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Put on Your Game Face
Female Athletes Demonstrate the Power of Women By Donna Smith
Self-esteem, or lack of, is a growing concern among parents of young girls. Most adolescent girls define body image by looking at the mega-thin, made-up models strewn on glossy pages in magazines. How often in these magazines do you see female athletes throwing a football, competing in a marathon, playing soccer or preparing for a championship baseball game? Rarely, if ever, though studies have proven that girls who participate in sports have higher self-esteem, better body image, decreased anxiety and stress, not to mention the physical benefits.
But what does a female athlete look like? That's what Game Face: What Does a Female Athlete Look Like? – an exhibition of photographs showing the strength, determination, power and skill of female athletes – has set out to show girls and women of all ages. Sponsored by MassMutual Financial Group, including Oppenheimer Funds, Inc., Game Face opened at the Smithsonian Institution in June 2001 and will travel to 15 other cities through 2006. The opening attracted more than 400,000 visitors to see more than 100 color and black-and-white photographs showcasing the power of women.
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Game Face is the vision of Jane Gottesman, a former sportswriter for The San Francisco Chronicle. Gottesman spent nearly 10 years searching and collecting the photographs for this awesome exhibit. The stunning images illustrate every sport – from folklore dance and wrestling to rugby and bowling – and every age, and they all meld together into one celebration of the female spirit.
What young girl wouldn't be inspired by a color portrait of Brandi Chastain celebrating her team winning the World Cup? Or Tara Lipinski's phenomenal performance skating for Olympic gold? The majority of the photos at the exhibit, however, are not of well-known stars who have reached their Olympic dream or other nationally televised events, but of incredible amateur athletes all across the country. They are of a young girl holding on for dear life while mutton busting at the Crawford County Fairgrounds, a middle-aged woman pole-vaulting at the University of Nebraska and an older woman wearing a corset standing by her bicycle in the 1890s. All are inspirations and role models for girls of all ages. All answer the question: What does a female athlete look like?
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