Eve’s apple

Collegiate and professional women’s volleyball draw gate attendance that exceeds 20,000. Just as their game exceeds expectation. To the point of fueling speculation. And suspicion. No, it is not about sexual preferences of some of its biggest stars. Fans no longer speculate. They celebrate celebrity athletes who prefer their own kind.

Sadly, it is about two powerful women accused of being too masculine for a woman – Trisha Tubu and Angeline Poyos. Many say both look, sound and play like a man. Partly because both jump higher and hit the ball harder. Like height, strength and power are monopolized by men. Like the golden Hidilyn Diaz never happened.

Tubu has a deep voice more associated with men. Or men with and in authority. Barack Obama has a deep, imposing voice characteristic of the most powerful man on the planet. But Michelle Obama is neither shrill. She too has a commanding voice with a powerful message that resonate each time she opens her mouth.

Worse, they say both the 5’8” standouts look like a man. They do, but only in reference to the stereotype of how a woman should look like as opposed to a man. Or vice versa. The template is framed by human perception dictated by cultural norms. Must be the thick eyebrows of Poyos. Like Brooke Shields didn’t happen. Or the broad shoulders of Tubu. Like female supermodels of that mold don’t walk the runway.

It appears it is not only about gender stereotype. It is more about condescension. Tubu and Poyos are not the richest players on the league. It is thus easy to prey on them, especially by people who pray.

It is unclear whether these women are required to undergo gender test. Invasive. Offensive even. But it is now accepted and promoted in all of sports to ensure fairness and protect integrity of the competition. Some sports even allow transgender athletes to compete in the gender or category they identify with. Precarious. But measurable by science.

Neither is it only about stereotype nor condescension. Ignorance too. Tubu is the usual suspect. Aside from her strong facial features, something protrudes in her neck. Commonly known as Adam’s apple. Politically incorrect though. It has biblical origin that to others are fiction. It is the thyroid cartilage that everyone has, man or woman. Men just develop it more because they have higher testosterone levels. How it works is best explained by medical experts.

That’s what happens when someone, especially a woman, would look, sound and act out of the box. It makes her less of a woman, in the eyes of the purblind, judgmental, archaic and the ignorant. Probability too. Billions populate the earth and yet people insist on a certain yardstick. With that huge a number, expect some to look unique. Or different. Only because they happen to be the minority. But the majority is not always right. Mob rule, for example. Sometimes, elections too.