For Some Olympians, Physical Appearance Brings Criticism in Media and Online

By BILL CARTER

The American sprinter Lolo Jones may have been speaking for a number of female Olympic athletes on the “Today” show Wednesday morning when she tearfully deplored criticism she had received in American media related to her physical appearance.

Ms. Jones, who finished a close fourth in the 100-meter hurdle final on Tuesday, has been the subject of enormous media focus during her career.

On “Today” she took particular exception to a column in The New York Times that criticized her for marketing her sex appeal and quoted an academic Olympics expert who compared her to the former tennis player and frequent magazine model Anna Kournikova. But Ms. Jones noted that the column, which appeared on Sunday, did not cite her genuine athletic achievements: being the American record holder in her event and a two-time world champion, which far surpass anything on Ms. Kournikova's résumé.

Ms. Jones was among a number of fe male athletes whose appearance became a topic of discussion during these Games. After her gold-medal-winning performance last week, the gymnast Gabby Douglas was written about in blogs and in online media not because of her floor routine, but in reaction to Twitter messages - that appeared to come largely from black women and men - which had labeled her hair unsuitably unkempt.

(Twitter posts included: “Gabby Douglas's hair is ratch” and “Could Desiree Hooker (a star black volleyball player) please help Gabby Douglas with her hair?”)

Ms. Douglas seemed taken aback by the criticism after she had just qualified as the best in the world in her sport. She also had to endure being tagged by a Fox News commentator as being insufficiently patriotic because she wore a pink leotard instead of one featuring more American-themed colors.

The weight lifter Holley Mangold took some lumps on social media for her size - one online commenter said, “She's a beast!â € - prompting an article from the Reuters news agency this week that bore the headline, “Fat? We Are Fit. Get Over It, Say Women Athletes.” (In a more high-profile punch line, Conan O'Brien said: “I predict 350-pound weight lifter Holley Mangold will bring home the gold - and four guys against their will.”)

Ms. Mangold took it in stride, saying, “I'm not saying everyone is an athlete but I am saying an athlete can come in any size.”

Some observers believe the media attention may have affected Ms. Douglas, who failed to medal in any individual events, and said she had been reading about herself online and had not slept well. She was quoted as saying: “Yeah, O.K., I don't know where this is coming from. What's wrong with my hair?”

Ms. Jones had the most direct emotional response, saying the media “just ripped me to shreds.” She added, “I just thought that was crazy because I worked six days a week for four years for a 12-second race an d the fact that they just tore me apart is heartbreaking.”

Not all the sexist sniping has been directed at female athletes.

Swimmer Ryan Lochte has become a target for comments on social media from women inspired by his sex appeal, but turned off by what the critics see as his rampant self-exaltation.

The Web site Jezebel got the most mileage out of the knock-Lochte craze with a post - relying on a vulgar word that has come to define a pompous person - that offered “10 reasons why Ryan Lochte” is the sexiest example of such in America.