SUP Women Say "Start Portraying Us As We Are"

SAN DIEGO, California - "Don't have models hold boards for us and pretend to be us, because they are not us." ·This was the recent message and call to action by elite paddler Candice Appleby during a controversial discussion on The Wake Up SUP Show featured on www.Supconnect.com.

Over the past couple of years as the sport of Stand Up Paddle has grown and become more and more popular, there has also been an increasing number of women getting involved at all different levels from leisure paddles to highly competitive battles on the water.  In fact, recent statistics show that the overall community of stand up paddle is comprised of about 53% men and 47% percent women.  However, despite the almost equal gender participation numbers, there seem to be different standards as to how men and women are portrayed in stand up paddle media, specifically on magazine covers.

During the Wake Up SUP Show on Wednesday June 6, 2012 it was pointed out by host of the show and elite stand up paddle racer/surfer Candice Appleby, that there have been about 5-7 times that women have been featured on the cover of industry specific stand up paddle board magazines.  However, not one of those women was a female elite athlete or active paddler who is truly participating in SUP and leading the way in the sport. On the contrary, the cover women were models who were staged as paddlers. It was then noted by special guest Kristin Thomas and Candice that there seems to be a double standard when it comes to choosing those who will be featured on SUP magazine covers.  Never in a million years would a male model be used on a cover photo of a SUP magazine.  In fact, only legitimate male surfers, racers and paddlers have been used and would ever be considered to take center stage on these covers and yet female models are used all the time.

Why is it then that female models are being used for SUP cover photos instead of the athletes and committed SUPers?  One argument is that female models are extremely attractive and that it is done because "sex sells".  However, those on the SUP show argued that many female SUP athletes are also extremely attractive and can add a very "real" aspect to images that models can not.  For example, there is something completely unbelievable about looking at models holding boards and paddles in front of ocean waves.  Those who know the sport understand that the models would not be able to get out over the waves which in turn can give a very fake feel to the photo. 

Another conflict, pointed out on the show, that arises when choosing to use female models for SUP cover photos is the fact that true stand up paddlers miss out not only on the money earned from the photo shoot but also on the opportunities that can result from having this type of good publicity.  For those women trying to make a living in the sport, this fact alone makes it increasingly more difficult to continue training, traveling, and competing due to a lack of resources and the need to get another job.  

Obviously the use of female models on cover photos for magazines in the SUP world is directly affecting a variety of people in a negative way.   So far the general consensus from those who called in to The Wake Up SUP Show and from those who tweeted and used facebook to voice their opinions is that they prefer to see the true athletes on the magazine covers and that women are falling in love with this sport because it is something that helps them to be healthy and to feel good about themselves.  In other words, women are getting involved in SUP because they want to be fit, healthy and more like athletes, and not necessarily because they want to look like fashion models. 

What do you think?  How should women be portrayed in SUP media and specifically on SUP magazine covers? Should models be used in place of true stand up paddle female athletes?  Is there a double standard between how men and women are featured?  Please tell us what you think in the comments below.

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