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Teen Athlete to America: Stop Stokkeing your Poles
Dread Pirate Arbuthnot
OMG WRIGGLYT O X O P L A S M O S I SRegistered User regular
OMG WRIGGLYT O X O P L A S M O S I SRegistered User regular
Allison Stokke, 18, became a celebrity nearly overnight. She's a high school athlete, a pole vaulter, and while she had stirred up a lot of interested in competitive pole vaulting circuits and coaches, outside of that area she was unrecognized - until a few photos of her found their way onto more popular blogs.
Sports blogs began to pick up her pictures, and then blogs that concentrated on 'male interests', such as 'hot women and sports', mostly with locker room talk surrounding it. One article introduced her, and followed up her accomplishments with "Hubba hubba and other grunting sounds.". A fake Facebook was put up. A fansite was hosted, and the forums were promptly filled with sexual fantasies about her as well as pictures. Photographers began to show up at her meets, asking for photo shoots. Some wanted to run legitimate articles, other wanted her to dress scantily and smile for the camera. Even though the pictures and videos were innocent, such as her adjust her hair, think out loud about how to improve her performance, or just smiling as she is about to vault, Stokke has become a sex symbol overnight. Fans from Spain post on her MySpace about how well known she is in their country - not for her athletic career.
Stokke has a 4.0 GPA, a scholarship to the University of California, and many pole vaulting accomplishments, but at the moment she professes herself afraid. In a Washington Post article, she claims that she's afraid to leave her house alone, keeps her doors locked at all times, and talks about the humiliation of having elaborate sexual fantasies put up where anyone - even her parents, who check on such things regularly to prevent stalking - can read them.
This is probably symptomatic though of the obsession in America of how females are portrayed. When Paris Hilton was jailed, her fans tried to appeal because she brings 'beauty and glamour' to their lives. Tabloids obsess over the sex lives of celebrities. Is there any way to protect women from the media spotlight in this fashion? Is it possible to change attitudes over this sort of thing, and if so, how would you suggest changing them?
Sports blogs began to pick up her pictures, and then blogs that concentrated on 'male interests', such as 'hot women and sports', mostly with locker room talk surrounding it. One article introduced her, and followed up her accomplishments with "Hubba hubba and other grunting sounds.". A fake Facebook was put up. A fansite was hosted, and the forums were promptly filled with sexual fantasies about her as well as pictures. Photographers began to show up at her meets, asking for photo shoots. Some wanted to run legitimate articles, other wanted her to dress scantily and smile for the camera. Even though the pictures and videos were innocent, such as her adjust her hair, think out loud about how to improve her performance, or just smiling as she is about to vault, Stokke has become a sex symbol overnight. Fans from Spain post on her MySpace about how well known she is in their country - not for her athletic career.
Stokke has a 4.0 GPA, a scholarship to the University of California, and many pole vaulting accomplishments, but at the moment she professes herself afraid. In a Washington Post article, she claims that she's afraid to leave her house alone, keeps her doors locked at all times, and talks about the humiliation of having elaborate sexual fantasies put up where anyone - even her parents, who check on such things regularly to prevent stalking - can read them.
This is probably symptomatic though of the obsession in America of how females are portrayed. When Paris Hilton was jailed, her fans tried to appeal because she brings 'beauty and glamour' to their lives. Tabloids obsess over the sex lives of celebrities. Is there any way to protect women from the media spotlight in this fashion? Is it possible to change attitudes over this sort of thing, and if so, how would you suggest changing them?
Dread Pirate Arbuthnot on
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As long as the country has such backwards, Victorian views on sex itself, I don't think changing attitudes on this sort of thing will be possible.
WHO THE FUCK ARE THESE PEOPLE?
Seriously. I have never in my life actually talked to someone who likes Paris Hilton. Whenever her name comes up in conversation, real-life or interwebs, it's always in the context of everyone hating her and finding her annoying.
They're being dealt with.
Oh, and what ege02 said. Sounds harsh, but in a country with anything approaching rational views on sex, I don't think the girl & family would be having quite the same reaction to this. Conversely, it probably wouldn't have become such an issue in the first place.
http://feministing.com/archives/007124.html
So how is your daughter, ege?
It must be horrible for her to be objectified, I just don't see what anyone can do about it.
pleasepaypreacher.net
Wii Code: 1040-1320-0724-3613 :!!:
So being in high school puts you in the public light now?
Didn't know who it was, though, and the background story makes it much creepier.
EDIT: Wrong info, ignore. High school, no. Sports, maybe.
Wii Code: 1040-1320-0724-3613 :!!:
Yes, heaven forfend that we should expect guys not to turn into creepy stalkers when they see a picture of a pretty girl! That girl should have known better than to be so attractive. She should definitely hurt her athletic career by wearing baggy-ass clothes to keep from being a temptation to them.
Um, he didn't even come close to saying that. His line of thought was more or less "what else do you expect" and "there's little you're going to do about it."
*edit*
Also, her father's a cunt. I hope he suffers.
This is stupid; it resembles the fundamentalist Muslim views on the issue; i.e. the woman should not dress or act in ways that will invoke sexual urges in the man.
O_o
I knew/know plenty of female athletes in high school and college who don't "wear more" and don't get stalked.
There's no reason to assume you'll get stalked just because you're hawt.
Um. No. I'm saying is if being a sex symbol bothers you, you don't dress revealingly. If you don't care, knock yourself out, but different people have different standards. (And since she's now a legal adult, there's not much you can do about it)
Wii Code: 1040-1320-0724-3613 :!!:
Weeeeeeeeeeeell, generally I'd expect you to not be a total moron, but clearly I'm going to be disappointed.
Father thing is interesting, didn't know that. Of course, while it puts a spin on his proclamations to the press re: his daughter, it has fuck all to do with the fact that the girl is the one being targeted.
Who are these people whose standards say "athlete should not dress for performance"?
It's kinda hard though when the sport requires slim clothing. Ever see a long distance runner? Now this comment is a little ridiculous...
Erm, so you are saying that one person should censure their dress code because another person considers it sexual? The girl is a fucking athlete you tard. She wears clothing made for efficiency, not sex.
If it bothers them, then yes! Sheeeesh.
Wii Code: 1040-1320-0724-3613 :!!:
THEN DON'T COMPLAIN WHEN OTHER PEOPLE FIND IT SEXY. I don't know what's so difficult to wrap around this.
Wii Code: 1040-1320-0724-3613 :!!:
So you're saying she deserves all of this because she dresses in clothes appropriate for her athletic activity?
Methinks that if you keep talking for long enough your head will eventually deflate and disappear completely.
Fixed. See any resemblance to fundy Islamic views now? They say exactly the same thing; if the woman is a sex symbol, it is her mistake. Which is bullshit.
But then it sort of emphasizes what I said earlier in the thread:
Yes, that's creepy. Those people can deal with the law on an individual basis.
I find it more interesting that in order to make the problem go away, it's being televised on ESPN, CBS, newspapers nationwide.... It doesn't make any sense. "Oh that poor girl! Let's make her MORE famous, you know, to protect her."
EDIT: This whole thing reminds me of something I was told when working in the House of Representatives: "Don't email anything you wouldn't want on the front page of the Washington Post." It's just a rule of thumb, if you're in a public space, presume that someone somewhere will want to exploit you in some way. It's sad, but the way the world works now.
Wii Code: 1040-1320-0724-3613 :!!:
Counter-stalking. Follow the papparazzi around and post pictures of them on your blog with "erotic-fiction" about butt-fucking them with a broom-handle. Ditto to any of the fratboy-bloggers propogating the shit that you can find. I don't mean just her or even her at all, either. I mean there should be some kind of organized dissent going on here and I want to know why there isn't.
I think the reason it is talked about so much is because it needs to be addressed. Simply shrugging your shoulders and saying "it happens" just doesn't cut it any more. Someone needs to tell these people -- legal or not -- they're fucking creeps and need to knock it off.
Right. The law will deal with every single person who joined her MySpace to solicit her for sex, right?