Uncovering Misogyny and Slut-shaming in Locker Rooms

SPORTS UNCOVERING MISOGYNY AND SLUT-SHAMING IN {LOCKER ROOMS

Dissection of locker room talk at Tino

LISA ZIVANIC

writer

Waves of students came out about their experiences with sexual violence and harassment on Cupertino High School’s campus last semester. More CHS students have voiced their concerns with the athletics department, questioning the extent that locker room talk is a problem. People believe that what students talk about in locker rooms are often inappropriate, and sometimes sexual language is discussed in these male-only spaces.

However, our school is notorious for its competitive and academically-focused students, which directly contradicts the norm of a stereotypical American high school depicted in the media. So the question stands: how prevalent is locker room talk at Cupertino High School?

Male Athletes

An anonymous junior varsity football player at Cupertino High School shared, “Definitely, I think some people do [objectify women]. I think some of the guys can be [objectifying].”

He observed that “in general [other players will] go on the internet or social media, and they’ll see people and they’ll probably [be] like, ‘Oh, look at this person, look at their body’ or this and that. Sometimes they will do that. Although, in general, I will say that I don’t think it’d be body shaming or sexism.”

They explained that although the objectification of women is a prevalent issue within the team, players have not been blatantly misogynistic or judgemental towards these women and their appearances.

Akash Rao, a freshman on the water polo team, said, “I think it’s definitely true. [...] I do understand why it comes up, but I think that it is rumored to be a lot more prevalent than it actually is.”

Jason Li, a senior on the varsity water polo team, shared similar experiences. “In the past when I was a freshman or sophomore, I feel like in those times, when I said something, I just got laughed at or made fun of. So I think right now, the upperclassmen, we’re kind of taking the effort to make sure that underclassmen feel included, but I definitely understand if some underclassmen might not feel able to speak up, either because they’re kind of afraid of it or because of other reasons.” Li contrasted his past experiences with the present when acknowledging the social hierarchy that exists regarding respect on the team. He explained that when he previously tried to speak up against objectifying behavior towards women, he wasn’t taken seriously. Which he believes may have caused less teammates to support him when the topic was brought up. Now in a higher ranked position, he and the other team members have been taking initiative to help ensure that underclassmen feel comfortable speaking up to avoid the discomfort he encountered.

Female Athletes

Two students added their unique experiences with misogyny and slut-shaming as girls on the football team. There is often a negative connotation with football in regards to feminism as it has historically been a male-dominated sport. One exception is Anika Tiku, a senior on the var-

sity football team. She said, “I think it’s very true. I’m not going to lie. I got lucky. This year, it’s not that bad [...] I’ve only been here for a year, [but the stories] were pretty bad. And I think that it’s very prevalent in these [places], especially in locker rooms and things like that. Especially in football teams and the places where there aren’t as many female rights, or girls don’t play as many sports and things like that.”

Tiku admitted that she initially overestimated the presence of misogyny when she joined the team since she had heard stories of the objectification of women from previous years.

Added Tiku, “I think it’s very prevalent, like Los Gatos High School’s Me Too movement.”

The ongoing effort to create change within Los Gatos High School began in July 2020, as anonymous students revealed their experiences with sexual violence and harassment on campus through the Instagram account metoo.losgatos. Tiku added that she has not witnessed or experienced any behavior similar to that seen in the LGHS Me Too endeavor throughout her time on the team.

A 2020 alumni varsity football player, Jhanvi Ramani, shared, “I think I was treated just like the regular teammates. I was not treated any differently because they knew that it’s just a football player no matter what gender I was or sexual identity or anything I was. So I was really accepted and supported in the team.”

They created a safe and open environment for discussion, adding that if misogyny were present, she would have known about it. Relating to the community aspect of sports that is often surrounding the male experience. Ramani mentioned how sports helped t h e m through a really difficult time during previous struggles with mental health. She noticed that sports provided a sense of community, where students could just do what they were passionate about, which was football.

Coaches

Zach Jacobs, a former coach for the CHS wrestling team, added a unique view to the topic. Said Jacobs, “ I think there has been a real effort when we have seen issues that are concerning in the district with athletics, some of them have been more racial or religious bias [...] We’ve really tried to work with the coaches, the captains, or athletic directors to stop it right away [...] I think in terms of misogyny, if it was happening, it was behind the scenes.”

Jacobs additionally mentioned that he believes that there is a connection between athletics and misogyny, but not solely because of sports, saying, “I think the misogyny is more cultural, and what I mean by that is like location-wise [... At] the football games,

you’ve got the athletes, the Friday night lights, the jerseys, but there’s practically more people in the stands in the band, more [uniforms] and fired “IT IS ONE OF THOSE THINGS WHERE IT’S HAPPENING, BUT IT’S ONE OF THOSE THINGS WE it up.” In an email, varsity football coach Chris Oswald said, “I was a player for 14 years, all the way through college and have been a high school/college SHOULD TAKE ACTION TO BE coach for 28 seasons […] As a playLIKE ‘NO, ENOUGH IS ENOUGH’ er, I don’t recall there being negative LIKE WE SHOULDN’T LET THOSE talk about women and as a coach if THOUGHTS OR BELIEFS OR ANY- I did hear something it would be my THING CONTROL US IN [THE] job to shut it down ASAP.” THINGS THAT WE’RE TRYING TO STRIVE FOR AND BECOME.”JHANVI RAMANI Conclusion Slut-shaming and misogyny in the locker room exist to varying degrees. Two of the male athletes witnessed such discussions, whereas the coaches and female athletes rarely experienced said behavior if any at all. Although the evidence is inconclusive due to such varied results, it can be justified that the occurrence of sexism and the ob-

“THEY’RE JUST BEING IMMATURE, MAKING FUN OF PEOPLE FOR JUST HAVING jectification of women in locker rooms vary based on each sports team. Even FRIENDS AND KIND OF MAK- on teams with more ING FUN OF THEIR FRIENDS. instances of misogBUT ALSO IN A REALLY SEXUAL MANNER.”JASON LI ynistic comments, players committed to make a difference, and spark change in the athletic community. Li, Jacobs and Tiku all observed or helped work towards being more inclusive throughout their time on the teams, showing a way forward for all CHS sports teams