Articles:

The Female Athlete: Struggling with Self-Esteem and Body Image

Today’s athletes are bigger, stronger and faster than athletes were 10, 20, and even 40 years ago. Athletic performances and records have steadily improved over time and are not limited to only male athletes. Yes, male athletes have made great gains in sprinting ability and size, just look at the average size of an NFL player 40 years ago compared to those of today. What about the gains made by female athletes? Has their transition into higher levels of sporting performance been as easy?

Look back at the struggles of Billy Jean King early in her career, having to prove that she was just as, if not more athletically able than her male counterparts. Look ahead though to women such as the Williams Sisters, Anna Kournikova and the recently controversial Indy-car racer Danica Patrick. On one hand you have tremendous strength and power, not to mention the physical stature of the Williams Sisters who have experienced great success in tennis. On the other hand you have the ever image driven questionable careers of two photogenic athletes. What message is being sent to our young athletes?

When it comes to the performances of young developing female athletes they can be faced with a great deal of challenges in their sport, with friends, and in their own minds. The need for increased performance, strength, power, speed, and injury preventative training can and often does alter one’s image physically and mentally. Society and often the peers of developing athletes can add negative stress and pressure to a young athlete, which can often lead to her downfall unless preventative steps are taken.

For the young thin, petite and very feminine girls who admire women like Paris Hilton, fitting into certain styles can lead to a great deal of conflict when choosing their path to athletic success. If a young girl is trying to attain higher levels of physical performance to follow her dreams of playing her sport better, some of these societal images must be dismissed. If a female athlete does not train properly, her sporting career can often be ended short due to poor performance or worse, injury. This training does include training with weights and most highly competitive female athletes weight train. In fact, many of the most successful female athletes would not have gotten to where they are without the help of a well rounded strength training program designed for their sport.

Unfortunately, the desire to train eagerly and effectively with weights can be hampered by the misguided stereotypical image the athlete or her friends hold about women who strength train. The negative image of muscles and increased weight can hinder the performance or even hurt a young female athlete. The truth is that yes, some minimal gains in muscle mass and body weight may occur in females who take their training seriously. However these gains do not mean that they are any less feminine. In fact, some of the strongest athletes, pound for pound that I have worked with were female athletes and yes, they were very feminine. When I worked with the USA Women’s Hockey and Bobsled teams, there were some very big strong girls on those teams. They were not fat, in fact some of them had too little fat, but they carried a good deal of body weight and they were very strong. Had they not been as strong as they were, they would never have achieved the success they have.

For young aspiring female athletes, a decision must be made on their part. An understanding of the struggles they may face must be realized by their family and friends. These young girls who are often stressed by their peers may face criticism for their actions in sport, and may be deemed un-feminine. Worse yet, they may be confronted with the ideals of others obsessed with body weight and image. The fact is, that an athlete can strength train and improve their athletic performance, strength, speed, and power without ever gaining any body weight, if trained properly. However, it is also important to note the body type needed in order to be successful in a sport. Often this body type may conflict with society’s image of the ideal feminine woman.

Written by Kevin Ebel, August 2006
Published in the Stevens Point Journal, August 29, 2006

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