New York Times Shamelessly Objectifies Male Gymnasts
New York Times – Look at All These Hunky Guys. Seriously, Anyone?
Beefy dudes have made for big business in recent years, but men’s gymnastics remains immune to the “Magic Mike” effect.
It’s an endeavor in which chiseled bodies hurl through the air at full speed, muscles pushed to their biomechanical extremes as NBC’s cameras pan the action. … What may sound like “American Ninja Warrior,” watched by millions, is the sport of men’s gymnastics, watched by … some. …
“Magic Mike” and the “50 Shades of Grey” franchise have helped make male ogling big business in recent years. But male gymnasts haven’t captured the imagination of American spectators in the same way; women in gymnastics remain by far the top earners and also the top champs. …
Should male gymnasts discard their tanks and compete shirtless? Is it a mistake to not have music in the floor routine like the women do? Or, should they take a page from the men of curling and begin marketing all-nude calendars?
Newspapers like the New York Times have long been known for their regressive, R-rated, Sorority House humor, but this is a new low, even for them.
Objectifying male gymnasts because of their looks is not only sexist and a relic from our past, it is downright harmful. While the Gray Lady is using dated and offensive labels like “hunky” to reduce these finely-tuned athletes to nothing more than objects of their desire – in the arena not to compete, but to satisfy their sexual urges – they’re showing no concern whatsoever for the damage they are doing.
Numerous studies have shown that seeing men celebrated merely for their outward appearance has a terrible effect on teens and young adults. It sets an impossibly high standard and is a leading cause of body dysmorphia and eating disorders. And that it can begin as early as their pre-teen years, brought on by toys with measurements no man could ever hope to achieve, such as Superman, He-Man, and the entire line of WWE action figures.
Not to mention it is exactly the kind of Toxic Femininity the NYT is practicing here that is the root cause of men’s gymnastics low ratings. When you talk about “ogling” male athletes like it’s a good thing, reduce them to “Magic Mike” strippers and suggest they take off their singlets to show more skin or need to do a nude calendar to grow the sport, you make it impossible to take them seriously as competitors.
It’s shameful. But again, based on the things these old media outlets do to appeal to their lowest common denominator audiences, we can’t expect anything better.