Looking for a Lift: Commercial Endorsements of Women Weightlifters

With the Summer Olympics going on in London right now, there are hundreds of interesting athletes and events to explore and analyze. While women’s weightlifting is less flashy than gymnastics or beach volleyball, the struggles and triumphs of its athletes are no less deserving of attention. Alyssa Rosenberg posted this entry on XXfactor, a Slate blog, in July 2012.

Read it here: Rosenberg, “Is Sarah Robles Too Big to Get the Big-Time Endorsements?”

 

1. Nike supports two “conventionally feminine” weightlifters whose records are substantially more modest than Robles.’ Rosenberg argues that athletic equipment companies “ought to value strength more than any other potential advertiser” when selecting weightlifters to endorse. Do you agree with this assertion? Why or why not?
2. Have you ever participated in competitive weightlifting? Weightlifting as part of an overall fitness routine? Why or why not? In what ways do you think your gender has contributed to your attitude towards and your level of participation in weightlifting? Might your attitude change over time? Why or why not?
3. As Rosenberg points out, basketball pro Lisa Leslie appears in Nike commercials saying, “I’m a fashion model who can dunk.” The statement is certainly true, but its presence in a Nike commercial, where the few words that are spoken take on immense symbolic importance, sends an important message about women and sports. What is that message? Explain and support your conclusion.
4. Rosenberg is quite blunt in stating that Robles’ lack of commercial endorsements despite her impressive athletic accomplishments is because her body does not conform to today’s standards of size and shape for women. Do you think that these standards are too narrow? Why or why not? Write an essay in which you address those questions, using evidence from popular culture, your experiences, and those of women you know.

 

Comments

[Samuel Kasina]

There are many sports that don't look or feel sports like, and sports reporters do not do a good job of bringing them out to the lager public.Thank goodness someone is actually blogging about this. Sometimes I feel that there is a lot of Justin Biebering even in sports!

[Kirby Herron]

I think that women are overwhelmingly potrayed in media with what is for the most part unrealistic, unattainable and often impossible--e.g., airbrushed/photoshopped--beauty standards. I think this type of advertising, while probably effective for the important 18 - 25-year-old's dollar, is a highly destructive force. The soul-murdering, cash-vacuuming industry responsible for perpetuating these degrading faux "standards" should be ashamed of the harm they do to the self-esteem of youth. American culture has become so pervasive throughout the world and, with respect to advertising, I can see why many nations so despise the West.

[Ethan McCallum]

1. In a way I agree with the blog saying that strength must have more value than any other potential advertiser, because the stronger women have worked harder to get where they are and deserve the money. However the companies that give out the endorsements want to make money, a women who isn’t attract will not make money.
2. I have never participated in completive weight lifting; I have however done weights as a muscle building routine. I have never really seen it as a male or female thing because my swim team was co-ed and that is where I lifted weights.
3. The message is very simple, sex sells.
4. Well the problem with this question is that I don’t pay attention to today’s standards so I don’t really know what they are.

[Taylor Berger]

1. I agree and disagree with the statement that athletic companies need to value strength more than any other potential advertiser. It makes sense that the strongest women who have worked the hardest should be more deserving than a weightlifter who has not worked as hard and can't lift as much. However, although this sounds shallow, my opinion is that society would be more likely to buy a company's product if they had a slimmer model compared to a heavier one.
2. While participating in high school sports, I was required to partake in a weekly lifting schedule to help build our muscle, but I have never participated in competitive weight lifting. To me, weight lifting seems like more of a masculine sport mainly because I have seen more men than women advertised for the activity. I saw a little bit of women's weight lifting in the olympics this summer and gained a little bit more of an understanding for it. Before, I never would think to associate women with weight lifting, but it no longer seems weird to me after observing their performances.
3. The only message that I am getting from her statement is that beauty is what makes something sell.
4. I think that the only stars in the media today are males and females with perfect bodies. If they have a few extra pounds on them, they are teaming up with a weight-loss endorsement and encouraging the public to do the same. Models today are barely 100 pounds, and some girls are being turned away if they weigh just a couple pounds over. I think today's standards are way too narrow. The body types that are displayed in the media are what women think that their bodies need to look like even though that obtaining that body is physically impossible for many. One of my closest friends had the image in her head that she weighed too much because she did not look like the girls in magazines. She developed an eating disorder and ended up in rehab to overcome her problem. I think that the media only puts out one image of what women should look like, when instead they should be displaying a variety of shapes and sizes.

[Sara Cumming]

1. I agree and disagree with Rosenberg's statement that athletic companies “ought to value strength more than any other potential advertiser.” On the first hand, I believe that athletic companies should endorse all types of female athletes during the Olympics for their hardwork and dedication to sports. I believe that this will prove to children in our society that it does not matter what type of body you have but how hardworking of an individual you are that matters. On the other hand, I understand why some athletic companies do not endorse the larger stature women of the Olympics. In our society today, many of our opinions are based on first impressions. If athletic companies were to put these larger weightlifters on all of their endorsements, I can see why many people would not buy the merchandise if they do not even know who the athlete is.
2. When I participated in college level lacrosse, it was mandatory for my team and me to partake in weight lifting once a week during season and a few times during the week for off season. Do I think my lacrosse team and I genuinely weight lifted seriously? No! Being in a weight room with a large team of girls was taken as a social time and we could never seriously lift weights without laughing. In the weight room of my college gym there were always lots of serious men weightlifting and making crazy noises when they dropped the weights. This would cause my female team members and me to burst out laughing knowing that we could never seriously weight lift. I can see where weightlifting can be beneficial to a women’s body but I do not believe I will ever fully participate in weightlifting.
3. The message that Lisa Leslie is trying to state is that not only can she dunk but she is also a pretty fashion model. She is trying to prove to women that you can be pretty and also extremely athletic at the same time. In our media today, our magazines are always crowded with pretty looking faces with gorgeous skinny bodies. I understand Lisa’s technique of proving to all women that you can be pretty and also extremely athletic at the same time.
4. When I look back to the 2012 Olympics I do not remember the commercials and endorsements being all about the impressive athletic bodies. I can recall seeing commercials for all types of athletes. Yes, I believe that our standards are too narrow today when it comes to models in magazines and on the runway. But I also believe that the athletic endorsements do a great job of showing a real women’s body in the media. For example, the gymnastic girls are cute girls, but they are not model figures. Yet athletic endorsements are always showing these girls and how there hardwork paid off. Also, during the Olympics I remember watching a documentary on a weight lifter who was poor because she dedicated her life to become an Olympic weight lifter. I believe that the answer to this question could go either way. In one aspect lots of hardworking athletes are shown during the Olympics with endorsement deals, but on the other hand after the Olympics, many of these girls endorsements are becoming rare.

[Jorge Amar]

I agree that the reason Sarah Robles did not get the big-time endorsement is because of her weight. The main issue today is not sexism, but rather face value. When a company is looking to sponsor a potential candidate, they often look for the one that is “crowd appealing”; meaning physical looks play a big role in the decision-making and not so much talent. A company wants to make sure that the person they are sponsoring represents their company in a “good” way. I think it is safe to say that sex appeal sells, and an attractive person representing a company does not hurt. Most companies are in it for themselves; profit is king. From a marketing standpoint, it is understandable for a company to want to sponsor someone who appeals more to the public. It is clear that Robles did not get a huge endorsement deal because of her appearance but this also raises the question as to who is the best. Are the best the most attractive or the most talented? Obviously being "the strongest woman in America" just does not cut it nowadays unless that woman has idealistic beauty and an unattainable body. In our society, it is evident that physical appearance triumphs over talent. More skinny “beautiful” women make the covers of magazines than the majority of average looking females. To make matters worse, Photoshop and other body-altering technology present an unattainable beauty that is unrealistic. As a result, consumers have been taught to believe that beauty is associated with talent and vice versa. The sad part of it all is that the consumer creates the demand. In the media, it all comes down to looks and appearances; people buy what they like to see and what they like to see is “pretty.” While many talented people do make it “big” in the industry, they often have to work much harder than those who posses “natural” beauty. Sarah Robles is a perfect example of an extremely talented person who had to work much harder even though she clearly had more talent.

[Tamara Van Dorn]

It’s very unfortunate it took so long for Sarah Robles to become sponsored. We are’t just talking about the slightly larger runner-up in the beauty contest, Sarah Robles is an olympic weightlifter! Robles is competing for herself and for her country, and not only is her weight helpful in this endeavor, it is mandatory. In the article, Rosenberg notes the two weightlifting athletes Nike sponsors, Natalie Burgener and Erin Wallace, both of whom have smaller body weights than Robles’ accomplished 275 pounds. Robles’ weight is considerably higher than both girls (165 lbs. and 138 lbs. respectively) and her lifting records are much greater, at 15 kg higher in the snatch as well as 30 kg higher in the clean and jerk, showing her additional weight only makes her a stronger competitor.

When looking for the explanation behind Robles’ lack of sponsors attention, it is easy to use the seemingly exhausted excuse that media and weight is linked as Kirby Herron and Jorge Amar have both stated. I agree that this is the most likely reason, media has in the past, and still continues to, not showcase bigger figures. What doesn’t seem to make sense is how these media ideals are still prevalent today when many people have been fighting against itty-bitty models and air-brushing in magazines for many years. We have seen larger models on runways, less computer work in magazines, and brought many plus-sizes to fame for, or regardless, of their size such as plus-size model Whitney Thompson winning hit television show America’s Next Top Model in 2008 or /Precious/ leading actress Gabourey Sidibe being nominated for over 30 awards in 2009 including Best Actor in a film from both the Academy Awards and Golden Globes, and ever popular singer Adele who won six Grammys this year alone. With 67% of the American women population considered plus-size, according to Anna Breslaw in a recent article, it seems ridiculous that plus-size and overweight are not equally given credit for their achievements or portrayed in the media the same as their less-heavy, and less numbered, counterparts. At least Solve Media has it right by sponsoring Sarah Robles, noting her talent and not just her size.

[Ashley Valdez]

This article was quite shocking to read. It is hard to fathom that the only people that will get any sort of attention in this world are the good-looking ones. Although Sarah Robles is the highest ranked American weight lifter of both genders, she was one of the lasts to get sponsored. This is simply because she weighs 275 lbs. Many companies, such as Nike, only feature women who have the ideal body type. However, for men, it has always been the bigger the better. It is unfair that women all over the world are being discriminated against due to their weight, size, and/or body shape. America has this ideal image of what a woman should look like—and those who do not compare simply get pushed aside. Nike features two women, Natalie Burgener and Erin Wallace, both weighing under 165 lbs. Now, clearly, Sarah Robles is the better weight lifter here, however, is she the face that Nike wants to represent their company? The obvious answer here is No. Unfortunately, if you want the world to recognize you, you must meet a certain standard in the physical appearance category. It is shocking to believe that Robles was living off of only $400 per week considering how much she has accomplished and how amazing she really is. As stated in the article, one would think that these athletic equipment companies would value strength more than any other factor. However, as one can see, realistically there is no higher value than physical appearance. It is sad to say that society puts on such a heavy weight on how we are supposed look and how we are supposed to behave, that when anyone looks or acts differently, they are considered an outcast. That is exactly what Sarah Robles is here, an outcast. Although she is behaving in all the right manners, her physical appearance is still not up to standards, so she will never be viewed to be as amazing or as strong as the other, smaller athletes.

English 1C
Professor Greenberg

[Samuel Sutton]

This article is a perfect example of how women are still being discriminated. Women are constantly held to specific standards that focus on the way they look. If they are not thin, beautiful, and sensual enough then they are considered as too fat or too ugly. As a result, women who wish to be sponsored or work in specific fields are forced to take painstaking efforts to maintain their outer appearance. After all, if they start gaining weight or allow their faces to age they will likely be dropped from the sponsorship or possibly fired for a younger looking, thinner woman. This focuses on woman as nothing more than sex objects or "eye candy." This, naturally, is degrading and insulting to women. No one wishes to be viewed as just a sex object or an item that men can stare and gawk at like a piece of meat. Men are typically judged based on a combination of their personalities and capabilities. Women deserve the same common courtesy. In light of this view, it is refreshing to find that there are some individuals in the media who are willing to point out such discrimination and attack it. The media is well known for focusing on women's looks and sexual appeal for commercials and advertisements. Yet this article shows that there are some within the media who are willing to take a stand against such discriminatory behavior. There are some who are willing to sponsor women who are not as thin as a stick, and who do not cover their faces with makeup. There are some who are willing to focus on a woman's capabilities and talent as opposed to her sexual appeal. This shows that there may yet be some hope for women to find true equality in such areas over time.

[jazmin hernandez]

This article explains how famous brands tend to create a certain look every women needs to follow. Sarah Robles is not getting a sponsorship from Adidas, Nike, or any brand is because of her looks. Sex sells. Advertisers for the big companies want the girl who can sell the most weightlifting shoes. This is the reality; peoples’ abilities are being overlooked by their physical appearance. It is sad that we create a certain image that is described as being perfect but this has been happening ever since advertising was created. These companies could have endorsed Sarah Robles but would have faced a risk on their sales because companies have created an image that the public expects. Nike endorsed two girls who have a feminine look but could lift great amount of weight. Most feminine girls do not tend to lift and realistically it is the more masculine women who do the weightlifting. These companies are creating an unrealistic image that most women cannot attain. Our standards are too narrow because we do not accept the bigger, masculine women as being part of advertising. These standards are not only being held in advertising but also most industries tend to look at ones appearance over abilities when hiring people. Competitive weightlifting is usually more perceived by men because women have that feminine part they have to perform. As Rosenberg explains, Lisa Leslie promotes in the Nike commercial, that even though she is a professional basketball player she can still be fashionable. I think as America promotes the “American dream” these athletic companies are promoting that perfect body with perfect life type of lifestyle. I personally have recently gotten into weightlifting and going to the gym because of the influences around me but the struggle to get to professional weightlifting is committing, demanding, and difficult. It is distressing to see Sarah Robles struggle to get those promoters especially because of the amazing work she does.

[Nelly Hernandez]

Alyssa Rosenberg’s article “ Is Sarah Robles Too Big To Get the Big-Time Endorsements” argues that athletic apparel companies should value a female athlete’s talent over all other advertising agents when offering endorsement deals, especially physical appearance. I agree with Rosenberg because women are constantly being bombarded with advertisements that prompt them to achieve a physical beauty that only exist through Photoshop and athletic apparel companies should focus on promoting physical strength rather than the corrupt idea of beauty. When these companies fail to endorse women who are physically and mentally stronger such as Sarah Robles, an Olympic weightlifter, over a woman who satisfies the stereotypical ideal of beauty, they are reinforcing the idea that only petite women are talented and beautiful. Reinforcing these stereotypes is the cause of many inner battles that women face when they are unsatisfied with their bodies. These companies also convey a message to women that they are not working hard enough to achieve a perfect body, and even if they are they should not stop until they look like the person endorsed to model their products. By being more concerned with female athlete’s looks rather than their talent, companies such as Nike and Adidas are also supporting the idea that a woman’s worth is based on looks, not on what the talents they posses or their mental capacity. This affects a woman’s self-esteem, but it also prompts them to lose ambition in other areas of life such as their profession and education by their constant desire to satisfy others’ idea of physical beauty. Men’s expectations of what a woman should look like are also affected by these advertisements featuring petite women because they make men believe that every woman is capable of looking a certain way and they fail to recognize what truly makes a woman unique, which is their strength, intelligence and ability to love and appreciate others.

[Xuan Do]

I found the article “Is Sarah Robles Too Big to Get the Big-Time Endorsements?” which made me got hook into it. All I can say is amazing, I would have never thought of such discrimination against a talent person like Sarah Robles. I will be honest, I never even heard of Sarah Robles in my life. After reading the article, I went on “Google.com” to search for Sarah Robles pictures. However, what I saw was very disappointing. It was not Sarah that I was disappointed about, but rather at myself. My first impression was how big and mean looking she was. I did not care about whether or not she is considered to have the highest chance for American Olympic to win. To simply put it, I did not want to look or resemble her in any way. After a moment of thoughts, I realize we have been brainwash ever since we were children. From Barbie and Ben, Sleeping Beauty, Snow whites, and especially Mulan, we were embedded of what we ought to look like. A Sarah Robles image was nowhere close to what these princess portrait. In today society, looks play a major role on how others perceive us. Being thin and tall resembles success and powers, but if people is short and overweight it resembles weakness and distrust. Nike and Adidas are not to be blame for our discrimination, but rather it is us who been deceived by the media. I believe this article is much more than a simple sponsorship from big brand names. It is not their fault for going along with what we already believe. Their jobs is to advertise, which means they need to show a figure that we are accustom to see and want to be. Therefore, when we read this article we should not go into frenzy towards Adidas or Nike. We need to take a look at ourselves first and ask why Sarah Robles is not being sponsor. If we actually do that, then there is a high chance that we may be able to recondition our self of what real beauty should be.

[Bryan Ortega]

I agree with what Alyssa Rosenberg is trying to say. People in today’s society focus too much on looks. If a company is supposed to sponsor a weight lifter, then is it not that what they are exactly suppose to do? It should no matter what the weight lifter would look like because they are supposed to be doing it for the sport. I find it harsh that sports companies would not sponsor Sarah Robles just because of the way she looks. Just because other lifters look smaller and more feminine, that should not stop the companies from sponsoring Sarah. Everywhere in the world people care about looks. It has slowly become one of the most important things lately. Companies will not endorse someone who is not good looking or that does not have something attractive about them. No matter how good the person may be in their sport all that matters to company is looks. The companies just want to put a good looking face on their company. I just feel bad that Sarah Robles has to deal with that just because she is not petite and really feminine. I would tell Sarah Robles to just keep on doing what she is doing. All she has to do is prove the people wrong who do not want her and who do not believe in her. She is already one of the strongest women so all she has to do is show people that they do not need endorsement deals do succeed. If she continues on the path she is on people and companies will slowly realize they were wrong. Then companies are going to go crawling to her and apologize for the way the discrimination they showed against her. We live in a messed up world.

[Angeleen Abedoza]

In Alyssa Rosenberg's article "“Is Sarah Robles Too Big to Get the Big-Time Endorsements?” she mentions body figure taking a gigantic role in sport endorsements. In this case I agree with Rosenberg. Today's society is greatly focused on the looks of athletes. Even though an amazing 275 pound athlete like Sarah Robles shows incredible strength in weightlifting, she won't have what a 165 pound woman with weaker abilities have, endorsements. Businesses like Nike and Adidas use athletes that make their product look good. And in order to do this, the athletes must have a good figure. Big sporting companies should reconsider what holds a big part in sports, which is strength. Strength comes in different shapes and sizes, and shouldn't be ignored due to an ideal image.

[Kenna Prins]

I believe that no matter what someone's size is or what they look like, it should all come down to what they lift. I am a weightlifter and I am proud of it. Often times when I tell people I am a weightlifter, they give me a weird look and say 'you don't seem like that.' The next question is usually something along the lines of 'well how much do you lift?' in a rather mocking tone as if they know it won't be much. When I tell them I lift 95, they get a shocked look on their face. Every time I step up to the bench or lift, I think of those shocked expressions. I have a goal of getting 100 next year and I won't stop until I get there. I feel that women's weightlifting should have more attention due to the fact that it is the most raw and pure sport. As my coach always says, once you get up threre, all that matters is you and the steel.

[Max Z]

This article is a perfect example of how women are still being discriminated. Women are constantly held to specific standards that focus on the way they look. If they are not thin, beautiful, and sensual enough then they are considered as too fat or too ugly. As a result, women who wish to be sponsored or work in specific fields are forced to take painstaking efforts to maintain their outer appearance. After all, if they start gaining weight or allow their faces to age they will likely be dropped from the sponsorship or possibly fired for a younger looking, thinner woman. This focuses on woman as nothing more than sex objects or "eye candy." This, naturally, is degrading and insulting to women. No one wishes to be viewed as just a sex object or an item that men can stare and gawk at like a piece of meat. Men are typically judged based on a combination of their personalities and capabilities. Women deserve the same common courtesy. In light of this view, it is refreshing to find that there are some individuals in the media who are willing to point out such discrimination and attack it. The media is well known for focusing on women's looks and sexual appeal for commercials and advertisements. Yet this article shows that there are some within the media who are willing to take a stand against such discriminatory behavior. There are some who are willing to sponsor women who are not as thin as a stick, and who do not cover their faces with makeup. There are some who are willing to focus on a woman's capabilities and talent as opposed to her sexual appeal. This shows that there may yet be some hope for women to find true equality in such areas over time.

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