EDITORIAL – Female athletes run fewer health risks

A testimony from Jacqueline Mariash, 25, who strengthened her chances to go to the Olympics… A testimony from Jacqueline Mariash, 25, who strengthened her chances to go to the Olympics after a few trips to a nutritional counselor, brings to light some of the misconceptions about enhancing athletic success.

Tired of the constant feeling of exhaustion as a result of consuming 800 calories on some days, Mariash sought help that changed her “nibbling” each day to survive to three square meals.

Although her high school regimens promoted thinness because they equated it to the ability to be swift, it seems that eating healthy sized meals, although frowned upon in most diets and underrated by her coaches, has a monumental effect on one’s performance. Mariash improved her ability to train because the well-balanced meals gave her energy and stamina.

But the main problem that female athletes who are women face is that they have a significant amount of societal pressure to maintain a fit appearance, and often that means slimming down. While adhering to thinness as a non-negotiable standard of beauty holds them back from an athletic standpoint, it also has a positive impact on the success of a female athlete’s career.

Professional female athletes who are thinner often seem to get more media attention and thus more support. Take for example Anna Kournikova. At best she is a mediocre tennis player. Because she has the right look, she acquires a significant amount of revenue from advertisements and magazine interviews. It’s difficult as a female athlete to prioritize health when thinness receives such acclaim.

Then there is the double standard. While it is true that there are fundamental differences between women’s and men’s sports, other elements differ that imply that women are inferior to men.

In training it is acceptable and encouraged for men to eat like sumo wrestlers. When women starve themselves, as in the case of Mariash, it often goes unnoticed and is almost viewed as acceptable.

Coverage is also very different – even the camera is biased. Women’s body parts seem to be more of a focus than the actual game. Even the adjectives to describe women are different. But interestingly enough, the same modifiers that praise men, such as manly or beastly, can be used to ridicule women.

How can we maintain the integrity of the game if we continuously uphold such an unfair double standard? We must realize it’s more than possible to go against the grain and still obtain success.

Gabrielle Reese simultaneously played volleyball and had a modeling career. Her toned build gave a refreshing look to the face of beauty in athletics. Other famous athletes like the Williams sisters have also gone against norms, excelling on billboards and in their careers – the healthy way – despite the fact that they are a minority within the minority. These women – not society – should serve as an example that health can indeed promote wealth.