The Body Issue and Issues with Bodies...

This past week, one of my favorite issues of any magazine arrived through our mail slot: ESPN Magazine's Body Issue.

I pour over every photo of this issue. Friends of the blog know that my academic passions lie in studying representations of the working body, so for me this is a celebration of what humans can achieve. There have been some controversial ones (including Lolo Jones, who was the topic of some research I did last year), sure, but for the most part, it's a really cool issue.

More than any of the photos, there was one piece in particular that struck me. It's about the barriers facing (traditionally speaking) well-endowed female athletes. The article outlines the history of athletic breasts and perils of the large-chested athlete:  finding appropriate support and coverage; objectification; pain, reduction, and the opportunity costs of surgery; female commentaries; etc. I can't speak to the pain that many women associate with breast movement in exercise and the piece really highlighted the plight of the curvaceous athlete. I have friends who have shared with me how much their bodies can interfere with athletics, and I truly feel for them.

But, for me, that wasn't what struck me about the article... The fact that we have to talk about it at all struck me.

One thing that always gets me is the level of judgment that both males and females pass on the female athletic form. Women who elected to obtain reductions were decried by women for eschewing their femininity and chastised by the men who ogled at them. Small chested athletes decry nature's way of streamlining us. It's like nobody wins...

My female athletic form:  Slight, but built for the long run...

The place of breasts speaks to a larger theme of representations of the female form in athletics. Being inhibited by a gender-specific body part represents adherence to a longstanding, arcane tradition that women just aren't built for sports (and, some would argue, nor should we be). But the entire conversation is a commentary on the paternalistic view of the working body. Taken out of the context of our conceptions of "nature" - or that which is traditionally held - female athletic bodies (from Serena to Shalane) can be a rather unsettling and subversive topic for men and women. 

I've had my own body issues over the years. Having experienced about 30 pounds of weight loss since I began running, I watched my body change from a somewhat overweight, curvy figure, to a streamlined, sinewy figure. I make jokes about being built like a little boy, but despite my figure, I'm in awe of what the human body can do and how it adapts to suit needs. 

And, at the end of the day, when women celebrate our working bodies, we become liberated. Liberated from the pressures of cookie-cutter ideals and airbrushed advertising. Liberated from the objectification of judgment from the dudes in the cheap seats who think it's ok to holler at us when it's hot out. Liberated by virtue of being on increasingly equal footing when we value feeling great about ourselves, no matter how we're built. Liberated to live healthy, active lives.

Feel free to post stories, or share comments to celebrate the female athletic body! We're all built for it!