Danica dissent

She's remarkable, to be sure.\nAt only 23, she's the first woman to ever lead the Indianapolis 500.\n"Danica (Patrick) competes on a man's level and in a man's sport like no other woman in sports ever has," reads the description of her autobiography "Danica: Crossing the Line," on www.Amazon.com.\nEarlier this month, hundreds of fans stormed a Borders Bookstore in Indianapolis to get a glimpse of their superwoman. Young girls peered over the table at which Patrick sat as she signed books for them.\nNeither Patrick's outstanding talent nor drive (a pun!) is to be questioned. Rather, the reasons for her consistent publicity and popularity are.\nThe cover of her autobiography features Patrick clad in a fitted, low-cut black dress. Her nails are polished, her lips are glossed and her eyes are heavily lined and mascaraed. Her mouth is slightly open, and she looks at the camera demurely. She appears highly feminine and, certainly, beautiful.\nPatrick is not obligated to play down her appearance or femininity because she's a role model. I wonder, though, what those little girls who look up to her think when they see the cover of her book. Moreover, I wonder if they've seen her photo spread in the April 2003 issue of FHM (For Him Magazine) in which she dons a number of teeny leather non-clothes and poses provocatively atop and inside of sports cars.\nLike Patrick, do the girls feel obligated to conform to virtually unobtainable beauty ideals? Do they get the impression that, to be successful as women, they must be attractive? \nSurely the answer is yes.\nPatrick, like all Americans brainwashed by popular media, must feel compelled to appear as the ultimate of what is thought of as attractive and sexy -- so as to enhance her appeal, her publicity, her image and, I'm sure, the sum of money she was given to pose was sexy, too.\nCertainly, many prominent females in the sports world have contributed to their own objectification.\nA small army of female athletes have posed in FHM, Playboy and other "men's magazines." Playboy even had a special issue in 2004, "The Women of the Olympics," in which eight Olympians posed, including high jumper Amy Acuff (who also did a spread in FHM).\nFemale sports broadcasters capitalize on their appearance and place in the sports world, as well. Lisa Guerrero and Jill Arrington, sideline reporters for the NFL, have been photographed for Playboy and FHM -- along with a cornucopia of other female sports journalists.\nThese women are reaping lucrative benefits from being both sexually appealing and talented -- whether it's in athletics or journalism. On the surface, this might imply their determination and success. \nUnderlying this, however, are regressive and, ultimately, dangerous implications that stem from women capitalizing on their sex appeal.\nI'll tune into the Indianapolis 500 briefly to see where Patrick stands; she's a fantastic racer. I just wish she didn't forget that she's a role model, even off the track.