Climbers are sexy, but is the sport getting too sexy?
After the recent revelation that woman find rock climbing one of the sexiest sports going we discovered this debate stimulating blogg:
Climbers are sexy, but is the sport getting too sexy?
A recent study looking at the “attractiveness” of certain sports that was originally discovered by RockClimberGirl.com has been getting a lot of attention on various climbing websites lately. Reason being is that the study found that climbing is the “sexiest sport from a female perspective” with 57% of women finding climbing attractive. In contrast “only” 41% of men found climbing attractive in members of the opposite sex. Whether or not these numbers actually mean anything is up for debate, but it is interesting nonetheless…and it’s a great segue to something that caught my eye recently.
While reading Alex Johnson’s latest blog entry on Deadpoint Magazine’s site yesterday I was intrigued by her comments about the “scantily clad girls” she saw competing against her at the recent UBC comp in Salt Lake City:
The annual bouldering competition was fun as always. It was also unbearably hot, as the desert usually is in August, and the scantily clad girls were out in full force. I understand how dreadful the summer heat can be, but some of the outfits are beginning to cross the line. It’s out of respect for my fellow female competitors, and the respect that I hope they have for themselves, that I wish for the provocative attire to be taken down a notch. Yes, we all know sex sells, and that sadly it seems the less you wear, the more you’re photographed. But I believe trying to gain publicity using your body is pushing our sport in a negative direction and it’s sincerely disappointing. My desire is for women climbers to be notarized for their personalities, ethics, morals, professionalism, etc. Much further down the list lands climbing ability or accomplishments, and never should seeking attention for clothing, or lack thereof, come into play. Women are strong and powerful, and beauty can be portrayed in many ways. Over-sexuality doesn’t always have to be one of them. Come on, girls, leave something for the imagination.
Anyone who has seen one of these comps knows what Johnson is referring to. The outfits worn by some of the female competitors don’t leave much to the imagination. Whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing depends on your point of view I suppose, but in general I tend to agree with Johnson’s contention that things could be toned down a bit.
While I’m interested in hearing what others have to say on this topic, I’m also a bit hesitant to open a subject like this up for reasons that should be obvious. Feel free to share your opinion in the comments, but know that there is a short leash for out-of-bounds comments…
You can read Johnson’s full thoughts at the aforementioned blog entry by clicking here.Labels: boulders, indoor rock climbing