Popular Culture Review Vol. 8, No. 2, August 1997 | Page 92

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Popular Culture Review

References to Babe Didrikson, one of the greatest women
athletes of all time, illustrate this type of gender stereotyping. In
1938 sportswriter Paul Gallico referr^ to Babe Didrikson, 1932 two
gold medal Olympian, as "the muscle moll to end all mus cle molls."
He described her as "a tomboy who never wore make-up, who
shingled her hair until it was as short as a boy's and never bothered
to comb it, who didn't care about clothes and who despised silk
underthings as being sissy. She had a boy's body, slim, straight
curveless....She hated women....Her lips were thin and bloodless,
with down showing on the upper one, and she had a prominent
Adam's apple." He then suggested that the reason that she became a
top athlete was "because she would not or could not compete with
women at their own best game--man-snatching. It was an escape, a
compensation." Gallico concluded that Didrikson may have been
successful as an athlete, but she was a failure as a woman.^
Gallico especially condemned women ball players, wrestlers
and boxers. He said they are: "The freaks....A pitiful crew, the
female boxers, wrestlers, ball-players. Most of them are toughies and
exhibitionists. For the most part they have ugly bodies, hard faces,
cheap minds...."®
Based on these perceptions of women athletes, the Red
Heads' owners knew that images of masculine or lesbian women
would not have been acceptable to the public. In the owners' minds,
their Red Heads players had to personify femininity. In appearance
and manner, on and off the court, the players were to be seen as ladies.
All the women were required to have flaming red hair — the team
trademark. Of course, not all of them were natural red heads. Even
some of the natural red heads dyed their hair a brighter red, so that
their hair would look more spectacular under the lights. All were
required to wear blue eye shadow and bright red lipstick. Patriotic
red, white and blue uniforms were designed to signify that the women
were wholesome all American girls. The public was not to think of
them as cheap sexy showgirls.
Carefully posed publicity pictures emphasized the women's
fendninity and set them apart from men. Images of beauty were more
important than athleticism. The photos were of glamorous redheads
in stunning poses spinning basketballs on their fingers or with
regulation sized basketballs palmed in each hand. Attractive satin
uniforms with short shorts accented their long legs and feminine