Tennis star Eugenie Bouchard was the first Canadian woman to make it to the semi-finals of the Australian Open in over thirty years. In the courtside interview after her historic win, interviewer Samantha Smith didn’t focus on her predictions or strategy for the Open. No, she asked Bouchard about her dream date. “You’re getting a lot of fans here. A lot of them are male, and they want to know: If you could date anyone in the world of sport or movies -– I’m sorry, they asked me to say this -– who would you date?”
We all know the media treats women differently than men – athletes, politicians, actors, comedians and executives are all victims. By focusing on women’s appearance or relationships instead of their accomplishments, the women’s contributions are minimized. Think Sarah Palin. But there’s good news. Something is changing. The women are beginning to fight back.
- At the SAG awards, an E! cameraman tried to capture actress Cate Blanchett’s gown. As he slowly began scanning her body from feet upwards, Cate bent down so her face appeared in the camera and asked , “Do you do that to the guys?”
- When Top Chef Gail Simmons was asked by a Denver Post reporter how she balances “eating for a living and looking good on TV,” Simmons replied, “Tom Colicchio never gets that question.”
- When Amy Poehler and Tina Fey were asked about being women in comedy, Fey retorted, “the only disadvantage women have is to have to keep fucking answering the question of, ‘Is it hard and are women funny?’ The men don’t have to answer that question. That’s the only impairment.”
Thanks Cate, Gail and Tina. Calling the media out on their inappropriateness is the first step in eradicating it.
And what did Eugenie Bouchard reply in response to the ridiculous question about her dream date? Clearly embarrassed, and covering her face with her hand, she replied – Justin Bieber. Bouchard is only 19 years old, and doesn’t yet know that she need not answer such questions. She doesn’t know that talking about who she’d like to date undermines her status as a professional athlete. She doesn’t know that she can just tell the reporter that she’d prefer to talk about tennis. Hopefully next time.