, Bellarmine University performed a study investigating the impact of female representation in sports media on youth girls’ sports participation. The study shows that media marketing methods severely affect youth girls’ motivation. Because women’s sports are often played during work or school hours rather than prime times, young girls don’t get to see successful female role models to look up to, leading many to believe there is no place for women in successful sports. Like professionals, young female athletes also feel the media’s pressure to fit a certain look because they are constantly on social media trying to keep up with trends.
Even when clubs highlight athletic talent, the public reaction can be hostile. Recently, Smilla Holmberg signed to Arsenal Club. When Arsenal posted her signing on social media to celebrate a strong new player, the comment section was filled with sexist comments regarding her appearance. The comments got so bad that Arsenal had to turn them off entirely.
In summary, with the media’s constant focus on appearance instead of performance to bring in more profit, they are damaging female athletes’ self-image. This matters because it causes women to hurt themselves in order to fit the standard put out for them. Sports media should not focus on appearance because that is not what sports are about; they are about strength, goals, and sportsmanship.
