Post by ironhammer on Sept 4, 2015 22:24:57 GMT -5
And the thing is, certain cynical volleyball promoters have even resorted to blatantly sexist marketing of using the women's bodies to sell the game. The logic being, sex sells of course. I mean, its obvious why female beach volleyball players dress in bikini. And I've seen some tv broadcasts of indoor volleyball matches have a strange focus on the girl's legs and their spandex butt. Perverse, sexist and unacceptable? Absolutely. But it does say something about how hard some are trying to sell the game if they are even resorting to these kind of below-the-belt tactics.
We are talking about "beach" volleyball. I thought we were past bikinis not being appropriate beachwear. What would happen if bikinis were banned at the beach? Women and girls would lead the protest, it seems to me. Appropriate gymware, on the other hand...
I'm hoping nobody is suggesting we go to this:
Part of the problem is that body parts are libidinized by being concealed rather than exposed. A century ago, ankles were all the rage.
I don't think anyone is suggesting a Lingerie Volleyball League. Where do we draw the line between sexploitation and natural sex appeal?
I do think that one of the issues is that the sport is more exciting in person than on TV. Even in person, all too often a point being scored results in a "wha happen?"
Now, I'd like to see longer rallies, which to me would mean one thing - raise the net.
You got a point, where do we draw the line?
Although you are citing an example in the other extreme. I think no one is seriously expecting Iranian style cover-everything. The issue is not whether bikinis are appropriate beachwear but relying on scantily-clad women as the selling point. The point is, I have spoken to volleyball officials and promoters who freely admit in off-the-record conversations to a sex-appeal strategy (not saying the strategy actually works but this sex idea exists). Which raises the question of why we have to rely on that instead of the innate appeal of the sport itself? Sure, some girls may also like to flaunt their beauty and sexiness in addition to their sporting prowess. That is fine and they are perfectly entitled to do so. But as a marketing strategy, is women volleyball so low in appeal to the general public that we have to resort to the "sexiness" of the players rather than the sport itself?