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Kekaihulali Halpern of Hilo dominated the competition to win Hawaii’s cross-country state championship title, yet this newspaper’s coverage of the event included a picture that made her look weak and defeated (“Cole, Halpern take titles,” Star-Advertiser, Nov 5). It is particularly upsetting that the image of her lying on the ground, looking anguished and weak, stood in stark contrast to the image of male athletes, who were running and appear powerful.
There is a long history of representing female athletes in ways that demean their accomplishments. In the coverage of this race, the newspaper participated in that practice. Halpern blew away the competition, finishing more than 40 seconds ahead of her nearest rival. You owed her the dignity of reflecting her strength. In diminishing her, the newspaper was diminished and played into stereotypes that cast women as weak, and female athletes as less than their male counterparts.
Kate Kane
Palolo
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