A GOOD RUN

Marion Jones8217;s track record had beauty and grace 8212;despite the drugs

Even those with no interest in sports, who view the Olympics as essentially a travelogue with bad costumes, are moved by the downfall of track star Marion Jones, who recently admitted to taking performance-enhancing drugs after years of public denials.

In part, that8217;s because of the magnitude of her achievement, winning five medals at the Sydney Olympics, three of them gold. But she was also an exemplar of the beauty inherent in female strength, held up as a role model of glamour and womanliness. She could be both a gritty competitor and a glamour puss 8212; but separately. She didn8217;t glam-up her performance in the sports arena; she didn8217;t feel the need to sprint in couture. She was not the elite version of the weekend athlete who wears lipstick and mascara to the gym.

But she cleaned up nicely.

In January 2001, Jones appeared on the cover of Vogue magazine. She was wearing a garnet-beaded Calvin Klein gown, she was barefoot on the beach in a pose that could accurately be described as classic. It was the first time an athlete had ever appeared on the magazine8217;s cover. At the time, Vogue8217;s editor in chief said she chose Jones as a cover subject because of her 8220;grace under pressure.8221;

It8217;s not often that athletes such as Jones are celebrated for their beauty and grace in glossies. Olympic swimming champion Amanda Beard posed nude for Playboy magazine. But there is a distinction between celebrating anatomy and venerating the entire package.

Sports publications recognise and glorify both male and female athletes. And men8217;s style magazines regularly use male athletes as models, as examples of the masculine ideal. But there has typically been an uneasy relationship between the kind of female beauty glorified in the mainstream world and athletics.

The female athletes who generally receive the majority of attention during the Olympics are the figure skaters and gymnasts. All of those athletes display incredible physical strength and prowess. Women8217;s tennis has become a fashion show. And truthfully, the men are not far behind. The usual sportswear companies such as Nike and Reebok are joined by designers such as Diane von Furstenberg. The arrival of fashion on the tennis courts signaled an end to stuffy tradition and in many ways was a reflection of the greater diversity among the players. But at a certain point, a line was crossed. Was it Serena Williams8217; leather-look mini-romper? Or Maria Sharapova8217;s little black tennis dress complete with sequins? How hard is it to land an ace when you8217;re wearing a pair of chandelier earrings?

There are still voices of prejudice that run through the culture that want female athletes to be cute or glamorous 8212; even when they8217;re sweating. Almost lost in the racially insulting comments from Don Imus about the Rutgers women8217;s basketball team was his suggestion that the women simply weren8217;t pretty enough for him while they were performing masterfully on the basketball court. He isn8217;t alone in believing that whatever women are doing, they should be powdered and coifed and perfect while they8217;re doing it. Plenty of men believe that. Most women8217;s magazines encourage that thinking with stories about how to look great while running, swimming, hiking 8230; even giving birth.

Story continues below this ad

Jones was fascinating because she was a celebrated female athlete who showed that toughness on the track did not have to be tempered by a nod to traditional femininity. She didn8217;t have to keep reminding spectators of her womanliness. She could just be a superior athlete. And still pose for Vogue in her off time.
-Robin Givhan LAT-WP