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France’s Marion Bartoli won her first Tennis Grand Slam title in a matter of 30 minutes against Germany’s Sabine Lasicki in the Wimbledon final.
While this calls for celebration for France and Bartoli’s family, the world is somehow not pleased that Bartoli’s features does not resemble some of the major tennis stars. The 28-year-old 2013 Women’s Singles Wimbledon champion is not a tall, skinny blonde with cheekbones as high as the sky. What she really looks like is an athlete and only the most amazing woman to ever come out of tennis!
While most of us would be praising this young woman for her victory, the Wimbledon champion is now a victim of cyber-bullying because she simply isn’t attractive enough. Head to Twitter and search ‘#wimbledon’ or ‘#bartoli’ and you’re bound to find a string of cruel sexist sexist statements about Bartoli. Here are a few simple examples from society’s finest:
(Source)
Yes, the talented Wimbledon champion whose stats did not measure up to Maria Sharipova was subjected to abusive tweets from young men, criticizing her for being ‘fat’ and ‘ugly’. This is naturally expected in the world of entertainment and fashion, but when did the world of sports become about looks?
Even BBC commentator John Inverdale casually told listeners on live radio: “Do you think Bartoli’s dad told her when she was little, you’re never going to be a looker, you’ll never be a Sharapova, so you have to be scrappy and fight?”.
But Bartoli, being an amazing icon for women today, gracefully responded to Inverdale’s comment: “It doesn’t matter, honestly. I am not blonde, yes. That is a fact. Have I dreamt about having a model contract? No. I’m sorry. But have I dreamed about winning Wimbledon? Absolutely, yes.” (Source)
You go, Marion. You’re a beautiful woman, and we know for a fact that you know it too!
