TENNIS: Over-sexed Femininity

Anna Kournikova's K-Swiss "Keep it Pure" ad


This ad has a few different references to it. The "Keep it Pure" ad refers to the stereotype female's purity and striving to be "pure" and uncorrupted. At the same time, the "Keep it Pure" slogan somewhat contradicts her female body posture of lying down on the court in a submissive and passive demeanour.

Serena Williams "The Body Issue"

This Sports Illustrated of Venus Williams is highly sexualized. She is pretty much naked, and the only ways her private body parts can be covered is by her own body part. What does this say about female sports figures? It says that even as much as women try to change the way they are portrayed in the media, there is still some power that tries to demean and demoralize the female body despite the fact that this female has a positive reputation in the sports world.


Kournikova Body Shots




Over-sexed femininity means that advertisers have taken the body too far, past conservative to exploitation and objectification. There are several pictures of Anna Kournikova laying down on the ground which demonstrates her submissive role on the court. She looks like she can’t help herself off the ground and she’s waiting for someone to pounce on her. Not to mention there are pictures of all her female body parts over exaggerated and objectified. Then there is Serena Williams completely naked in a Sports Illustrated spread, which I think has gone completely over the top and it belongs in Playboy or of the likes. These are just some examples of over-sexed femininity.

TENNIS: Healthy Feminity

Serena Williams in a Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign



Here is a picture of Venus Williams in a breast cancer awareness campaign. She portrays herself against standard stereotypes of "black and female," instead she is a role model, a humanist, and firstly a professional sports player. Here we can see in this ad that Serena's body is painted in a positive light and she demonstrates humility. I think seeing a professional tennis player in a renown awareness ad campaign demonstrates just goes to show that she is not just a face, she is not just another female model, she a role model for other aspiring female sports players that devotes a piece of herself to a cause.


Anna Kournikova in a K-Swiss ad


Kournikova is dressed to impress, aspiring to some of her female stereotypes, objectifying select features like her legs and stomach but yet its conservative objectification. She isn't overtly exploiting her body and she is portrayed in a graceful, positive light.



Venus Williams in a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit spread




This is a great ad of Venus. She is sexy, she is confident, she is showing off the body her sport has built her. She isn't overly objectified; she is classy and sophisticated. This ad is a positive ad because there is nothing wrong with female body as long as it's portrayed in the right context. This ad is for sports illustrated, so its understandable they are going to use a female model that is wearing less clothing because they want to demonstrate their physical fitness.

What is healthy femininity? These three women are portrayed in the media as women that are empowered by their sport, emphasized their feminine figure, portray themselves in a soft and assured manner, humanized but looked at, feminine stature and confident in their bodies. Even though these women are using their fame and their bodies bring awareness to a product, all of these women are portrayed in positive light.

TENNIS: Feminine Masculinity Ads

Here we see Serena Williams as a strong, confident, mildly aggressive woman in an advertisement for Nike. She displays common masculine characteristics like seeking worthy opponents to be ranked no. 1. This description of Serena in this ad demonstrates a side of a woman that defies all characterized feminine attributes; she is not soft, sweet, nice and kind. She is strong, confident, self-assured, secure and will beat anyone to defend her title.



Here we see Serena Williams aggressively going for a shot. She displays characteristics of female agressision, sportsmanship, agility, and overall ability. This picture demonstrates to us as viewers and onlookers that the female sport has evolved and has become not just an act for men to participate in, but for women to embrace and strive to be. There is nothing wrong with females having an aggressive edge in a game, or be a positive role model for others who aspire to be like her.


Here is a series of pictures of Anna Kournikova in her candid moments in the game. These shots are not the photos you seel in K-Swiss advertisements, they arent the photos you see of her done up for a photoshot, they are photos of her in a game. This is real, shes a real person rather than a manufactured product of an endorsement company. She has a talent that she strives to perfect, and despite of her looks, she continues to shock an awe all those who watch her on the court. She may fall into some stereotypical titles like "blonde" or "jock," but for the most part she is a women playing a sport that she loves even if it means she has to break a sweat.