Why has this photo of an Australian footballer inspired such abuse?

[DrGreggles]

It's a sign of how few football fans there are on this forum that nobody has posted that pic of Peter Beardsley with his knob out.

"He's sitting on Iain Dowie's shoulders"

[Dex Sawash]

And she is doing finger guns with the other

aka, the "half Lindy"

[Carpool Dragon]

This by the way is one of my favourite football photos

Vin Diesel played for Chelsea?

Sure about this? Didn't the Egyptian team in the last tournament have a modest outfit? I'm not sure of the reasons for the bikinis, and the laddish comments on the subject are always tiresome and sexist, but I would be surprised if it were an Olympic stipulation. Happy to be corrected.

Not volleyball, but when they introduced womens boxing in 2012, they wanted to make them wear skirts. It was only when prominent boxers like Katie Taylor threatened to boycott that they relented

[Thursday]

Well known of course that the take-up of digital photography is why the men's shorts got longer.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BlArHjRCEAAfd3L.jpg

(Click link at your peril)

[Buelligan]

Some people just hate women, so any pic of a woman looking powerful and athletic is going to piss them off. Those people prefer women to be demure, girlish, slutty yet chaste, i.e. controllable. So photos of women like Serena Williams and this woman make them angry.

In short, some men are weak losers. Nothing new there, sadly.

Yep.  I think some men (and maybe, some stockholmed women) are challenged/frightened/threatened by a woman who is free. 

That picture says that the woman in it is doing her sport, being herself, concerns about whether anyone might see her cunt are not even registering.  She's not even conscious of the men watching (or if she is, she doesn't give a good goddamn).

Horrific stuff for some and so they spout defensive ink designed to make sure that that woman, all the women reading and all the men reading who have a woman in their control, will be shamed, hurt, will have their confidence ripped away, will avoid being the target, will put their veils back on and hush their fucking mouths. 

Fuck them.  Laugh at their fear.

[Delete Delete Delete]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BlArHjRCEAAfd3L.jpg

(Click link at your peril)

Spot the Ball competition?

[Pingers]

Yep.  I think some men (and maybe, some stockholmed women) are challenged/frightened/threatened by a woman who is free. 

That picture says that the woman in it is doing her sport, being herself, concerns about whether anyone might see her cunt are not even registering.  She's not even conscious of the men watching (or if she is, she doesn't give a good goddamn).

Horrific stuff for some and so they spout defensive ink designed to make sure that that woman, all the women reading and all the men reading who have a woman in their control, will be shamed, hurt, will have their confidence ripped away, will avoid being the target, will put their veils back on and hush their fucking mouths. 

Fuck them.  Laugh at their fear.

+1 and then some.

[Twed]

Pingers means the Pat Robertson quote. Pingers likes that.

[hermitical]

Accounts mention that male players are behind some of the comments, and this isn't the first time

[Harry Badger]

It's fantastic but in terms of Australian sporting photos, it's a poor second to this.

[Bazooka]

Vin Diesel played for Chelsea?
Not volleyball, but when they introduced womens boxing in 2012, they wanted to make them wear skirts. It was only when prominent boxers like Katie Taylor threatened to boycott that they relented

Its maddening they weren't made to wear Corsets, great for body shot protection.

[imitationleather]

Sure about this? Didn't the Egyptian team in the last tournament have a modest outfit? I'm not sure of the reasons for the bikinis, and the laddish comments on the subject are always tiresome and sexist, but I would be surprised if it were an Olympic stipulation. Happy to be corrected.

Ooh, so they did. I was unaware of this.

[Pingers]

Pingers means the Pat Robertson quote. Pingers likes that.

Yeah, I always thought feminism was ambivalent at best about destroying capitalism, but now Pat Robertson has pointed the above out to me, I'm more enamoured of feminism than previously. So I'm pretty grateful to Pat there.

[Urinal Cake]

We should have an Australia thread. It reminds me when  I used to go on American forums in the 2000s and every shit/weird news story was about Florida. Now we're Florida. Until Brexit.

[Bennett Brauer]

I think this is an even better photo.

Yeah, that's amazing flexibility, like a ballet dancer or martial artist. It's great how it also makes it look like her left hand is - by chance - raised in a 'peer into the distance' motion.

She's got it. Positive energy.

[The Boston Crab]

When I was coaching ladies football, we used to practise a lot of headers and some of the ladies could head the ball just as well as any fucking man and many of them had only just started playing, they were mainly there for the fitness and social elements. The point is you can be brilliant at sports and a woman without also wearing alluring clothes. As I say, our ladies team was basically wearing binbags, oversized spare mens kit. There was absolutely no sexualisation and I always found it weird that the rules of the league were writ by men, hence the fitted shirts and tight shorts. Not our ladies, some of them needed to wear a bloody belt the shorts were so ill fitting.

Great to see that Egyptian athlete in her trackies and hood up. It would be great if we could make sport about the skill and competition again rather than the commercialism, sponsorship and unnecessary sexualisation of athletes.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Great to see that Egyptian athlete in her trackies and hood up.

No, it's depressing, it's evidence suggesting that a religious doctrine has taken control of her cultural surroundings and repressed her.

If you want to end unnecessary sexualisation people should be exposed to and so get used to our own and other people's naked bodies. Sexualisation itself comes from a place of repression. Cultures where a flash of leg is overly-sexualised are a terrible, irresponsible wrong-headed example to use and the fact those calling themselves liberals would lean to side with that versus championing actual liberal culture is very worrying.

Btw I condemn the pointless shit and abuse this woman has received, unreservedly. Comments sections just show the base level scum in society that previously had no safe outlets to express their views.

[bgmnts]

I'd rather wear baggy clothes on the beach and not be objectified and gawped at like walking meat.

But then, I don't agree with conservative religious dogma either. Hmmm

[hermitical]

I'd rather wear baggy clothes on the beach and not be objectified and gawped at like walking meat.

But then, I don't agree with conservative religious dogma either. Hmmm

There's only one way to sort out this hot potato of an issue....

[Buelligan]

If you want to end unnecessary sexualisation people should be exposed to and so get used to our own and other people's naked bodies.

IMO, this isn't primarily about the unnecessary sexualisation of people, it's about power.  The woman in the original picture is illustrating that she doesn't need to look to men/others for approval.  Her primary relationship, the place where her pride/power comes from is her ability.  It's an illustration of rock-solid independence.  She can choose to sexual, she can choose to be demure, it's her choice.  Only her choice.

IMO, if you think it's a good thing to train people in how to be sexual in a healthy way, you need to stop controlling them.  Dressed or uncovered, natural sexuality comes from being free of the opinions and judgments of other people.

[poo]

Magnificent woman.

It's fantastic but in terms of Australian sporting photos, it's a poor second to this.

Beautiful, just beautiful.

[José]

i'm down with witchcraft and destroying capitalism but boo to monosexuality in any form.

[Jockice]

This by the way is one of my favourite football photos

I thought that was Scott Brown at first glance, but he's never shown such acrobatic skills while going for the ball before. Someone's head maybe.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

IMO, this isn't primarily about the unnecessary sexualisation of people, it's about power.  The woman in the original picture is illustrating that she doesn't need to look to men/others for approval.  Her primary relationship, the place where her pride/power comes from is her ability.  It's an illustration of rock-solid independence.  She can choose to sexual, she can choose to be demure, it's her choice.  Only her choice.

IMO, if you think it's a good thing to train people in how to be sexual in a healthy way, you need to stop controlling them.  Dressed or uncovered, natural sexuality comes from being free of the opinions and judgments of other people.

Interesting post on an interesting topic. I wasn't discussing the original picture and agree with what you have posted about it. It's great that there's a strong articulate woman with the inclination to fight this argument and take on a challenge that fairly shouldn't be hers to bear. I admire the responsibility she has shouldered.

The power argument supports what I said re: the women's volleyball team wearing repressive religious dress being "great".

In terms of training humans, we are subject to societal influence. Every sensible answer responds to the challenge with solution being "Education" - what is that if not training?

[Buelligan]

Sorry, I don't understand your last sentence, what are you asking me (or are you being rhetorical)?

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Sorry, I don't understand your last sentence, what are you asking me (or are you being rhetorical)?

Aye, rhetorical.

You seem to be objecting to training women to be sexual in a healthy way via control, I'm just saying that's literally what education is, especially at primary/secondary level, yet we seem to agree education is at the heart of the solution.

[Buelligan]

Training, in the sense of controlling choices or ideas, IMO, is deeply unhealthy.  It's about repressing an individual's real feelings and replacing them with learnt approved ones.  Isn't it?

[Norton Canes]

I'm awful at football but I do look alluring. I'm not sure what to do.

[Blumf]

I'm awful at football but I do look alluring. I'm not sure what to do.

Ay, well how wide can you spread your legs, darlin'?

[The Boston Crab]

Sorry Shoulders mate, I just meant that it's great to see one athlete not dressed like a flippin piece of meat for a change but I forgot that the hoodie wasn't just to avoid looking sexy but it was some omnipotent religiosity thing. Just go to show relly that it's never black or white with these things. I honestly thougt I had it ALL figure out this time.