Much controversy has been sparked over the recent media attention being bestowed on the American hurdler Lolo Jones.
Jones, who placed fourth in this Olympics’ 100-meters hurdle competition, has been a figure of debate since the New York Times wrote an scathing article about her reliance on image to win endorsement deals and garner national attention. Mac McClelland comes to her defense in an article for Reuters, shifting the blame from Jones to the media.
McClelland writes: “Even if she’d come in dead last, she wouldn’t have deserved the narrative framing that Longman gave her. She’s a victim, indeed, but of double standards and sexism – sexist double standards so culturally ingrained that even the newspaper of record will unabashedly print them.”
