a friend sent me this article yesterday:

WNBA Includes Makeup, Fashion Seminars For Rookie Orientation

an excerpt:

As part of the rookies’ orientation into life as professional athletes, the WNBA for the first time offered them hour-long courses on makeup and fashion tips. The courses, at an O’Hare airport hotel, made up about a third of the two-day orientation.

and another:

Renee Brown, the WNBA’s vice president of player personnel, said the league aims to show its players as “mothers, daughters, sisters, nieces and entrepreneurs” and their “womanhood” is important to promote the league.

“You’re a woman first,” Brown said. “You just happen to play sports. They enjoy dressing up and trying on outfits, where back in the day, everyone just wore sweats.

“Call it what you want. We’re just celebrating their womanhood.”

but Brown doesn’t stop there:

“I find it interesting that a lot of players do not even know how to apply mascara,” Brown said. “I think as they get into it, they love it. I don’t think we can run from the fact that they’re women. They’re so much more than basketball players.”

i’ll admit that i’m culling the parts of the article that are really appalling to me. it’s actually a pretty balanced piece that delves into the patriarchal standards that women athletes are held to.

the Seattle Times blogged about the makeup seminar, and one of the comments cut through to my mixed feelings on the matter:

Whether or not it is right to have to comply in that manner, the WNBA has sponsors in corporate America to keep happy and probably has to “make up” for the circus that the media made out of Sheryl Swoopes’ sexuality, the “obvious” lesbian following of the sport, and the unfair stereotypes put on wonderfully talented women who are not all that feminine in the public eye… namely, on the basketball court. Right or wrong, the WNBA has to adhere to certain practices to do what is most important- to keep the league going at a continued rate of progressive success.

With all that being said and understanding what is being done here, I will say it is a shame that we live in a world where we can’t all be accepted as we are, and in the case of WNBA players, just be appreciated for the joy and entertainment they bring to so many with their talent.

thoughts?