While media in the U.S. have been obsessed with "Deflate-gate," the Australian Open was the site of an incident known as "Twirl-gate." It happened Wednesday, when seventh-seeded Canadian Genie Bouchard was interviewed by Ian Cohen after winning her second round match against Kiki Bertens (NED) 6-0, 6-3. In the interview, Cohen asked her to do a "twirl" for the fans. Seemingly embarrassed by the request, Bouchard asked, "A twirl?" Yes, Cohen responded - "a twirl, a pirouette" for the fans so they can see your dress (TasiaDMail, 2015). Genie reluctantly complied, not knowing the 'outrage' that would ensue following the request. Asked about it at the press conference, Genie replied, that "it was very unexpected. I mean, yeah, I don't know, an old guy asking you to twirl, it was funny" (Dean, 2015, para. 10).
Not everyone took the same view of the request, including Billie Jean King who called it "sexist." King pointed out that you wouldn't ask the male players to "twirl" so the crowd could admire their outfits. King added that "If you ask the women, you have to ask the guys to twirl as well" ("Billie Jean King accuses," 2015, para. 4). King suggested that we should "focus on competition and accomplishments of both genders and not our looks" (para. 5). Bouchard had a different take, suggesting that it was all right as long as they asked the guys to flex. Some felt that Bouchard was further reinforcing stereotypes by suggesting that males be asked to do something related to strength while females were asked to do something related to appearance. When Serena was asked about the request to twirl, she said she "wouldn't ask Rafa (Nadal) or Roger (Federer) to twirl," but acknowledged that she didn't know if it was sexist ("Billie Jean accuses," 2015, para. 9).
"Twirl-gate," as it has been referred to, is not the first time female players have been asked questions that seem out of line. At last year's Australian Open, Bouchard was asked who her dream date would be, and she replied, "Justin Bieber" (Dean, 2015, para. 10). Also at the 2014 Australian Open, Maria Sharapova was asked about her relationship with fellow player, Grigor Dimitrov. Meanwhile, Victoria Azarenka whose boyfriend at the time was Redfoo, was asked when they were going to get married. Although it was obvious that the topic was embarrassing for Azarenka, the interviewer continued to press her on the issue. When was the last time a male athlete was asked about his girlfriend or who he would like to date?
Here are some other questions about "Twirl-Gate." If you were an athlete in this situation, how would you respond? Do you think the interviewer's request for Serena and Genie to 'twirl' was appropriate or inappropriate? Was it sexist? Explain your response. Do you think there is a double-standard in media interactions with male and female athletes? Should media members be penalized for asking inappropriate questions during interviews? If so, what should happen?
References
Billie Jean King accuses interviewer of being 'truly sexist' after asking Eugenie Bouchard and Serena Williams to twirl. Mail Online. Retrieved from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/tennis/article-2922570/Billie-Jean-King-accuses-interviewer-truly-sexist-asking-Eugenie-Bouchard-Serena-Williams-twirl.html
Dean, S. (2015, January 21). 'Disrespectful and pervy': Sexism backlash after commentator asks embarrassed Canadian star Eugenie Bouchard to 'twirl' at the Australian Open... But Channel 7 says he doesn't work for them. Daily Mail. Retrieved from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2920538/Canadian-tennis-star-Eugenie-Bouchard-embarrassed-old-guy-TV-presenter-asks-outfit-Australian-Open.html
TasiaDMail. (2015, January 21). Watch Eugenie Bouchard 'twirl' after... Youtube.com Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r35Dyk9fze4
"Twirl-gate," as it has been referred to, is not the first time female players have been asked questions that seem out of line. At last year's Australian Open, Bouchard was asked who her dream date would be, and she replied, "Justin Bieber" (Dean, 2015, para. 10). Also at the 2014 Australian Open, Maria Sharapova was asked about her relationship with fellow player, Grigor Dimitrov. Meanwhile, Victoria Azarenka whose boyfriend at the time was Redfoo, was asked when they were going to get married. Although it was obvious that the topic was embarrassing for Azarenka, the interviewer continued to press her on the issue. When was the last time a male athlete was asked about his girlfriend or who he would like to date?
Here are some other questions about "Twirl-Gate." If you were an athlete in this situation, how would you respond? Do you think the interviewer's request for Serena and Genie to 'twirl' was appropriate or inappropriate? Was it sexist? Explain your response. Do you think there is a double-standard in media interactions with male and female athletes? Should media members be penalized for asking inappropriate questions during interviews? If so, what should happen?
References
Billie Jean King accuses interviewer of being 'truly sexist' after asking Eugenie Bouchard and Serena Williams to twirl. Mail Online. Retrieved from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/tennis/article-2922570/Billie-Jean-King-accuses-interviewer-truly-sexist-asking-Eugenie-Bouchard-Serena-Williams-twirl.html
Dean, S. (2015, January 21). 'Disrespectful and pervy': Sexism backlash after commentator asks embarrassed Canadian star Eugenie Bouchard to 'twirl' at the Australian Open... But Channel 7 says he doesn't work for them. Daily Mail. Retrieved from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2920538/Canadian-tennis-star-Eugenie-Bouchard-embarrassed-old-guy-TV-presenter-asks-outfit-Australian-Open.html
TasiaDMail. (2015, January 21). Watch Eugenie Bouchard 'twirl' after... Youtube.com Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r35Dyk9fze4
As a member of the media, it is beyond me why this reporter would ask such a question. Is her outfit relevant to the fact that she defeated Kiki Bertens? Unless the outfit was made of some super-natural material that turned her into the tennis version of Superman, then no, it was not relevant to the victory. If I were in Bouchard’s shoes, however, I would’ve complied as she did mostly because I would have been so thrown off by his question that I wouldn’t have known what else to do. Refusing and lashing back at the reporter for asking her that question could earn her some negative publicity, which is never wanted by professional athletes trying to get to the tops of their careers.
ReplyDeleteI think it is important for television directors to sit down with their reporters prior to an event. In this situation, the director should have had a meeting with Ian Cohen to go over the types of questions he would ask the athletes depending on if they won or lost. Yes, in the heat of the moment, emotions can slip in and get the best of you, but this is your job. You have to be better than that and be aware that what you are saying on national television is reaching thousands of people and, if given an opportunity, everyone will interpret what you say in a negative way. I think this was taken a little too far, but I would have to agree with Billie Jean King in that reporters need to ask questions about the matches and games, not appearance. She said, “If you ask the women, you have to ask the guys to twirl as well. Let's focus on competition and accomplishments of both genders and not our looks" (“Australian Open,” 2015, para 12).
-Alexx Klein
References:
Ubha, R. “Australian Open: Eugenie Bouchard 'flexes muscles' over 'Twirlgate'” CNN. Retrieved from http://www.cnn.com/2015/01/23/tennis/bouchard-twirlgate-nadal-australian-open/index.html
The reporter used tasteless interviewing technique in questioning Bouchard after her match. Rather than focusing on her athletic accomplishment, the reporter decided to focus on her attire. Bouchard’s outfit had zero involvement in the outcome of the match, so the involvement of her outfit was belittling, sexist, and trivial. Not only did the reporter bring up Bouchard’s outfit, he asked her to twirl. This objectifies Bouchard in that she is asked to rotate so the fans can view her body, as if the audience could not already see enough of her figure in her short skirt and tight tank top.
ReplyDeleteIf I were the athlete in this situation, I would have behaved in the same manner as Bouchard did as to not cause a scene or make a bigger deal about a situation that is miniscule. I do not agree with the comment Bouchard made in regards to asking the male tennis players to flex. This perpetuates the gender norms that women are feminine and should twirl, while men are masculine and should flex their muscles.
Female athletes are expected to be talented at their sport while maintaining a feminine demeanor, while men are supposed to be rugged and dominate in their sport. If a female athlete appears fit and strong, she is referred to as a “dyke” or lesbian. I think athletes (both male and female) should be trained on how to respond to media questions of all kinds. While the media is not going to stop asking certain questions in hopes of attracting the most followers, the athletes can put a stop to the problem by properly avoiding certain types of questions.
•Kali Morgenstern
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI don't agree with asking someone about their clothes during or after a match. It’s not the runway so I can say if I were watching I would probably wonder why this guy is asking her to twirl instead of talking about the match. Now with that I can look around and if this were something that the guys were asked I would say this is just a fashion question everyone is doing it but, it’s not and so we have twirl gate. I will say she handled it great I didn’t think it was a big deal but after listening to Serena it made me think twice. I think fashion is taking over in sports so maybe this is just another way to have viewer’s talk about fashion.
ReplyDeleteVincent Marshall
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteWhen I first saw this story on Yahoo! News, I was pretty confused as to why it was relevant to anything someone would need to know. After I read the article I soon found out the history of what had been noted about Serena Williams' outfit during a prior tennis match. I would have to agree to an extent with Billie Jean King that this is a sexist statement. I can imagine how much it would have offended her. If I were the athlete in this situation I would maintain composure and respect but I would not twirl if I were asked to. Outfits and twirling have nothing to do with Bouchard's tennis skills and success therefore should not be brought up in such a setting. Twirling and Bouchard's comment about a man flexing only reinforces the restrictive gender norms in today's society.
ReplyDelete-Marissa Tashenberg
I can’t recall any other sporting event in recent years that has asked any of its participants to do a twirl after the game, match, competition, etc… It’s one thing when it’s an ESPN the magazine body issue or whatnot. It’s quite the other though after through years of hard work and training to get to a point where you are competing and winning on the highest level of your sport, and instead of getting your on court performance and achievements recognized you are getting attention for your outfit and appearance. Frankly speaking, there is a time and place for everything and at the time that request was not the place to ask for a twirl. Sports in general have many tools to set standards and good examples to help shape society in a positive way. When incidents like these occur, it is important for everyone to stay calm and recognize the problem and set out and fix it. Not just with twirl-gate, but many societal issues that happen over a wide range of sports. The best thing that can come out of this whole ordeal is 1.) it being openly talked about , 2.) identifying the issues and problems the request made, 3.) and making sure a standard is set so we move forward from this so it doesn’t happen again and we don’t backtrack and allow the same mistake to happen again.
ReplyDeleteKevin,
DeleteThis is good that you provided specific steps to take to avoid such an incident in the future.
Dr. Spencer
I do not believe I or any other male athlete would be asked to flex either by any male or female reporter. I'm not sure if sexist is the accurate term for this situation but I would say that the reporters request was border line sexual harassment. Luckily for him Bouchard is only 20 years old which I think played a role in her perception of the request to be an innocent one. With that said, I personally believe the request was inappropriate due to the fact that it had nothing to do with her performance or thoughts about the game in general. I think both male and female athletes should be protected from outside attention of the sport itself, that may be drawn to them from the media. Just as athletes can be penalized for their comments to the media I believe reporters should be penalized as well for inappropriate questions including questions that are being used with intentions of defamation. If there is any double standard, it lies between the repercussions for athletes and reporters in interviews as I feel that athletes are more prone to being penalized. The penalty for reporters should hold the same value as it would for the athlete whether it was a fine, suspension, etc.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure who wrote this comment, but I agree that perhaps there should be penalties for reporters. We need to ask Alexx about whether there are such penalties.
DeleteDr. Spencer
I'm guessing that Jonathan wrote the above comment.
DeleteI feel like the interviewer to an extent was out of line when he asked her to twirl. There is a very gray area when it comes to sexism in media and sports, where that area comes into play is very hard to depict. I do not believe that the reporter intentionally was trying to be sexist, they were speaking about the outfit and how she tried to take after Serena, I am sure the reporter thought it would be an idea to show it off. Granite on the spot asking was not very professional. Possibly speaking to her before the interview and seeing if that would offend her would be a more logical approach. There is a lot more instances when people are yelling that this thing and that thing is sexist,and reporters need to make sure that they are aware of that. There is no way that a reporter would ask a male to twirl so I feel as if it is a silly request to be made especially in the spot. Being a female that is trying to make it in a male dominant sport it is very eye opening to sexist comments and what it takes to make it in a boys world.
ReplyDeleteAmanda Notley
I don't feel that this question by the reporter was sexist. I do feel that it was unnecessary and not related to any way in the competition. As we all know, "sex sells." TV reporters and companies are going to do anything they can in order to up their ratings. This, in return, leads to people not focusing as much on the competition as they do to unrelated issues that people are intrigued to see. I feel that if she thought it was sexist, she wouldn't have participated in it. Realistically, the reporter should have never asked the question, but personally, I feel that this is a minute issue compared to others. As we talked about in 6350, the way women are portrayed in magazines in comparison to men seems to be a much larger issue in terms of being sexist than this.
ReplyDeleteDerek Shay
Derek,
DeleteI'm glad you brought in our discussion from HMSL 6350. The question I have is this: if "sex sells," when is it 'good business' and when is it 'sexism?'
Dr. Spencer
It is hard to imagine for me that the reporter asked such a question to a female athlete. I think the reporter should focus his interview more on asking several professional questions about the match. However, if I were in Bouchard’s situation, I would have made the same reaction. Because this interview could be seen by millions of fans in front of the TV or Internet, all professional athletes are not willing to show their rudeness or negative behavior during interview. Furthermore, if I refuse to accept the request, I think the situation would be more embarrassing than it was.
ReplyDeleteI also consider that this request for Serena and Genie was inappropriate. I’m not sure it was sexist or not, but as a female, I feel this request was a little bit invasive. Under this situation, I may feel uncomfortable but can do nothing. This is too awkward for me especially after I won a match. In addition, few male athletes have been asked to spin or to answer private questions. When Sharapova had a relationship with former Lakers player Vujacic, media also took more focus on Sharapova rather than Vujacic. I think it was unfair.
The media has their right to ask any question as they want unless it disobeys laws, but in my opinion, the media should ask appropriate questions to show their respect to interviewers.
----Veeco Zheng
Veeco,
DeleteYou brought up a great point when you wrote: "When Sharapova had a relationship with former Lakers player Vujacic, media also took more focus on Sharapova rather than Vujacic." I forgot about that.
Dr. Spencer
If I was the athlete asked to twirl I would probably not twirl. I am definitely not the type of person to do that just by my personality. I do believe that the question was inappropriate and somewhat sexist. After a match I believe the focus should be on the performance. Like King stated with examples how these questions would not be asked to male athletes. As a reporter I understand they were playing off of her comment earlier so I see how the topic came up but the twirl part is not necessary. Personally I don't think there is much that can be done if an individual believes what a reporter is asking is wrong. Unless they are disobeying laws like Veeco mentions its hard to hold reporters to specific standards. With that being said if a reporter does have the issue of asking inappropriate questions and putting athletes in uncomfortable situations I think the athletes will decline interviews from those people more in the future.
ReplyDeleteCourtney Cox
Is it inappropriate for the reporter to ask a world class tennis player to do a twirl just after winning a match instead of focusing questions on the match itself? Yes, I do believe so. To be completely honest, I could care less about the comment to ask her to do a twirl in front of the fans. I think that some people are a bit too sensitive, and if a female reporter asked a football player to flex after a game then who cares. Was the comment sexist? If the reporter asked her to ‘spin’ around instead of ‘twirl’ would it still be sexist? I don’t really know to be honest. If the comment that the reporter made bothers people, then so be it. The reporter should have focused his questions on the match, which is his job, and not on her clothing, but that is the world we live in.
ReplyDeleteAthletes do not need to respond to offensive questions. If they believe it to be offensive then they do not need to comment on it. That is the bottom line. I don’t think reporters should be penalized.
Matthias E. Reiber
I believe that it was completely unnecessary for the reporter to ask Genie Bouchard to twirl during their interview after her match. The reporter came off as nasty, was very unprofessional and took away the real reason for interviewing her which was for her great achievement of winning her second round match against Kiki Bertens at the Australian Open. I think that Cohen made a huge mistake in his interview with Bouchard and now has dug himself a hole with asking a female athlete “twirl” and show off her body/outfit to the public.
ReplyDeleteThe stunt that Cohen pulled during the interview obviously caused an uproar by viewers because not only did Bouchard feel awkward twirling for him but it also questions whether or not this act was sexist. Yes, it is more normal for a guy to flex after a game or match but if a tennis player (female) is asked to twirl it is definitely inappropriate. If I were in the same position as her I honestly would have responded in the same thing because either way it puts you in an awkward position. If she would've rejected who knows what would've happened next.
Jasmine Matthews
I think the request made by Cohen was not only odd but also reflected poorly on himself as a reporter. While I don’t think the comment was overtly degrading to female athletes, it drew attention to something other than her performance. The focus of the interview immediately after a match should be just that – the match. It essentially took away from her incredible victory because now the fan’s and media’s attention is on “twirl-gate” instead of her win. While fashion may be taking a larger role in the world of athletics, there is a time and place for that. Having Bouchard twirl to show off her outfit was irrelevant and provoked at an inappropriate time. I think she handled the situation as best she could and showed class even in the face of an unusual request.
ReplyDeleteAllie McDavitt