They would win the championships of shame. But the dozens of boorish and sexist comments will not be enough to extinguish the smile on her face. The smile of someone who has recently finished the best world championship of his career, winning well eight medals (2 bronzes and 6 silvers) ai European Championships in Rome. Because of this Linda Cerruti29 years old, artistic swimmer (for the less experienced, synchronized) Ligurian member of GS Marina Militare and RN Savona, he posted on his page Instagram various photos taken in Noli, to celebrate the important milestone achieved. Among others, an image in an artistic pose, which recalls the sport that she loves so much and that has given her so much satisfaction, compared to what had been the medals of the European Championships in Glasgow 4 years ago. Too bad, however, just under that post they appeared comments that had nothing to do with his successes, but rather they focused on another aspect: her body.
The “indicted” photo
A poses a la Mark Spitz, the former US swimmer who won seven gold medals at the 1972 Olympics, with the medals around his neck. And one, instead, upside down, split (typical artistic position of synchronized swimming) with the prizes on the legs, as in a medal table, well exposed. Cerruti is proud of those podiums and is keen to make them stand out also on her social networks, for her followers. “After a week I look at my medals with infinite joy – she writes accompanying the image -. 4 years after the European Championships in Glasgow in which I won 2 silvers and 5 bronzes I can say that I am satisfied !!! I improved with a lot of training and more years of experience !!! Behind my medals (for which you have written to me in many) there is so much sacrifice!“, He adds. And he concludes by saying: “I wish each of you to be able to live or make your children live a life of sport! Sport helps to grow and teaches values“.
The sexist comments
Values that, however, have evidently been lost in the education of those people who, instead of congratulating her, have chosen to comment on his body on display, with sexist and macho phrases come. “Gnocca and he is pleased about it ”,“ The medals are beautiful… But also the empty space between the 4th and 5th medal it’s not bad ”,“ I’ll add a medal for side b, of course gold … “; and again, “I think he’s showing something else … two beautiful buttocks“Or” The pose is ideal for to receive even the fiance medal“, “Ma where did you put the statue ??? you can’t see it… ”and they couldn’t miss it“ The most important medal, the more that counts, that it has more importance it is the one he has between his legs“. In short, the usual, vulgar, bar comment, from those who do not look beyond his being a man hungry for pornography, of those who follow his carnal instinct instead of reason. And who cares that to get all those medals Cerruti, for years and years, woke up before dawn, went to train before school, spent more hours in the pool than at home, than with friends, than with her boyfriend. Who cares about all those sacrifices, a photo of a young girl showing her butt and legs (open) “Has sex” with the paternalistic, rude alpha male.
Linda Cerruti’s reply
But in the face of this merciless scene, after reading the many, too many, sexist comments and in some cases bordering on obscene, appeared under her post on social networks, the blue champion is not going to remain silent. And Linda Cerruti’s response is exemplary:
Like every year, after months and months of sacrifices, came that week when I lift my head out of the water, and breathe. Let me be clear, I’m not complaining, but I’m just reporting the daily reality that has been more than rewarded by one career full of satisfactions.
Two days ago I shared a photo taken on the beach where I’ve always been going, where I cultivated my first dreams and which for me also has a strong symbolic value. The photo shows me in an artistic posetypical of my sport, upside down and split, along with the eight medals won in what it is the best European championship of my career. The post was taken up by various newspapers including @gazzettadellosport, @tuttosport, @larepubblica and @ilfattoquotidianoit. This morning a friend of mine sends me one of these posts shared by the newspapers on their Facebook page, I open it and literally stay stunned as well as disgusted from the hundreds, probably thousands, of misplaced, sexist and vulgar comments that accompany it. Above, apologizing in advance to the young athletes who follow me for what they read (but the alternative is silence, which is one of the reasons why we still read these things today), I report some exemplary screenshots of the paucity of some sentences commenting on the photo. After more than 20 years of training and sacrifice, I find it to say the least SHAMEFUL e it really hurts my heart read this horde of people do jokes that sexualize my body. Are a butt and two legs really what’s left, the main topic to talk about? The least, as well as the only thing I can do, is to denounce the inappropriateness of those comments, mirror of a society that is still too macho and very different from the one in which one day I would like to have my children born and raised. At the same time, I would like to thank all the people who have distanced themselves from these comments, have “defended” me and have appreciated the photo for what it is: the image of an artistic swimming athlete proud of the results of she. This is the Italy that I proudly represent by carrying the tricolor flag around the world.