So lets begin by defining what a "trophy wife is.." Definition: Trophy wife is a highly pejorative term, usually applied to a physically attractive younger woman married to a man who has a high level of success, be it physical, financial, or otherwise. Usually, the Trophy Wife is not the first wife of the man who has a high level of success and has little to do with the achievement of that success. The term "gold digger" is used to describe a woman who intentionally seeks this arrangement.
The picture above shows 4 beautiful ladies, all who happen to be married to the World Series Winning Yankee players. From left to right, the photo includes the wives of AJ. Burnett, CC Sabathia, Alex Rodriguez, and Melkey Cabrera. The second picture is a cover that shows Anna Benson, wife of Atlanta pitcher Kris Benson, laying naked in a pile of baseballs. Anna Benson is perhaps one of the most noted or recognized "baseball wives."
THE SIDE THAT WE SEE: It's sad to say that when you think of baseball and females, one of the only stereotypes that you get is the "trophy wife" or "cleat chaser." In the first picture you see four beautiful ladies married to star baseball players. Many of the ladies lose their identity and are not recognized as themselves but as a collective whole, "the baseball wives." Besides being married to a star baseball player, it is sad to say that no one really knows who these girls are. People see these ladies as the pretty wives that watch their husband play ball. These ladies live the glamorous life, walk down to the first rows next to the dugout with their 8 carat rock, place their Louis Vuitton purse atop of dozens of broken peanut shells, almost twist an ankle walking in their 5 inch stilettos with perfectly manicured toes, and always happen to have tight, toned, tan heavenly bodies. Some might stereotype these girls as being just dumb or ditzy beauty queens however in many cases, this is definitely not true.
THE SIDE THAT NO ONE KNOWS ABOUT: Baseball player wives have to be independent ladies as their husbands are on the road literally 8 months of a year. While their children are sick and suffer from disabilities, the wives are in charge of taking the kids to soccer practice and school. When "hot baseball wife" Anna Benson gets the call that her husband has been traded, she is in charge of moving the family (kids, house, pets, etc.) On top of all of this, many baseball teams have a "baseball wives club." These ladies get together and organize various community service events. From creating raffles for the fans to working with various charities, these females try to use their slight stardom received from their husbands to do some kind of good.
The last picture of Anna Benson shows the sexualized side of baseball wives. Anna Benson is lying in a pile of baseballs naked. She is portrayed as just another object laying in the pile of balls. Her private parts are covered by the mere stitchings from the baseball. The side captions that show the theme of this edition include "hookups, hangouts, and hell raisers." All three of these words give a negative connotation towards the baseball wife. It suggests that she is used as just a hookup and takes away all her dignity. One thing that the cover does not reveal is that Anna Benson was voted as one of the "hottest baseball wives." In a way, this creates the stereotype that you have to be "hot" in order to be a baseball wife. The annual "hottest baseball wife" promotes a horrible message. Women are not only demoralized but constantly scrutinized. It relays to the public that baseball wives are only there for sex, beauty, glamor, and as sexual objects for males to use and look at.
At the end of the day, I guess I could understand WHY people are quick to say that these females are JUST cleat chasers or trophy wives... The general stereotype when it comes to the world of sports is that male players are commonly associated as being womanizers... Sports stars, particularly MLB stars are notorious for being less than faithful being on the road 8 months of a year. So if that is what these athletes are known for, why do these females stay in the unfaithful relationships? Well of course everyones easy answer for this would be: "TROPHY WIFE.... or CLEAT CHASER!"
THE SIDE THAT NO ONE KNOWS ABOUT: Baseball player wives have to be independent ladies as their husbands are on the road literally 8 months of a year. While their children are sick and suffer from disabilities, the wives are in charge of taking the kids to soccer practice and school. When "hot baseball wife" Anna Benson gets the call that her husband has been traded, she is in charge of moving the family (kids, house, pets, etc.) On top of all of this, many baseball teams have a "baseball wives club." These ladies get together and organize various community service events. From creating raffles for the fans to working with various charities, these females try to use their slight stardom received from their husbands to do some kind of good.
The last picture of Anna Benson shows the sexualized side of baseball wives. Anna Benson is lying in a pile of baseballs naked. She is portrayed as just another object laying in the pile of balls. Her private parts are covered by the mere stitchings from the baseball. The side captions that show the theme of this edition include "hookups, hangouts, and hell raisers." All three of these words give a negative connotation towards the baseball wife. It suggests that she is used as just a hookup and takes away all her dignity. One thing that the cover does not reveal is that Anna Benson was voted as one of the "hottest baseball wives." In a way, this creates the stereotype that you have to be "hot" in order to be a baseball wife. The annual "hottest baseball wife" promotes a horrible message. Women are not only demoralized but constantly scrutinized. It relays to the public that baseball wives are only there for sex, beauty, glamor, and as sexual objects for males to use and look at.
At the end of the day, I guess I could understand WHY people are quick to say that these females are JUST cleat chasers or trophy wives... The general stereotype when it comes to the world of sports is that male players are commonly associated as being womanizers... Sports stars, particularly MLB stars are notorious for being less than faithful being on the road 8 months of a year. So if that is what these athletes are known for, why do these females stay in the unfaithful relationships? Well of course everyones easy answer for this would be: "TROPHY WIFE.... or CLEAT CHASER!"
not the most ideal life. i've heard stories of wives having arrangements with their athlete husbands to have other girlfriends just so the wife can keep the lifestyle.
ReplyDelete"In a way, this creates the stereotype that you have to be 'hot' in order to be a baseball wife." - if she was not super hot she would not be classed as a trophy wife (or CLEAT CHASER), the very reason they are called that is because that is what they ARE! Take away their husbands wealth / fame and they would no longer be interested in them and would soon be divorced. What does THAT say about woman being stereotyped? It says that sometimes (especially in this case) if the shoe fits, wear it. I grew up in an upper middle class area, it was a well known fact that you had to be very careful dating woman from certain lower income areas, their primary goal in life was to land a rich husband, pop out a kid or two, and then get divorced and live on the alimony. I love the way "men" or the "media circus" get the blame, and to a degree that may be true. However, it doesn't help matters when the women in question actually ARE gold diggers.
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