Comments on: Where have all the role models for girls and young women gone?

By: Noticed

Noticed — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 04:23:08 +0000

Crystl Bustos of USA softball is my shero. Did y’all see her knock a homerun in extra innings tonight?

But watch…will she become the next face of softball like Jennie Finch? No.

Hmm…guess why? So yeah, it’s nice that the women of the Olympics are so amazing and dedicated and talented, but then there’s the reality of the sports world that ignores them and/or over-emphasizes their body parts the rest of the year.

By: ThickRedGlasses

ThickRedGlasses — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 02:57:03 +0000

I think the entire women’s gymnastics team needs some huge props. Most, if not all, were judged unfairly. And most of the time, it benefited China. I believe there was some serious conspiracy going on there. How could Alicia Sacramone not have won a medal in vault? She should have won bronze, but that went to China. She and Oksana Chusovitina were the only two finalists who didn’t fall on their vaults. How could Nastia Luikin not have won gold in uneven bars? She was nearly flawless and shouldn’t have tied (and the tie-breaker went to — China!). Even Shawn Johnson’s floor exercises were arguably the best of the night (China didn’t medal, but I think Shawn still got screwed). All of them dealt with that unfairness with great sportsmanship. Where’s the gold medal for that?

By: Nancy Bruno

Nancy Bruno — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 21:18:54 +0000

There are role models for every woman at every stage of our lives. The Beautiful Women Project has thirty five women that are women that I look to for the way that they have met their challenges and carry their experiences. It is so important to recognize that role models, like women, come in all shapes and sizes. Individuals who make it to the world stage are not the only women we should be looking at as role models. There are women who do amazing things every single day that do not get recognized because they live their lives quietly and comfortably, but that does not make them any less spectacular. Take a moment and recognize, and look for, the role models that live right in your community. You may be surprised to find one staring right back at you in the mirror.

By: Angel H.

Angel H. — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 18:10:25 +0000

*sniff…I miss FloJo.

Thanks for the pic!

By: Tlönista

Tlönista — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 08:50:24 +0000

Oh well, if we’re counting the Winter Olympics too, I nominate the entire Canadian women’s hockey team, who have won gold at the past two Games. People were all pissy about the men’s team not even making it onto the podium and not even talking about how the women’s team was PWNING everyone else. Or so it seemed to me. :)

FIFA World Cup & the Winter Games are the only times when I care about sports, so please forgive my overenthusiasm…

By: SunlessNick

SunlessNick — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 00:34:32 +0000

To the roster of sportswomen, I feel compelled to add Ellen MacArthur, until recently record holder for the fastest circumnavigation of the Earth by solo yacht, something most people couldn’t even attempt let alone achieve.

By: Melloncollie

Melloncollie — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 22:06:26 +0000

I think it’s not that there aren’t any role models but they just don’t get as much press as the women who flash a bit of tits and ass. Bloody media again…

By: Renee

Renee — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 21:24:18 +0000

To me it is not just about women succeeding it is about the diversity of women that are succeeding. Often in the media we are shown white women as the image that all women should seek to imitate. The Olympics provides a myraid of examples for young girls of color and I think that is something that is extremely important, in a society that routinely tells us that we are less than. This are what your sheros look like.

By: Thlayli

Thlayli — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 21:03:02 +0000

Jeanne Longo finished fourth in the individual time trial, just missing a medal.

She is 49.

By: Radfem

Radfem — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 17:45:23 +0000

I think the defending Japanese marathoner Mizuki Noguchi had to withdraw this time around. I felt bad for those who were impacted by injuries and still competed too. Paula Radcliffe running a marathon despite losing all of her running time since May with a femoral stress fracture and Deena Kastor out at the 5K mark with a broken foot injury. She had pain in the foot the week before but if you’re a competitor in the final days before a big race, you just hope it will hold out. And Catherine Ndereba when she hit the track at the race’s end, great finish for the silver!