Olympic Day Olympic Sports

Why so much fuss about make-up?

July 30, 2024
<a href="https://revsportz.in/author/sharmistha/" rel="author" class="url fn n" itemprop="url"><img alt='' src='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/edc0cde1f5716e7159fb0b31a975ea6d?s=32&d=mm&r=g' srcset='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/edc0cde1f5716e7159fb0b31a975ea6d?s=64&d=mm&r=g 2x' class='avatar avatar-32 photo' height='32' width='32' decoding='async'/> <span class="" itemprop="name">Sharmistha Gooptu</span></a>
Photograph of Sha ‘Carri Richardson. Source (X)

Eurosport has removed a swimming commentator from its Paris 2024 roster after he made an offensive and sexist comment about the winning Australian women’s relay team. “Well, the women just finishing up,” he said. “You know what women are like … hanging around, doing their makeup…”It was supposedly meant to be funny, only I’m left wondering what someone might have said in a similar vein if they had wanted to be funny about men.

Nothing comes to mind really, because there really is no pervasive culture of demoting men even while celebrating them. And thank God for that. Only women aren’t that lucky. For one, they are expected to be well turned out – when they’re competing,  they’re icons in every which way, with luxury brands falling over each other to sponsor them at the highest levels. And surely that can’t be such a bad thing, if it’s not bad for the men. And who can say that the water-proof makeup is only meant for women?

But surely, at the winning moment, no appearances count- it’s only the blood and sweat and the years of hard work that stand supreme. And for anybody to bring up appearances or make-up, and superficiality into that moment is belittling the athletes –

 truly contrary to the spirit of the Games. 

IIona Maher in action. Source (X)

And for women like myself, when they are reporting at a mega event like the Paris Olympics, make-up is a very dispensable thing. Because what we’re chasing is the big story or that interview or that other event. Paris is simmering hot during the day and we have to jostle and push our way through the crowded metro stations, running from one venue to another, walking for miles – often food and bio breaks are a luxury, and make- up has truly gone out of the window.

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And even so, funnily enough, the woman reporter is expected to look good on screen, more so than her male counterparts. And if she doesn’t, it’s still, and quite often, an undeclared discredit of sorts. 

Source (X)

So what if she steps aside to replenish her lipstick before the shot – does that qualify as ‘women hanging around, doing their makeup’? Or pure professionalism? Women athletes and professionals know how to wear their make-up and also to shine at the top – men like the commentator in question just need to make that peace.

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