Smells Like Teen Spirit

The post has nothing to do with Nirvana, so apologies to the Cobain fans... but yes, the title does have relevance in a totally different context.. Since the entire country and its media have decided not to skirt the issue, i thought it might make sense for me to raise the issue here.. yup, its all about ms.mirza'a skirts and all the above puns were intended..:)

While it is known that the guy who made the initial remark about her dressing on court had both supporters and detractors, it is also quite clear to those who have seen at least one game of contemporary tennis that its quite impossible to play the game with a long skirt on.. that would get us the kind of results we might get if we compete in swimming with a formal suit rather than a swimsuit.. of course, it would give us the necessary excuses for not winning competitions, and perhaps ask for a reservation for people competing in burkha/suits in international sporting events. But all thats not the point here.. the issue would have been sidelined if sania had merely stated the obvious - that the clothes she wears are a demand of the sport she plays, and anything else would leave her at a disadvantage.. but as this article would have us believe, she is not comfortable wearing such clothes...

i have a couple of points to note though - firstly, all the women in the sport wear similar attire, but most of them, if you exclude the williams and sharapova do not offer scope for eye candy like sania does.. the kind of images that ToI splashes are proof of that, and i am very sure a little adjustment can stop the really extreme exposure that she offers, that is, if sania wanted to stop it.. secondly, for a person who flaunts attitude tshirts on a regular basis, the discomfort seems to be slightly out of character...

So at the end of it, she seems to be taking her rapt audience for a ride, with remarks about discomfort and actions which seem to be totally out of sync. and thats the only reason for the post - unfair ridicule of mass intelligence, ours!!

But, i also do think she's just another teen, who loves her game, is quite at ease with its requirements and also loves her religion and is quite at ease with its diktats, and is confused, like most of the people at her age, on how to balance the different things in her life.. so maybe we should just let her be and be mature enough to let her enjoy her game, cheer her for her exploits, let her handle the perks her performance gives her..

maybe we should stop splashing images that make her think that the number of navel gazes she serves are more important to her audience than the number of aces she serves.. we have enough tennis barbies, why try to make a sania barbie, and spoil a talent?
until next time, maybe she needs a break :)