Times: Women's Sports Aren't Just About Clothes and Periods!

On page three of Monday's Times newspaper, the women's Wimbledon coverage featured two stories: one about women's fashion (referring to Wimbledon as a "catwalk"), and one about how women's periods are a struggle during the games.

The men's coverage, no surprise, has not included details about their outfits, but simply descriptions of their performance past and present, and their stance within their own country's athletic landscape.

These are the types of double standards that make women's sports appear less legitimate than men's, and they need to be remedied. The first step is for the media to provide equal coverage to the sport itself, and not trivialize the women's teams by reducing them to what they wear and their time-of-the-month.

As a fan of women's sport and someone who works in the sports clothing industry, I started this petition because I am all too aware of the difficulties that female athletes face when compared with their male counterparts. I am fed up with women in sport being objectified and patronised. I want to see all athletes, regardless of gender, being given the same coverage and respect. The media have a responsibility to do this.

Sign this petition to demand an apology from The Times and a statement about how they will provide equal coverage of Wimbledon going forward.
Dear Times Editorial Leadership,

I was very dismayed to see Monday's coverage of the incredible women's Wimbledon athletes reduced to a story about fashion and a story about women's menstrual cycles. These are world class athletes with amazing records and performance, and they deserve the same coverage as the men's team -- substantive reporting about their playing.

I ask that you apologise for your sexist double standard in your reporting, and tell the public how you plan to remedy this by making sure your coverage of women's Wimbledon is as concrete as the men's.

Thank you for your time.
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