• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Breaking Muscle

Breaking Muscle

Breaking Muscle

  • Fitness
  • Workouts
    • Best Shoulder Workouts
    • Best Chest Workouts
    • Best Leg Workouts
    • Best Leg Exercises
    • Best Biceps Exercises
    • Best Kettlebell Exercises
    • Best Back Workouts
    • Best HIIT Workouts
    • Best Triceps Exercises
    • Best Arm Workouts
  • Reviews
    • Supplements
      • Best Pre-Workout
      • Best BCAAs
      • Best Testosterone Boosters
      • Best Bodybuilding Supplements
      • Best Creatine
      • Best Supplements for Weight Loss
      • Best Multivitamins
      • Best Collagen Supplement
      • Best Probiotic
      • Best Non-Stim Pre-Workout
      • Best Greens Powder
      • Best Magnesium Supplements
    • Protein
      • Best Protein Powder
      • Best Whey Protein
      • Best Protein Powders for Muscle Gain
      • Best Tasting Protein Powder
      • Best Vegan Protein
      • Best Mass Gainer
      • Best Protein Shakes
      • Best Organic Protein Powder
      • Best Pea Protein Powder
      • Best Protein Bars
    • Strength Equipment
      • Best Home Gym Equipment
      • Best Squat Racks
      • Best Barbells
      • Best Weightlifting Belts
      • Best Weight Benches
      • Best Functional Trainers
      • Best Dumbbells
      • Best Adjustable Dumbbells
      • Best Kettlebells
      • Best Resistance Bands
      • Best Trap Bars
    • Cardio Equipment
      • Best Cardio Machines
      • Best Rowing Machines
      • Best Treadmills
      • Best Weighted Vests
      • Concept2 RowErg Review
      • Hydrow Wave Review
      • Best Jump Ropes
  • News
  • Exercise Guides
    • Legs
      • Back Squat
      • Bulgarian Split Squat
      • Goblet Squat
      • Zercher Squat
      • Standing Calf Raise
      • Hack Squat
    • Chest
      • Bench Press
      • Dumbbell Bench Press
      • Close-Grip Bench Press
      • Incline Bench Press
    • Shoulders
      • Overhead Dumbbell Press
      • Lateral Raise
    • Arms
      • Chin-Up
      • Weighted Pull-Up
      • Triceps Pushdown
    • Back
      • Deadlift
      • Trap Bar Deadlift
      • Lat Pulldown
      • Inverted Row
      • Bent-Over Barbell Row
      • Single-Arm Dumbbell Row
      • Pendlay Row
Fitness

The Time Is Now: Stand Up for Gender Equality in CrossFit

Take action to stop gender inequality in sports. It starts with you.

Patrick McCarty

Written by Patrick McCarty Last updated on Nov 22, 2021

In Part One of this series, I discussed gender inequality in CrossFit and in women’s sports at large. It takes more for women to have an equal playing field with men – the “more” being a hypersexualized portrayal of oneself.

In Part Two, I posited that in the current system, women sometimes fall prey to the systemic requirement of hypersexualization. Women self-objectify in order to gain the notice, following, and brand they want. I noted that although this is a common practice, it’s by no means healthy for women or society.

Today, we’ll discuss the solutions.

Challenge the System

The systemic objectification and hypersexualization of women in sports and media in general is an ongoing problem. Cover the Athlete #covertheathlete is a movement urging sports reporters to apply the same standards covering females as they use for males. Watch this telling video that shows the answers reporters receive as male athletes are asked actual questions that were asked of female athletes.

We know what the system expects. Our response to those expectations determines our status within the system. Currently, men in general will continue to justify the system, i.e. “Hey man, sex sells. That’s the way things are.” Keeping the system in place allows men to remain in an advantageous position. Women who justify the system by acquiescing to it or by overtly defending it benefit in the short term, but suffer in the long term.

“The system is only the system if we, the consumers, continue to operate within its confines and march like zombies consuming what we’re being fed.”

And those who challenge the system are, at least initially, punished by it. We see this time and time again in obvious ways. Athletes who refuse to play the skin game fail to net sponsors of the same caliber as their more provocative contemporaries. Or, more subtly, they may simply fail to cultivate as many followers or fans. Refusing to play the game results in economic disparity, among other things.

Said another way, those athletes who want to build a brand can escalate their brand more swiftly by adding a booty shot or two and becoming the “sexy/hot/whatever” CrossFitter. Those who simply post their lifts, their educational spin, and practical information tend to be overlooked by social media. To put it bluntly, the fandom within the sport of CrossFit is not commensurate with the level of athleticism. You only need to look at the around-the-block line for an autograph with Christmas Abbott at the 2014 CrossFit games to know that.

Elisabeth Akinwale during the Soccer Chipper at the 2015 CrossFit Games. Akinwale is challenging the idea that women are the weaker sex.

Examples From Instagram

Let’s look at a few real examples on Instagram.

Example 1:

  • Diane Fu, owner of FuBarbell, teaches weightlifting seminars around the country. She is a tremendous educator. She is one of the OG CrossFit weightlifting coaches, and her Instagram posts are chock full of knowledge. She has 36K followers.
  • Rita Benevidez is, by all available data, a marginal CrossFit athlete whose last achievement was Regionals in 2012. Her Instagram posts are full of selfies, some thong shots, and lots of cleavage. She has 82K followers.

Example 2:

  • Natalie Newhart, GRID athlete with the Boston Iron and CrossFit Games athlete from 2013. She has 13K followers.
  • Lauren Brooks, GRID athlete with the Miami Surge and CrossFit Games athlete from 2014. She has 98K followers.

Same basic resume, but Brooks has nearly five times as many followers. Go have a look at their respective IG accounts and tell me why that is.

We Are the Problem

But the question isn’t “Why?”. As I have stated repeatedly, the problem exists because our culture rewards beauty, attractiveness, and sexuality.

The real question is, “Why are we, the followers, doing this?”. Who are the 100,000 or so followers of Lauren Brooks, and why aren’t they following Natalie Newhart? Does our huge community of CrossFit athletes look to our CrossFit heroes to lead the way? If so, then the numbers above should be reversed.

Or are we so shallow that we’d rather thumb through an Instagram feed of hotness than one full of knowledge? If the answer is yes, imagine how sad that is. We, the followers, are the culture. We’re the ones who make up the system. Folks, we’re the problem.

Lindsey Valenzuela, Clean & Jerk Ladder, 2013 CrossFit Games.

Lindsey Valenzuela at the 2013 CrossFit Games. Valenzuela passionately promotes female empowerment through strength.

Change Starts With You

Any young female athlete who follows a Fitspo spokesmodel who happens to do CrossFit and chimes in on a fifteen-second IG post of double-unders with “You are such an inspiration!” is a lost soul who doesn’t understand what inspiration means. Any male who weighs in about how hot a female athlete is or a “Will you marry me?” comment is at best, a gawker, and at worst, a voyeur. The system is only the system if we, the consumers, continue to operate within its confines and march like zombies consuming what we’re being fed.

So change it. It starts with you. Here is how.

  • All of Us: Unfollow. You know who I am talking about. If the content is self-aggrandizement and self-objectification, unfollow.
  • Men: Before you hit “submit” on the comment button, consider that there is a human being at the other end. Stop perpetuating the system of objectification and take your own steps to identify objectification behavior and make a course correction.
  • Women: Choose your CrossFit role models wisely. How about those who sell strength, skill, and education over sex? Here are some great choices: Lindsey Valenzuela, Kris Clever, Sarabeth Phillips, Emily Pale, Diane Fu, Christen Wagner, and Courtney Walker.
  • Athletes who fight the system: Challenging the system is the way to change it. Keep up the fight. Support others who fight for the same cause – Elisabeth Akinwale, the women mentioned above, and many more. Stay vocal.
  • Athletes who acquiesce to the system and self-objectify for the sake of likes, followers, and sponsors: Take a long hard look at the research about this issue. Read the Rachel Calogero paper I referenced in my last article. You may realize the long-term effects of self-objectification: perpetuation of the system, reduced self-esteem, and a host of other issues. Understand that while you may justify the freedom to self-objectify as “loving the skin you’re in,” those posed, staged, made-up, filtered images are not your skin. Look at eighteen-year-old Australian selfie-queen Essena O’Neill.

Make a decision to be vocal. Celebrate CrossFit athletes who present a strong and confident image. Speak up to sponsors who fail to recognize true athleticism and achievement as more important than looks.

Become part of a movement of change. In short, make CrossFit a leader in changing the system, not a part of it. And while you’re at it, call out HQ whenever needed.

More Like This:

  • Gender Inequality: The Ugly Truth About Female Sponsorships
  • Gender Equality is Broken: In CrossFit, Sex Sells
  • 5 Strong Female Role Models to Inspire the Next Generation
  • What’s New on Breaking Muscle Today

Photo 1 and teaser photo courtesy of CrossFit, Inc.

Photo 2 courtesy of CrossFit, Inc.

Patrick McCarty

About Patrick McCarty

Patrick McCarty is a CrossFit Level 1 Trainer and masters athlete. As a masters-level athlete, Patrick competed in the 2011, 2013, and 2014 Reebok CrossFit Games. Patrick’s fitness journey has taken him from traditional weightlifting to marathon running and, ultimately, to CrossFit, where he found the perfect balance of strength and conditioning, nutrition, and proper goal setting, which allowed him to find levels of fitness and well-being that eluded his twenty-year old self.

In addition to his own training, Patrick’s real passion is coaching. He provides programming and coaching for dozens of clients across the globe and finds immense satisfaction in helping other achieve their fitness goals, whether it’s climbing a rope for the first time or making it to the CrossFit Games. By day, Patrick is a web developer who owns his own design company, CJT Digital Design, in Loveland, Ohio.

View All Articles

Related Posts

Female competitors headline a graphic for the 2024 CrossFit Games season.
2024 CrossFit Games Season Schedule: Division-by-Division Breakdown
2023 Rogue CrossFit Invitational winners Pat Vellner and Laura Horvath holding their championship titles.
2023 Rogue CrossFit Invitational Results — Laura Horvath and Patrick Vellner Become Two-Time Champions
Female competitors performing medicine ball sit-ups at the 2022 Rogue Invitational.
2023 Rogue Invitational Events Revealed
CrossFit athlete Josh Bridges performs a barbell back squat in his home gym.
CrossFit Legend Josh Bridges Crushes Full-Body Workout Two Weeks Out From 2023 Rogue Invitational

Primary Sidebar

Latest Articles

New Year’s Fitness Sales (2025)

XWERKS Motion BCAA Review (2025): A Registered Dietitian’s Honest Thoughts

Assault Fitness AssaultBike Pro X Review (2025): Assault’s Best Bike Yet?

13 Best Exercise Bikes for Home Gyms (2025)

Transparent Labs BCAA Glutamine Review (2025): The Key to Post-Workout Recovery?

Latest Reviews

Element 26 Hybrid Leather Weightlifting Belt

Element 26 Hybrid Leather Weightlifting Belt Review (2025)

Omre NMN + Resveratrol, Lifeforce Peak NMN, and partiQlar NMN on a red background

Best NMN Supplement: Fountain of Youth in a Bottle? (2025)

The Titan Series Adjustable Bench on a red background

Titan Series Adjustable Bench Review (2025)

A photo of the NordicTrack Select-a-Weight Dumbbells on a red background

NordicTrack Adjustable Dumbbell Review (2025): Are These Value Dumbbells Worth It?

woman lifting barbell

Be the smartest person in your gym

The Breaking Muscle newsletter is everything you need to know about strength in a 3 minute read.

I WANT IN!

Breaking Muscle is the fitness world’s preeminent destination for timely, high-quality information on exercise, fitness, health, and nutrition. Our audience encompasses the entire spectrum of the fitness community: consumers, aficionados, fitness professionals, and business owners. We seek to inform, educate and advocate for this community.

  • Reviews
  • Healthy Eating
  • Workouts
  • Fitness
  • News

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS Feed

© 2025 · Breaking Muscle · Terms of Use · Privacy Policy · Affiliate Disclaimer · Accessibility · About