Semenya's Makeover Downright Cynical

Too bad South African athlete can't just 'wear pants if she feels like it'

By Will McCahill, Newser Staff

Posted Sep 8, 2009 8:37 PM CDT

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Semenya's Makeover Downright Cynical — Athlete Semenya Caster, whose gender was questioned after a recent event, is seen post-makeover in a South African magazine. (You)

The appearance of Caster Semenya, the runner who was the subject of gender controversy at last month’s world championships, all made over on the cover of a South African magazine has blogger Anna N., on Jezebel, smelling a rat. “It’s hard not to see the shoot as a calculated move by her managers to sell the public on her ‘femininity,’” Anna writes. “This is especially sad because up until now, Semenya and her family have been unapologetic about the way she looks and dresses.”

“From Susan Boyle to Semenya, magazine ‘makeovers’ send the message that there's one way for women to look good, and the closer you get to it the happier you’ll be,” Anna seethes. “I’d rather live in a world where Caster Semenya can wear pants if she feels like it, rather than one where she needs a team of stylists to be considered ‘feminine.’”
(More Caster Semenya stories.)

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