Media exposure and influence of female athlete body images

The job of any form of media is to convey a message. These messages can range from a benign sales ad to deeper subliminal message of acceptable behavior. Historically, media has taught us that men are supposed to compete in physical activities such as sport and any women who choose to do so are type casted as being lesbian or tomboys. To combat this, females often go to great lengths, including portraying themselves as sexual objects, to prove their femininity and thus lose their credibility as athletes. The other issue that can arise from this include other female athletes concentrating more on the physique of their bodies and less on performing their athletic talents.