on the hips or the chest” of the female aerobics instructor and _ viewers “don’t even know what they’re supposed to do” because the exercised aren’t shown entirely.

“The 20- Minute Workout is noth- ing less than soft porn,” says Palmason.

“A women in a tight brief leotard cut up to her waist doesn’t fit 95

per cent of the women

walking

on the street and misrep- resents physically-active women,” says the federal sports official.

The skimpy outfits of Olympic figure skaters drew at- tention from the media with the clothes, or lack thereof, of West Ger- many’s Katarina Witt. Her announced plans to wear a G-string in a medal competition was reported in a Toronto daily. Steele says the ar- ticle suggested that since most of the judges are male, Witt would get good marks because of her appearance.

“Here they are, fo- cus-

ing on how this woman -

dresses. It was totally absurd,” Steele says. “It was disturbing for me.”

The fact that women’s Olympic figure skating has been widely reported doesn’t surprise Steele. She says sports that are sexy

and feminine, like skat- ©

ing and gymnastics, are considered not only ap-

propriate but desireable

for women to participate and read about.

But sports like judo and hockey are consid- ered taboo for women and don’t get coverage, Steele says.

“Judo is a contact sport and it’s very un- lady-like.”

The media doesn’t want to change the sta- tus quo and_ report non-traditional women’s

yatt

om the Charlatan versity Press

sports, says the federal government’s Plamason.

“You certainly don’t want to have a picture of a women... that doesn’t fit the stereotypical idea of what’s appropriate for girls and women in phys- ical activity.”

Steele’s theory to ex- plain the trend of male- dominated sports pages boils down to sexuality. Men want to read about macho sports to prove their not gay.

“I’ve never seen an area that is as homopho- bic as sport,” she says.

The media has a job to reflect what its"read- ership wants, but Steele questions whether this is done well.

“Is the media giv- ing the public what the public wants?” she asks. “Why is it in their best interest to rein- force stereotypical roles where women have less power?”

But Fitness and Am- ateur Sport’s Palmason says. women want to read about their col- legues athletic accom- plishments.

-

“You have to buy all the right outfits,” she says.

Those women who teach classes in health. spas are another argu- ment supporting pay eq- uity, Steele says.

“Workers are under- paid and_— exploited. Their salaries are ridicu- lous. It’s another pink- collar ghetto in terms of it’s the men (who own

the spas) who are mak- |

ing the decisions,” she says.

The male own- ers make their business a sexy one and use ev- erything they can to sub- ordinate women. Steele says even “the music used by fitness leaders is very violent.”

If women are to be encouraged to partici- pate in sports, the in- centive won’t be com- ing from the media, says Steele and Palimason.

“The media is an ex- tremely powerful tool,” Steele says. “The images that women are seeing for themselves are fitting back into the typical pat-

“The 20-Minute Workout is nothing less than soft porn,” says Palmason. A women in a tight brief leotard cut up to her waist doesn’t fit 95 per cent of the women walking on the street and misrepresents physically-

active women”

“Women are saying, ‘Why don’t we see the results?”’ she says.

Television’s portrayal of scantily-clad aerobic women are do- ing more than objecti- fying women, according to Steele. TV shows are half-hour long ad- vertisements for a thriv- ing ‘capitalist’ exercise industry.

terns of male domination

in our society.”

tsa

Women’s groups

are fighting strong ideas _ that women’s sports are unimportant.

“It’s going to take a long time” before cov- erage of female athlet- ics is side-by-side with that of males, says Pal- mason. “We can change certain behaviour, but to

change the attitudes be- hind them is the real goal.”

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