I found Beth Bragg's article featuring University of Alaska Anchorage women's basketball player Alysha Devine (Jan. 29) to be extremely disappointing because it was not about Devine as a person, scholar or athlete -- but about her hair.
Out of approximately 30 sentences published, only two had substantive information (peppered with hair puns) about Devine's playing career. The subject of the other 28 sentences was her hair. What made ADN think it was a good idea to publish an athlete profile solely about the athlete's hair?
I can't presume to know what the author's intentions were when this article was penned. Perhaps imagination ran short that day, or maybe just enough material to fill the page was needed. The author possibly thought that a news article about hair would be cute, funny, refreshing, or even humorous. Of all the possible things Bragg intended for the article, I'm sure she didn't intend it to be offensive.
Devine's beautiful and unusually long hair certainly is a memorable attribute, but hardly worthy of its own article in Alaska Dispatch News. Nobody would ask hockey's Scott Gomez what products he uses in his hair and how often he brushes it to keep the tangles out. People -- even if they're college students with "minimal" life experience -- have life stories that are much more interesting than the fashion in which they choose to wear their hair. As a UAA athletics alumna, I can assure you that athletes have more depth of character than can be observed during competition.
I do not want to slam Bragg for writing the article. I want to tell her that I've been guilty of unintentionally accepting insulting behavior toward women as commonplace in our society? too, and we need to work together to change the status quo. We must help ourselves and others be mindful of the things we do and say that undermine our intentions to help women and men become equals. The solution calls for ongoing teamwork. It's much easier to live by the status quo than it is to call attention to the fact that change is needed. And convincing people that the change will benefit everyone can be difficult, to say the least.
A friend of mine who used to work for ADN pointed out that as sports editor, Bragg has done more than her fair share to ensure that women's basketball receives equal coverage and placement to men's basketball in the newspaper. He also told me that she cares deeply about women's sports, and in addition to her editing duties, that she is also the primary reporter for UAA women's basketball and writes game stories, game previews, and features. As an alumna athlete, I thank her for all of that.
Surely, however, she has also seen the trends online and in other media about engaging with high-profile women in a way that is more than superficial. Articles like the one about Devine's hair are detrimental to the advancement of women. Period.
As an example, the "Like A Girl" campaign (first aired during the 2015 Super Bowl) by the company Always helped me realize that colloquial expressions we've used for decades are actually derogatory. I strongly recommend watching the short online video showing differences in how young women, boys and young girls perceive the phrase, "like a girl." Nationally, this ad campaign sparked a change in the conversation about what it means to run, throw and do pretty much any activity "like a girl."
Yes, "like a girl" may be simply a colloquial expression that seems innocent enough, but it is imperative that we strike this expression from our vernacular. This small change will help us call attention to the everyday language we use that disrupts our mission to help women and men become equals.
Social media hashtags like #covertheathlete and #askhermore are other initiatives to bring attention to the gendered and sexist ways the media chooses to highlight women in sports and film.
As part of initiatives like these, online videos and articles feature male athletes being subjected to sexist commentary and inappropriate interview questions focused on physical attributes or appearances -- which are commonplace for women to endure. Only when the shoe is on the man's foot do we realize how ridiculous this status quo is.
Together, we must be actively dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women. Helping each other spread the word is how we'll accomplish our goal. All news media outlets should use their influence to feature stories about women -- not only in sports but in the community as well -- that focus on their histories, accomplishments, and goals. Alaska Dispatch News could set an example and lead the way for Alaska's media coverage to put the emphasis on women's accomplishments, not their bodies.
Katina Ozrelic graduated from UAA with majors in marketing and management. She is honored to have represented the Seawolves on the volleyball court for four seasons and lives happily in Anchorage.
The views expressed here are the writer's own and are not necessarily endorsed by Alaska Dispatch News, which welcomes a broad range of viewpoints. To submit a piece for consideration, email commentary@alaskadispatch.com. Send submissions shorter than 200 words to letters@alaskadispatch.com or click here to submit via any web browser.