This article pretty much nails it for me.
http://www.outdoorwomensalliance.com/2014/01/female-athletes-in-media.html
"Taking into the account the history of women’s objectification in sport-related media, should this really come as a surprise? After all, the dominant discourse goes something like this: Girls are pretty, but they can’t really do sports, so let’s put a token girl in here and there. Make sure she looks really hot. After all, it’s not about her skills, it’s about her cute face. She will make men buy the magazine and make other women want to be like her, because men find her attractive. I mean, what other things could a woman possibly want from doing sports apart from finding a guy?"
"Thanks to technological progress, women can make free-from-patriarchy media for themselves. However, some argue its need. They ask why female athletes, amateur or professional, would want to separate themselves from men in the media or, more largely, why the world needs women-orientated sport media at all? Seen as over-kill, it is often associated with a lack of self-confidence and a need to take the stage side-by-side with men.
The answer lies not in separation nor the fear of comparisons, but in creating balance. As long as there is a glaring lack of content that fairly represents women, it will be needed.
It’s also about "selling" sports, including climbing, to women. Why are there still less female climbers than male? It’s not because we like climbing less, but because our culture doesn’t encourage women to be physical in the same way it does for men, so we miss out on all the positive consequences that come with using our bodies for reasons other than satisfying the male gaze. (I trust that I don’t need to list them here.) In a time when media influences children as much as families and schools, it’s more important to strive for fair representation to help young girls get excited about physical activity.
Before deeming women-specific media an over-kill, think about this: To climb, to train, to write and make adventure content is just as important for those women out there doing it as it is for men. No more, and no less. It's time to help women in this pursuit with fair and balanced media that inspires women toward athletic, not aesthetic, goals."
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