Question

The fit female form is often used in advertising to sell a wide variety of products. Some scholars have suggested that the focus on using exercise to meet a certain beauty standard takes away from the empowering possibilities of sport involvement. What arguments would you use to support this stance? In what ways do beauty standards impact the types of sports and physical activities that one engages in? What role do you think sports involvement will have in our future understandings of beauty?

Answer 1

Many of the athletes who are successful are endorsed by big sporting brands. The competition in the market and the changing standards of beauty have impacted the sporting domain. The promotion of athletes is not solely based on their achievements but rather by the looks and the shape they have. Big brands are often the cause of influencing players by paying huge amounts of money to maintain that shape which is marketable. Maintaining a set of beauty standards can hamper the true spirit of sports. In a way, athletes would only choose those sports such as gymnastics, swimming by which they can constantly maintain their shape and at the same time get attention from the brands. Such involvement of sports in the race of beauty standards can make the appropraition of sport just for attaining the beauty rather that for the true spririt of the spiort. It can mean less motivated players and mere participation in the sport to attain those 'beauty Standard'