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Original poster

So a rigorous statistical analysis of the Gold Medal Winners' stamp images reveals...

42 replies

joanofarchitrave · 13/08/2012 19:12

3/12 stamps involving female athletes show images of them in sporting action.

13/20 stamps involving male athletes show images of them in sporting action.

I know they had to pick the images fast and under pressure to produce them in time. I think, personally, it was predictable that in those conditions, the female images shown were more likely to be smiling non-threatening images, rather than photos of women in athletic extremis.

Or is this quite positive, showing women in positions of triumph rather than still in competition?

OP posts:
acelt · 14/08/2012 08:55

Most people (in my opinion) are overthinking this to death, if you have to work this hard to find sexism then it probably isn't there. There are enough real instances of sexism in our country/world that people do not need to imagine more where there isn't any.

Whatmeworry "Strong argument for funding womens sports like, oh, football" I read this as saying you believe more women's sports should be funded as men's football is? I should point out that the majority of the Olympic sports athletes are "funded" by Sports UK, who get their money from the national lottery. Men's football is not funded, it is a completely private sector institution, the two cases are completely separate. Although if I have misunderstood your statement I apologise.

Whatmeworry · 14/08/2012 08:27

By the way, what I do like is the sheer number of women medal winners this time round. Strong argument for funding womens sports like, oh, football :o

Whatmeworry · 14/08/2012 08:25

Interesting - c 25-30% vs 45-50% action shots. Not sure it's enough to infer a bias to passivity, I'm thinking that it may be a bias to showing womens' faces/smiles.

Just be grateful we didn't win gold in womens beach volleyball though :o

CaseyShraeger · 14/08/2012 00:07

So I count 3 out of 11 female poses as actually mid-event, probably 9 or 10 out of 19 male poses mid-event.

But then what you count as "action" is subjective after that. Luke Campbell and Nicola Adams have been photographed under similar circumstances, but he has a neutral expression and is doing typical "boxer" pose while she's smiling and holding up "Number 1" fingers -- I think if we class his pose as "action" and hers as "not action" that's actually reflecting our own assumptions as much as anything else (from their interviews Nicola Adams seems to be a naturally smiley person whereas Luke Campbell doesn't... is that about gender or is it just them as people?). Is someone just before a race "action" and someone just after "not action"? Or the other way around? Or are they both "action", or neither? I don't think there's a single right answer.

Still more men than women pictured in the thick of their event, though, no doubt about that.

CaseyShraeger · 13/08/2012 23:57

Anthony Joshua - Mid-bout
Luke Campbell - After bout with helmet and gloves off, hands raised
Mo Farah - Standing (possibly running slowly?) in front of Union flag
Ed McKeever - Mid-paddle
Chris Hoy - Standing (or possibly sitting on bike) holding Union flag
(Laura Bechtolsheimer, Charlotte Dujardin and) Carl Hester - Standing with medals
Alistair Brownlee - Mid-run
Jason Kenny - On a bike in a helmet, but it doesn't appear to be moving fast and he's not crouched low over handlebars so could be just after event?
Scott Brash, Peter Charles, Ben Maher and Nick Skelton - Standing with medals
Andy Murray - Mid-stroke
Ben Ainslie - On a boat after race, holding Union flag
Greg Rutherford - Mid-jump
Alex Gregory, Pete Reed, Tom James and Andrew Triggs Hodge - Mid-row (probably? They are in the boat, but could be just before or after race)
Ed Clancy, Geraint Thomas, Peter Kennaugh and Steven Burke - Mid-race
Chris Hoy, Jason Kenny and Philip Hindes - Mid-race
Peter Wilson - Mid-shot
Etienne Stott and Tim Baillie - Mid-paddle
Bradley Wiggins - On a bike in a helmet, but it doesn't appear to be moving (at all?) so could be just before or after event?

Original poster
joanofarchitrave · 13/08/2012 23:39

Yeah I wasn't sure about Luke Campbell, but in the end didn't count it as 'action' because his head protector and gloves were off. Interesting though that it's an action-type pose and non-smiling...

I know this is very minor, I just find it interesting. Thanks for joining in Smile

OP posts:
MMMarmite · 13/08/2012 23:24

I count Charlotte Dujardin, Jade Jones and Jess Ennis as sporting action and 14 male athletes/male teams in sporting action (including Luke Campbell but wasn't quite sure if that one counted).

CaseyShraeger · 13/08/2012 23:24

So a full list (I think) is

Helen Glover and Heather Stanning - In boat after winning but before medal ceremony
Katherine Grainger and Anna Watkins - Standing with medals in front of Union flag
Victoria Pendleton - Cycling after winning but before medal ceremony, holding Union flag
Katherine Copeland and Sophie Hosking - In boat after winning but before medal ceremony, standing and punching air
Danielle King, Joanna Rowsell and Laura Trott - Standing together after winning but before medal ceremony, in front of Union flag
Jessica Ennis - Mid-hurdle
Laura Bechtolsheimer, Charlotte Dujardin (and Carl Hester) - Standing with medals
Laura Trott - Kissing gold medal
Charlotte Dujardin - Seated on horse, mid-dressage
Nicola Adams - After winning but before medal ceremony with helmet and gloves off, hands raised
Jade Jones - Mid-kick

Original poster
joanofarchitrave · 13/08/2012 23:20

It was an advert.

The action women shots are Charlotte Dujardin, Jade Jones and Jess Ennis. Sorry about confusing the issue with the Victoria Pendleton one Blush

OP posts:
MMMarmite · 13/08/2012 23:16

i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/08/12/article-2187363-1484B236000005DC-424_964x715.jpg Here are all of them together I think.

CaseyShraeger · 13/08/2012 23:06

There's also Jade Jones, surely?

CaseyShraeger · 13/08/2012 23:05

I think it may be 4/12 -- the image of Charlotte Dujardin could be during competition.

Where did you find the full set of images, by the way? I'm having to try to count them up on Google Images.

Original poster
joanofarchitrave · 13/08/2012 23:04

Oh that was muddled - the shot of Victoria Pendleton was actually counted in the non-action shots, bugger!

Thanks for that MMM, I think it fits into that narrative as well.

OP posts:
Original poster
joanofarchitrave · 13/08/2012 23:03

The three woman in action shots were of 1. Victoria Pendleton - she was celebrating, but was on her bike with her helmet on/visor down. I wonder if the person who picked that wishes they'd picked her doing the heart to her fiance like the BBC did ad nauseam, but I'm glad they didn't.

  1. The image of Jess Ennis was wonderful too - magnificent mid-hurdle shot.
  1. Charlotte Dujardin in the middle of her routine - not even smiling.

Thinking about it, to be fair the mixed equestrian team shots pretty much had to be celebration shots as that's the only time the team are together. If you remove those from the stats it's 3/10 and 13/18.

OP posts:
MMMarmite · 13/08/2012 22:57

It's interesting joan, it fits in with the social trend of men tending to be portrayed in active roles and women in passive roles - obviously here the women aren't passive, but the men are more active. From a quick google, this old info sheet notes that "Newspaper articles about women?s sport included head shots and posed images - rather than action shots - more often than did articles about men?s sport, suggesting that women?s sports are less active." I think the stamps are likely to be an example of this trend.

Original poster
joanofarchitrave · 13/08/2012 22:25

Yes in my case it was a long dull bus journey rather than a feminist one Grin

OP posts:
doublevodkaandcoke · 13/08/2012 22:19

I think you are overthinking it. It wouldnt even occur to to me to investigate that kind of thing, I would just think it was great to see so many female role models with such a high profile. But perhaps I am not far enough along my feminist journey!

Its not like the women are spread across a bed in their underwear is it? They are still being celebrated for their athletic achievement.

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