{Unfair Pressure on Women in Sports}

Brandy Chastain
             Female Soccer Player

Many young women experience body image problems and women athletes are no exception. Sports are supposed to teach us self-confidence, but that is not always the case. It is crazy that female athletes are more prone to eating disorders than non-athletic women. A Brown University article, "Muscle vs. aesthetics," quotes a study, saying that between 16 and 72 percent of female athletes experience eating disorders, as compared to only five to ten percent in the general population. Why would these girls who so many people look up to not be satisfied with themselves? A big reason is this happens is because these women view their bodies in a very impersonal way that makes them view themselves as tools instead of people.  Some “weight monitoring sports” tend to be harmful for women because they make women focus on the fine details of their body shape.

Women on the other end of the sports spectrum often regret training to their full capacity to avoid becoming “more masculine.” Even though gaining muscle for their sport is very good, it makes these women athletes very uncomfortable with their bodies.

It is not fair that women are scrutinized so much more than men for their body size and shape. Men are applauded when they look more muscular and if they are in a sport that requires them to be more lean, it is not a big problem, but women are thought of differently if they go the distance in the weight room. Women should not feel that they have to hold back in their sport to be accepted in society.