Of manly women and Caster Semenya
The controversy trailing South African teenager Caster Semenya’s 800m triumph at the Berlin World Athletics championships has refused to die out. At the heart of the debate over her abrupt rise to glory is the question of her gender.
My patriotic antenna stuck out when I realised that she could have been falsely awarded a medal that belonged to second placed Janet Jepkosgei.
But as I continue to follow the debate, I noticed that it was leaning rather heavily towards an old stereotype. What is certain, is the fact that Caster would never have made the headlines had she not won that event. So, I can say that the debate is less about gender assignment and more about her looks.
That Caster is not the conventional cute babe is a given. She could actually pass for a man. She has a guy’s name, jaunting biceps, a deep voice, a flat chest and unshaven armpits. Her macho attitude in front of cameras was a clear sign of gender bending - which is nothing new.
There are countless examples of masculine women in popular culture - some even gained access to the rarified realms of success. Two names pop to mind. Margaret Thatcher and Grace Jones.
Despite the fact that some countries, mainly Eastern Europeans and Russians, have unveiled their share of mannish-looking and butch women in sport over the years, the double standards still apply. This is not the first time this kind of slur has come up and it tends to afflict black women in professional sports ranks.
Track and field female athletes are not exactly known for their fine looks. On numerous instances on the sports field, the gender line is often blurry from neck up. Think Maria Mutola, the Maputo Express or even Cathy Freeman from Down Under.
Every once in a while, a stunner like Marion Jones may come along with talent to boot but such occurrences are not the norm. It is claimed that Caster has three times more testosterone than a normal female. What’s new about this?
All I have to do organise a press junket to a series of district level high school sport meets and line up a few of the girls taking part in field events like shot putt and discus. Trust me, testosterone overload is one thing that will not be in short supply.
At best, we could label the South African girl androgynous in terms of gender identity, because she does not fit cleanly into the typical masculine or feminine gender boxes of mainstream society. Does that make her a fraud? I don’t think so. If she was taking any illegal substances, the IAAF would have nailed her faster than you can say ‘hermaphrodite’.
So why are we being forced to engage in a freak show spectacle like she is some alien out of a sci-fi movie? Ever since, I was a small boy, I came to understand that not all women look feminine. Some had strange features like beards, calloused skin on their hands and faces that only a mother could love. Nonetheless, we cannot slam a girl for being overly masculine.
And then to further accuse her of a genetic advantage is a bit of a stretch. That implies that she is unbeatable because she runs like a guy. Yet the obvious explanation is in her roots. She is a marginalised girl from the Limpopo. She saw a break on the tracks and went for it like her life depended on it.
What’s new about that kind of motivation? The unfortunate reality is that whenever a black athlete embarks on a winning streak, the suggestion of genetic advantage always crops up. Where does pure hard training and unwavering determination factor in?
Female sports events have borne the brunt of a masculine viewpoint. The marketing forces behind sport continue to push sex to lure the audience because an attractive athletic form is the preferred ideal. Beautiful faces and bodies in spandex are what is believed to drive spectator numbers and bottom-line revenue figures.
The fact is, given a choice I would pick Anna Kournikova over Serena Williams for eye candy. However, it takes a lot more than stunning looks to become a world champion. Funny then, that no one really cares about a black woman’s looks until she starts winning.
This is precisely the dilemma that has snared one Caster Semenya. Instead of our fellow sisters standing up to show some solidarity, the lame suggestion tabled was a makeover! It is quite obvious that female bias against a fellow female is measured against the beauty scale.
Many women show homophobic tendencies towards masculine-looking women perhaps out of fear of association to lesbianism. But please tell me, why do we keep trying to feminise women who are clearly not feminine? Talk about missing the boat. They tried it on Serena Williams and she only captured attention because she was undeniably callipygian.
In our own backyard a notable attempt was made on Conjestina Achieng, by all accounts an entertaining boxer in the ring. Female sport is being sexualized to the point where athletic prowess is obscured. Even so, the curvy sexpot in athletics is a shaky prospect. In the end, what the audience demands is a consistent champion even if she cannot tell her mascara from her lip-gloss.
The point is that we like to watch the athletes do what they do best, which is cream the opposition. This is not a beauty pageant.It is an athletic contest. When men want to look for hot female bodies, involved in a sweaty sports event, we turn to beach volleyball.
