Red Tent Sisters

This entry is only tangentially related to women’s reproductive and sexual health. Here’s the explanation: I just finished university at the end of the summer. In school my main research interests were menstruation [specifically women’s experiences and menstrual product activism] and freestyle wrestling [especially women’s experiences with weight management for the sport]. Although they seem like disparate topics they can both be captured under the umbrella of women’s health and the politics of women’s bodies – I also participate[d] in both! Ha ha. Been menstruating since I was 13 and I was a wrestler for nine years until I “retired” in January 2007. Anyway, this weekend I attended the Olympic trials for wrestling. At the trials I had three “feminist” moments and I thought I would share them with you.

1. On the lapel of my black coat I have a black button that says, in white letters, this is what a feminist looks like [I ♥ my button!]. As I stood at the ticket table waiting for my friend to pay for her ticket one of the volunteers working the table [a male] said with a chuckle “that’s a pretty confrontational button”. I kind of smiled at him and in my typical fashion didn’t have a witty comment on the tip of my tongue. Luckily I was there waiting a few minutes longer and I had time to think of and say “it’s only confrontational if you think feminist is a confrontational word”. He didn’t really have anything to say to that. Do you? What would you have said to him? What do you think about my button?

2. Before the finals started, several awards were presented and speeches were made to honour the award recipients. While praising one award recipient’s commitment to the wrestling community a presenter said “[insert recipient’s name] made men men … and women women”. I appreciate the fact that he included women in the statement since women have been a part of the Canadian wrestling community for almost two decades. However, the juxtaposed statements made it clear to me the extent to which our culture has different connotations for the words men and women. It is clear how wrestling makes men men in the stereotypical sense, but it was so awkward to hear that wrestling, a combative sport, makes women women – the statement does not make sense according to what is normally associated with femininity. What is your response to the statement wrestling makes men, men and women, women?

3. Last but not least, during the finals past Olympians were seated along the right side of the mat. When there were lulls in the matches the male commentator would ask an Olympian to stand and give details about their career. Christine Nordhagen was the first athlete honoured and the only female sitting on the sideline. She has won six world championship gold medals, won countless other international tournaments and got fifth at the 2004 Athens Olympics [the first time women’s wrestling was in the Olympics]. The commentator said all this and then said “probably her greatest accomplishment is sitting there in her lap” … her 18 month old daughter was sitting in her lap. In some ways I can see where the commentator was coming from as I was recently told by one of my friends that she feels that having her son is her greatest accomplishment to date. However, from a perspective informed by feminism, women’s studies and sport sociology I take issue with the fact that while being honoured as an Olympian and World Championship medalist Christine’s baby was mentioned as her greatest accomplishment. I think the affront is most noticeable when you consider if a male athlete would ever be addressed in the same way and if such a comment would have been swallowed as easily and unnoticeably by the crowd. Am I overreacting? {How] Does this scenario illuminate the way society feels about women’s bodies?

# posted by Kim Sedgwick @ 2:47 PM