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In 2008, 17 year old high school pole vaulter Allison Stokke had a photograph taken of her that went viral and nearly ruined her athletic career.
The photo was shared on a sports blog under the heading: ‘Pole Vaulting is Sexy, Barely Legal’ along with the caption: ‘Meet pole vaulter Allison Stokke... Hubba hubba and other grunting sounds.’
In the months after the picture went viral, photographers would kneel beneath her at meets, shooting upward as she stood on the runway before an attempt. Grown men would send postcards, with handwritten notes, to her home in California. Her college had to remove her headshots from their school sports directory because of the unwanted male attention she continued to receive. ‘The wave of attention steamrolled Stokke. She is recognized — and stared at — in coffee shops. She locks her doors and tries not to leave the house alone. And her father reads the message boards for potential stalkers.’
A fan page was set up complete with a rolling photo slideshow and message boards and chat forums where hundreds of anonymous users looked at Stokke's picture and posted sexual fantasies about her.
‘Even if none of it is illegal, it just all feels really demeaning,’ said Allison. ‘I worked so hard for pole vaulting, and it's almost like that doesn't matter. Nobody sees that. Nobody really sees me.’ Truth is: convincing people that unwanted attention from men isn't flattering -- and often also feels threatening -- is difficult…
‘Some people around her wondered why she didn't seize the moment: accept the spread in Maxim, the modeling contract, fly to New York to appear on the morning shows. Do all of it. After all, who knows if you'll have the chance again?
But the part never mentioned is that, once someone walks through that door, it snaps shut.
Once a female athlete is publicly labeled ‘beautiful,’ we offer her the world.
But here's the trick: once she accepts it, we tear her apart, say she's exploiting and sexualizing herself. Oh, and we also say that she's not even that good, anyway. ‘
source you.look.like.a.man
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