The other day, B and I ventured to a store where they sell sports stuff so he could buy some new soccer cleats and shin guards and I could buy some running pants that don't pose a dire threat to my life (my yoga pants are so long that it is a miracle I haven't killed myself or been somehow sucked into the machine). After I had gotten my hands on some cropped spandex pants, B was still pondering the aesthetic symbolism of short vs. tall shin guards (those centimeters - they mean so much!), and I wandered into the tennis section.
Looking at the different rackets for sale, I was immediately struck by the fact that the rackets were gendered at all. I'm not a big tennis player (read: I have had like one lesson in my life), so I'm not sure what goes into buying a racket. But it doesn't seem like there could be a huge difference between "boy rackets" and "girl rackets," besides the fact that the industry has made them different colors and marketed them entirely differently. Even if size does matter, couldn't they just make different sized rackets, without proclaiming them "boy rackets" and "girl rackets"? Tennis pros, what do you think?
Anyway, now let's look at the marketing strategy.....the "boy rackets" all feature pictures of male tennis players on them, lest any woman get confused and think she could also use the racket. There was no racket that didn't have a clearly gendered person on it, and no racket that had both a man and a woman on it. Most importantly, however, the men on these tennis rackets are all
playing tennis. Pictures, taken with my trusty iphone, below:
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| look at him go! |
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| fierce |
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| cool glasses |
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| why is he so pumped about all those balls coming at him? |
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| more tennis action |
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| get it!! |
In contrast, two of the (three) women's rackets featured women
not playing tennis:
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| Venus and Serena Williams pose in makeup with shiny trophies |
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| I have no idea what this woman is even doing. Jumping for joy that she has a pink racket? |
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Finally- I found a woman actually playing tennis! Without makeup on! Without posing! Looking fierce!
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| Finally!!!!! |
We need more rackets like this. Because women actually play tennis with their rackets, and work hard, and get sweaty, and kick ass. They don't just pose with them and leap around the tennis court like a gazelle.
We don't need to prettify women's sports so that the women engaging in them can still appear appropriately feminine.
P.S. Don't even get me started on the colors!!!
