Sexism
are women. At the Master Instructor level, the news is even worse. Only 13 per cent of PADI Master Instructors are women. According to Senior Business Analyst Sue Porter, the statistics and percentages have remained stable over the last three years. The attrition rate from entry level diving to leadership is remarkably high worldwide. I recall an early exchange on one
of the fi rst technical diving forums. A poster asked, “How many women are certifi ed as both cave divers and trimix divers?” Being one of those few, I watched the thread with interest. A response came back, “fi ve.” Another poster followed, correcting this with the names of the seven of us who held both certifi cations. Then a remarkable response came in, “1678,” or some other ridiculously large number for the era. The reply from the previous poster was to the point and not without humor, “Dude, do you have their phone numbers?”
All Dressed and Ready to Go There is a certain amount of conspicuous sexuality in scuba simply based on the equipment
22 Magazine
Why anyone would buy a piece of dive gear just because there’s a half naked girl in an ad..?
and clothing that we wear. The promotional material for the Hollywood hit, The Deep, released in 1977, featured the female star, Jacqueline Bisset, in a wet T-shirt, and scuba diving marketers seized on her seductiveness. The earliest diving equipment catalogs depicted brave hardhat divers exploring the ocean while sexy, bikini-clad women water-skied above them. Over the years, the industry has trended slowly towards more gender-friendly marketing, but there has been plenty of skin. A reader from the Northeast diving community posted, “I see a lot of ‘attractive’ people in diving ads. But there’s a signifi cant amount more overt sexuality associated with the women models.” Another writer was far more upset
in her perception of equipment marketing with this comment. “Why anyone would buy a piece of dive gear just because there’s a
‘Sex sells’: mid-century
print advertising loved diving and scantily-clad female models
half naked girl in an ad staring at you like she’s just had a lobotomy (which I guess is supposed to be the sexy seduction look), has never made any sense to me.” Other sports have chosen
a markedly diff erent route. The millennial participants in snowboarding embrace loose and baggy clothing in an open attempt to disguise sexuality and gender identity. Participants say they want to emphasize the skill of the boarder, not the perceived attractiveness and appearance of the athlete. But another reader off ered the
wisdom that market research drives advertising. We might be getting exactly what we are asking for. “I’m fairly accustomed to running with the guys. Pinups don’t bother me. The restaurant Hooters doesn’t bother me (although Wing House has friendlier waitresses and better wings). ‘Attractive’ sells, whether it’s attractive women, cars, men or puppies. It’s just a fact of life in advertising. That said, the most attractive people, male or female, are those who smile from the inside, are kind, are self-confi dent, and aren’t afraid of soap.”
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