USC senior Robin Hextrum poses with some of the paintings from her recently completed exhibit “Sex and Sports: An Exploration of the Condition of the Modern Female Athlete” in her bedroom/studio in Los Angeles. Photo by Janna Brancolini
Robin Hextrum came to the University of Southern California in Los Angeles on a half-tuition academic scholarship in August 2005. After walking onto the women’s crew team her freshman year, she became an athletic scholarship recipient her sophomore year and the captain of the team her junior year. Now a senior fine arts major, Robin recently completed an incredible multi-medium art exhibit called, “Sex and Sports: An Exploration of the Condition of the Modern Female Athlete.” Here is a preview of her exhibit.
A self-portrait of Robin and her pairs rowing partner, Diana. Painting and photo by Robin Hextrum
Artist’s Statement
I created my most recent body of work in reaction to the overwhelming amount of sexism in sports media (sports magazines, sports commentary, conservative talk radio, and TV coverage of sports). Today, female athletes all to often receive more attention for their “sexiness” than their athletic prowess. I am both an artist and a varsity athlete at USC, and the athletes I workout with everyday are far from the images of female athletes gracing the covers of popular publications like Playboy, Shape and Fitness. Modern female athletes are strong, independent, hard working and work out for the sake of sport, not for the sake of looking attractive for the heterosexual male gaze. The emphasis placed on sexual appeal reinforces preexisting notions that a woman’s sexual attractiveness supersedes other talents, goals, strengths or ambitions. I intend to show gender inequities through the eyes of the female athlete. She is a specific window through which I am examining a broader issue.
I have explored this concept with a variety of mediums including paintings, drawings, comics, collages, and graphic compositions. My paintings often heroicize the female athletic figure through bold compositions. These large oil and acrylic portraits of female athletes demonstrate their musculature, strength, and mental focus. The comics I create serve as direct social commentary on the inequities women face when entering the athletic world. I have also employed the use of graphic compositions and collages to incorporate the widespread sexualized imagery of the female athlete into a critical dialogue. Through this range of two dimensional artworks, I am able to communicate the complexity of the issues surrounding gender and sport.
It is important to note that my artwork does not seek to attack female athletes who have promoted themselves through sexualized imagery like Amanda Beard, Amy Acuff, Danika Patrick, or Maria Sharapova. On the contrary, my work is intended to question the very existence of a system where their posing and exploitation is possible and financially attractive. I hope that my artworks on this subject will initiate a crucial dialogue about the modern female athlete. With these steps towards consideration of the female athlete beyond a sex object, perhaps women will be able to professionally succeed in sports without having to bare it all.
One of Janna’s personal favorites:
“I created this comic to question why a female athlete should have to concern herself with her appearance in order to achieve monetary success. Amy Acuff, an Olympic high jumper who posed for Playboy, exemplifies this by saying, ‘Playboy publicity helped the team secure training facilities and a coach. My chances are the best they can possibly be and Playboy has a part in that.’” Comic and photo by Robin Hextrum
For more, check out Robin’s site here.
