WAG Aly Raisman criticizes USAG/USOC for handling of Nassar scandal

[3rd_time_around]

I have a hard time with Aly since she did a nude photoshoot for a sports magazine that did not leave much to the imagination. I lost a lot of respect for her when she did that. And the online comments from the perverts about what they were doing with her photos reinforced my opinion that she shouldn't have done that. I, of course, was in the minority with my opinion, but then you have the abuse scandal and the photoshopping on ebay, and I haven't changed my opinion. So it's hard for me to support her as the main advocate or athelete rep, knowing those photos were taken and are being "admired" by teen boys and old men alike. But again, that's just my opinion and I know I'll probably be blasted for it.

(I have the link if you don't believe me or didn't know, but a quick google search will find it as well. )

 

[MILgymFAM]

That kind of reeks of exactly what Gabby posted, and it’s all the same victim shaming. If I walked naked through Times Square it still wouldn’t give anyone the right to any part of my body. I thought the shoot was empowering, personally but we can agree to disagree about that.

 

[MeghanMeghanMeghan]

I know you're saying "I'm in the minority here" which to me indicates that you're not looking to change your mind or hear another perspective but I really want to push back on what your saying here. What exactly does Aly choosing to pose for the the body issue ESPN magazine have to do with whether she's a good mouthpiece for fighting against abuse within USAG? What does teen boys admiring her INCREDIBLE body that she worked so hard for have to do with the abuse that Larry Nassar committed against hundreds of girls? Its entirely appropriate for teenage boys to admire Aly's body. It's entirely NOT appropriate for Larry Nassar to touch underage, unconsenting, girls with ungloved hands for the purpose of deriving sexual pleasure. Those things are not at all equivalent and not at all the responsibility of Aly because she chose to participate in a photo shoot. You are **** shaming her the same way Gabby did, and it's victim blaming and so so wrong.

 

[3rd_time_around]

That kind of reeks of exactly what Gabby posted, and it’s all the same victim shaming. If I walked naked through Times Square it still wouldn’t give anyone the right to any part of my body. I thought the shoot was empowering, personally but we can agree to disagree about that.

See, its not victim shaming, its the voice of reason. It's would be hard to take her seriously as the representative for the athletes when she willingly took part in a nude photoshoot. (there was one for SI as well). That term, victim shaming, is over-used. That means I am excusing the abuser which I am NOT! (But I do not have the respect for her that I used to.) Victim shaming is saying she deserved the abuse, which of course she did not.

 

[3rd_time_around]

I know you're saying "I'm in the minority here" which to me indicates that you're not looking to change your mind or hear another perspective but I really want to push back on what your saying here. What exactly does Aly choosing to pose for the the body issue ESPN magazine have to do with whether she's a good mouthpiece for fighting against abuse within USAG? What does teen boys admiring her INCREDIBLE body that she worked so hard for have to do with the abuse that Larry Nassar committed against hundreds of girls? Its entirely appropriate for teenage boys to admire Aly's body. It's entirely NOT appropriate for Larry Nassar to touch underage, unconsenting, girls with ungloved hands for the purpose of deriving sexual pleasure. Those things are not at all equivalent and not at all the responsibility of Aly because she chose to participate in a photo shoot. You are **** shaming her the same way Gabby did, and it's victim blaming and so so wrong.

You do realize that I put "admire" in quotes and that I meant something else, because the comments on twitter that I was referring to cannot be repeated here and were disgusting. And I am in no way victim shaming---which by the way I hate that phrase because it is used to silence people that often have a valid point. Her body is incredible. She should not have posed nude. I lost my very high respect for her when she did that. That's all I'm saying. You can call me names, cuss me out, I don't care. I just know how lawyers use things like that to discredit victims in court, as wrong as that is as well.

 

[MeghanMeghanMeghan]

You're not getting it. If boys are posting innapropriate things on the internet the only person who's fault that is those boys. Not Alys.

You do realize that I put "admire" in quotes and that I meant something else, because the comments on twitter that I was referring to cannot be repeated here and were disgusting. And I am in no way victim shaming---which by the way I hate that phrase because it is used to silence people that often have a valid point. Her body is incredible. She should not have posed nude. I lost my very high respect for her when she did that. That's all I'm saying. You can call me names, cuss me out, I don't care. I just know how lawyers use things like that to discredit victims in court, as wrong as that is as well.

f t

 

[MILgymFAM]

See, its not victim shaming, its the voice of reason. It's would be hard to take her seriously as the representative for the athletes when she willingly took part in a nude photoshoot. (there was one for SI as well). That term, victim shaming, is over-used. That means I am excusing the abuser which I am NOT! (But I do not have the respect for her that I used to.) Victim shaming is saying she deserved the abuse, which of course she did not.

Why? She’s not looking to be an advocate for modesty or the Catholic Church, but for athletes who were victimized by a pedophile. I don’t think it matters that she’s been in a magazine naked- it has nothing to do with the topic at hand at all. And you may not be excusing the predator but you are rationalizing that level of modesty has any place in the discussion at all.

 

[cadybearsmommy]

I don’t see how her decision to pose for the magazine has anything to do with the abuse she experienced. She posed in the magazine as a fully grown adult woman. Nassar started abusing her when she was a teenager. One has absolutely nothing to do with the other.

 

[sewgood]

I'd like everyone to take a deep breath here and recognize that we are probably seeing another victim, and if I am reading this right, one who has not dealt with it and possibly is still blaming herself.

Obviously I don't agree at all with the sentiment.

I don't think I've mentioned today yet that Aly Raisman is awesome. OK, let's get that out of the way!

Ditto on all points. Also, I have suspicions that the whole 2012 team was abused, given the injury history of those gymnasts.

 

[profmom]

GAgymmom, please tell us if you have any respect for Herschel Walker, Johnny Weir, Apolo Ohno, Jose Batista, Michael Phelps, and Isaiah Thomas. Do you believe it is difficult for anyone to take any of these individuals seriously as representatives of their sports? If not, why not?

 

[wallinbl]

You do realize that I put "admire" in quotes and that I meant something else, because the comments on twitter that I was referring to cannot be repeated here and were disgusting. And I am in no way victim shaming---which by the way I hate that phrase because it is used to silence people that often have a valid point. Her body is incredible. She should not have posed nude. I lost my very high respect for her when she did that. That's all I'm saying. You can call me names, cuss me out, I don't care. I just know how lawyers use things like that to discredit victims in court, as wrong as that is as well.

I'm not sure I understand the issue with the photo shoot. They're not sexual, and the remind me of many of the ancient Greek statues. These are people with amazing bodies that are the result of incredible amounts of work.

Twitter is full of people that can find the worst in anything; I don't take any guidance from what happens there.

 

[azara]

Aly's adult, consenting decision to take some sexually charged photos and have them published in a magazine is totally separate to her ability to speak out against the abuse of children (sexual and otherwise) in the gymnastics world. Are you implying that because she's been what you see as immodest as an adult, this invalidates her ability to speak about her experiences as a child and to push for change within a poisonous organisation? I'm not seeing the connection. It's not like she's arguing we should all wear dresses down to the ankle, she's arguing for something totally different.

 

[Mrs. Puma]

Everyone has a right to their opinion about Aly or Gabby. Everyone has a right to their opinion about what they feel is appropriate for themselves or their kids to wear. But what it comes down to is not an opinion but a fact:

No person should do anything sexual to another person against that person’s will. At all. Ever. No matter what.

 

[CoachMeg]

I have a hard time with Aly since she did a nude photoshoot for a sports magazine that did not leave much to the imagination. I lost a lot of respect for her when she did that. And the online comments from the perverts about what they were doing with her photos reinforced my opinion that she shouldn't have done that. I, of course, was in the minority with my opinion, but then you have the abuse scandal and the photoshopping on ebay, and I haven't changed my opinion. So it's hard for me to support her as the main advocate or athelete rep, knowing those photos were taken and are being "admired" by teen boys and old men alike. But again, that's just my opinion and I know I'll probably be blasted for it.

(I have the link if you don't believe me or didn't know, but a quick google search will find it as well. )

As many have stated, I know that I will most likely not change your mind. But after reading your comment I felt compelled to respond. And I may be blunter than previous respondents who were very eloquent and pleasant with their words. But I am just heated. I'm sorry, but until we can change this mentality of women needing to dress conservatively/modest in an effort to not excite or entice male attention we will NEVER end rape culture. This way of thinking is just WRONG.

1) Women can do what they want with their bodies
2) Men cannot do what they want with women's bodies

Which part are you struggling to grasp????

 

[CoachMeg]

Moreover, nudity is not inherently sexual. And if a woman is sexual, it says NOTHING about her character and whether or not she is or isn't deserving of respect. She is putting the power back into her own hands, the way I see it. She is a grown woman doing with her body the way she pleases. She was sexually abused as a minor....to me, those photos symbolize her taking back control of her body. And I could be way off with that theory, but regardless, it is her body...her choice...and it does NOT give ANYONE the right her touch her inappropriately. I also think it's WRONG to say she deserves less respect just because she isn't fully clothed. Do you feel the same about men who do Sports Illustrated photoshoots half naked?

 

[LindyHopper]

Okay, I have a thought...

Is it possible for someone to agree that women can do what they want with their bodies, and that NOTHING gives a man the right to do ANYTHING with a woman's body without her permission, yet also "lose respect" for a woman based on her choice of dress?

I think it is. I know people who have lost respect for other people because they chose to get a tattoo. I've known people to lose respect for others because they dyed their hair a non-traditional color or chose a non-traditional haircut. Is losing respect for someone based on what they choose or choose not to wear really much different?

How does expressing an opinion that one doesn't like the choice someone else made about his or her appearance automatically mean that one is victim blaming?

 

[MILgymFAM]

yet also "lose respect" for a woman based on her choice of dress?

I think it is. I know people who have lost respect for other people because they chose to get a tattoo. I've known people to lose respect for others because they dyed their hair a non-traditional color or chose a non-traditional haircut. Is losing respect for someone based on what they choose or choose not to wear really much different?

I’m happy to agree with you that people do base their respect for others on such things, but I cannot agree that they should. For me, I don’t base respect on superficial choices, but rather on behavior and general attitude. To each their own is pretty much my tag line, so it applies here too. Judge people based on whatever criteria you want, but don’t be surprised when you end up respecting clean cut, modest monsters. And yes, that’s exaggerative for effect.

 

[CoachMeg]

I guess I just think it's silly to lose respect for someone over such trivial things: clothes, tattoos, hair color. Seems so odd when it's their body and their choice. I don't judge someone's character differently simply because they have bright blue hair. I judge character by what a person does/says and what their values are. Not by what they chose to put on THEIR body.

We tell our children not to judge others based on their appearance, and "it's what's on the inside that counts". How can we preach that to our children but do the exact opposite? It's hypocritical. "Sorry, Sally, I don't what to listen to what you have to say about politics. Your opinion means little to me from the moment you got that tattoo on your foot". Like, what??? Typing it out even sounds bizarre.

 

[LindyHopper]

I cannot agree that they should.

I agree 100%. The surface is simply that--the surface.

My point was more that we shouldn't take someone's opinion about one thing and automatically assume that we know how they feel or think about other issues.

 

[LindyHopper]

I guess I just think it's silly to lose respect for someone over such trivial things: clothes, tattoos, hair color.

That may be, but it wasn't my main point. My main point was that it is entirely possible to both think that a woman has the right to do what she wants with her body, yet personally not like the choice that someone else makes.

Not that anyone should care what anyone else's opinions are about our appearance, but people are entitled to those subjective opinions whether we like them or not.

Again, I think we shouldn't make assumptions about how people feel about one issue because they have expressed an opinion about a potentially related topic.