How super does superwoman have to be?

Sierra Blair-Coyle is causing a little controversy in climbing forums at the moment. http://eveningsends.com/climbing/athlete-models-sierra-blair-coyle/

http://www.rockandice.com/lates-news/tnb-a-short-talk-with-sierra-blair-coyle?fb_action_ids=10152748602508931&fb_action_types=og.comments.  On the one hand, I’m not going to object to any women putting out there that they are fit and strong. On the other hand, it’s problematic that to get this sort of publicity, they also have to be gorgeous, smiling and putting themselves out to the male gaze at the same time. Far from making climbing seem more accessible by climbing lesser grades than the top of the field, it presents an even more unattainable image. For the non climber, it all still looks impossible. V0 looks pretty bloody impossible to most people. Even for the rest of us, how many of us are sending V7? I’m not. Then on top of still unrealistic achievements for your average dogsbody, we also have to look gorgeous whilst doing it.  I seem to have missed the bit where going climbing needed a face full of make up. What a pain it must be though, having to make yourself look like that each morning just to go for a climb. Looking like that doesn’t come effortlessly, and I’ll bet she works hard at achieving that look. Make up, hair, depilation, clothing, not to mention diet and exercise … I don’t know how women find the time or energy for it all. I struggle to throw my dreads in piggy tail and stagger out the door.

I’m not dissing what she does per se, she climbs perfectly respectable grades, she’s found a way to market herself that’s obviously found a niche, she’s also at uni full time, it’s all a truckload of work and I wouldn’t bloody do it. But I do have a problem with a culture that asks for this stuff. It doesn’t reward women for getting dirty and sweaty, for looking like they just spent the day (or week or month) on the cliff, for battling and grimacing. You can’t just be an ordinary woman. Or even an ordinary woman doing extraordinary things. Or a gorgeous woman in your own way. You have to be a gorgeous woman willing to present yourself in a certain way doing extraordinary things. How super does superwoman have to be in this world?

And then I want to know, where are the male “athlete-models”? Sure, I admit I think Alex Honnold has gorgeous eyes. Most good climbers have a body worth admiring as well. I do my fair share of gawping. But where are the men marketing themselves to the female gaze in this way? Where are the sponsors paying them to sell their appearance over their achievements? Where are the men putting appearance maintenance into their training schedule? Having to dress themselves up even to run to the corner store? There is a substantial difference here. Then there’s also a long discussion to be had about women participating in their own objectification and what is free choice in all of that, but really, I haven’t eaten enough chocolate for that right now.

I also read an article about “bikini class” bodybuilders and the rigmarole around their appearance on top of all their training was ridiculous. http://www.buzzfeed.com/ashapiro009/training-tanning-and-branding-with-the-bikini-bodybuilding-s?utm_term=.pheJb4nMY#.dsQ4OldGJY. They too are marketed as the “accessable” end of their sport, which is just laughable and the end of body building where women are still “feminine” and “attractive”, because of course, it’s not ok to be a woman who is not easy on the male eye. One glance will suggest how much work goes into looking like that, let alone reading the actual story. Then because they also rely on social media for their following, they can’t leave the house without being all hotted up because someone might take a photo, bung it on Instagram and ruin their image. It all sounds like a recipe for misery to me.

Honestly, how come women all have to be beautiful? Even as people try and extend the range of what is acceptable for women, we just move on to other ways in which women can be beautiful. Women can be fat and beautiful. Intelligent and beautiful. Strong and beautiful. Talented and beautiful. Women of colour are beautiful. Really, what is wrong with just being happy, healthy, smart, capable, generous, funny, caring, fit, interesting or whatever … that we all have to be visually approved of as well? Are we really moving at all from the idea that women are most valued and most happy with themselves when their appearance meets cultural standards?