Good for a Girl: A Woman Running in a Man's World

Fleshman’s memoir is “a story about a girl growing up in a world built for men” (8). Fleshman suggests that the world of running is built around an assumed norm of maleness. She critiques the absence of education and conversation around female-specific issues in sport; this absence suggests a preference of coaches, educators, and families to view female sporting trajectories in isolation from biological maturation, leading to catastrophic outcomes for female athletes.

The erasure of female athletic experience starts in early puberty, with an absence of practical discussion about female bodily changes and their implications. Fleshman, feeling privileged in an underdeveloped body (further evidence that femaleness is synonymous with being non-athletic), noted her peers’ discomfort with their developing breasts: “I watched them press down their breasts with their hands, complaining of soreness when playing tag in the cul-de-sac and losing enthusiasm” (18). Physical realities of female bodies, as well as cultural norms that sexualize women, make “constant awareness of their own bodies” “the new normal” (18).

Frank inadvertently confirmed Fleshman’s growing fears that puberty would be a death knell to her athleticism. Frank explained that while young male athletes would start to run faster, young women would “turn into women. Get hips and tits and into making out behind the portables” (17). Developing girls are demeaned and sexualized, whereas developing boys are characterized as increasingly powerful. His sexism persists into the elite levels of sport, overheard by young Fleshman as the family watches the Athens Olympics. Heroes to the young Fleshman are demeaned by Frank; they are assessed on their appearance, rather than their skills and talents: “[M]ost of them are dogs. She’s smokin’ hot,” he says (33).

More subtle, but equally harmful, instances of sexism are also evident in the way Fleshman is complimented for her bravery, determination, and competitiveness throughout her life; these attributes are represented as essentially male: “‘Did you see that?!’ [Frank] yelled to his camping buddies. ‘My girl’s got balls the size of Texas!’” (14). Young Fleshman internalized the messaging that “it was the ultimate compliment because it wasn’t female” (14). At college, Vin Lananna echoed this sentiment in the compliment, “Your consistency is fantastic. You train like a guy. You compete like a guy” (64). Men are characterized as fierce competitors who train with commitment and consistency and who achieve strong results based on that training. Inversely, the implication is that female athletes are weak competitors who are inconsistent in their commitment to training and therefore also inconsistent in their competition results. Pervasive sexism, such as that demonstrated by Frank and Lananna, creates a sporting environment that is hostile to women.

It is unsurprising in this culture that female puberty is often characterized as a force to be battled against. Women are expected to keep slight bodies and train relentlessly for performance gains. These gains are expected to increase with effort. However, Fleshman suggests that mantras such as “effort equals results” “weren’t created with the female body in mind” (28). The lack of prioritization of women’s health is demonstrated in the organization of the Stanford track coaches. The women’s training was led by Lananna, who never asked about menstrual health or athlete well-being. Dena Evans was hired to “be a big sister when ‘woman stuff’ came up” (56). This illustrates that concerns with women’s reproductive health and emotional and physical well-being are tacked on, rather than being authentically integrated into their training. This has had disastrous consequences for a number of the athletes, including Fleshman, who has gone on to struggle with health issues well into her adulthood. Peers of Fleshman suffered from the more extreme female athlete triad, with many leaving the sport with intense physical injuries and emotional wounds.

Fleshman further explores the systemic sexism in the world of athleticism through her experiences as a sponsored pro. She was told by a marketing executive that the best way to sell shoes is to sponsor female athletes who run in the 1,500-meter race, as the predominantly male viewers will be sure to be watching the start of this race: “The best bodies in the sport are all lined up, in little more than bathing suits” (92). Sponsored female athletes are chosen only from among the pool of attractive, thin, white athletes, who are preferably single, rather than this choice purely being dictated by talent, illustrating the major sport agencies’ perception that female athletes’ value is dictated by their sexual appeal. Fleshman had to battle prevailing norms within Nike numerous times, including suggesting that female athletics clothes should be modeled by female athletes, rather than models, and fought to have herself appear in her ordinary training outfit, rather than naked, illustrating her role in changing the culture of women’s sponsorship.