London 2012 really WAS the Year of the Woman!

By Erika Davidoff and Kara Chyung

You've probably seen these stats before, but let's just recap. Every single country at the Olympics sent at least one female athlete. The USA team had more women than men for the first time ever. According to NPR, US women outshone the men, winning 100 gold medals to the mens' 59. Our women brought home team gold in water polo, gymnastics, soccer, basketball, track relays, and swimming relays; eight in rowing, and individual gold medals in a whole slew of other events.

Former gymnast Dominique Dawes was pretty pleased: "Hear us roar, I guess!"

Our USA female athletes totally and completely represented strong, remarkable, fabulous women. In women’s gymnastics, Gabby Douglas gave incredible performances. Her commitment (she left home at 14 to train) and her bubbly personality were truly remarkable. Despite the intense competition, she never failed to put on a dazzling smile. We’re also impressed with how she casually brushed off critics’ nasty comments about her hair, which are completely ridiculous. Forget the fact that she’d just won two Olympic gold medals: 'her hair is out of place, she needs to be denounced for not brushing it on primetime television!’ According to her mother, Douglas luckily laughed off the comments, saying, “Really, I won two gold medals and my hair is trending?” Precisely.

In women’s swimming, Allison Schmitt, Dana Vollmer, and Rebecca Soni just left their opponents in the dust (or the bubbles perhaps?) The women’s team this year was sensational. Missy Franklin was incredible in these Olympics, as well. She’s a phenomenal swimmer, super-smart, sweet as pie, and only seventeen! Like Gabby Douglas, she’s always smiling. Most admirable, though, is the fact that she refuses endorsements and prize money so that she can swim on her high school team. Despite all of her amazing accomplishments, she’s incredibly down-to-earth and humble.

Also in women’s sports, Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh Jennings earned their third straight Olympic gold medal and didn’t drop a set until these Games! Also, Allyson Felix, the U.S. women’s soccer team, the U.S. women’s volleyball team, and others are among the athletes that we didn’t watch, but whose victories were remarkable.

One of the most inspiring Olympics stories was one about Tahmina Kohistani, a 100-meter sprinter from Afghanistan. Kohistani faced adversity from her country about being the only female athlete from Afghanistan competing at the Olympics. She said people from home claimed that she was not a good Muslim for competing in sports. When asked by Meredith Vieira if she is viewed as less of a woman for playing sports, she stated that women disapprove and think that she is wrong. “But I am not wrong,” she smiled. She credits her strength to her family. She hopes to spark inspiration amongst women and girls, hoping that her Olympic journey will help them believe that they can do anything they want. Tahmina did not advance to the final round in the 100-meter event (although she set a personal best), but her determination certainly deserves a gold medal.

Off the field/court/stadium, the media representation of these women wasn’t even half bad. Sure, we had some weird episodes. Gabby Douglas and Britain's Zoe Smith faced some wrath for their appearances, but most of that was from people in the comments sections- not from the media itself. (Though the reprinting of these discussions and re-airing them as news was unnecessary). Beach volleyball had some sexualized strange portrayals, as Nate Jones of Me tro pointed out. But Olympic beach volleyball champion Kerri Walsh Jennings told Zimbio that she approves of her bikini uniform, "I feel I'm empowered. I'm a sportswoman, I'm getting stronger all the time and this is my uniform. I don't feel exploited at all. Hopefully we're just encouraging people to be fit and healthy."

Overall, the Olympics were, as they always should be, a celebration of human accomplishment by both men and women. For three weeks, the focus was on female strength, power, drive, and passion. We watched women shatter records and claim medals and were inspired by their performances and interviews. We were inspired by all of the amazing athletes representing our country.

But how long is that spirit going to last?

Watching the news now, it seems like everyone's forgotten about the Olympics. We're right back into politics. The U.S. isn't even broadcasting the Paralympics anywhere yet (which began this past week), so it looks like, as far as we're concerned, London 2012 is done with. Which is really a shame. I understand that the Olympics are over, and the news media has to move on. But what that tells me is that it's now our responsibility to keep the Olympic spirit alive, especially for young women.

GOOD News recently posted a great short video underlining the struggles preteen and teenage female athletes face. During the Olympics, young female athletes were celebrated and praised. But now that dissuading messages about "beauty" and "femininity" have once again replaced Visa's triumphant commercials on prime-time TV, girls will once again feel the pressure to put down the cleats and pick up the high heels.

We can fight this by supporting local youth sports programs, especially at the middle school level, and by encouraging our girls to be active, healthy, and confident. We can also fight this by showing our pride for our national Olympics team and similar organizations, and by speaking out against the hateful messages some have spoken to athletes like Douglas and Smith. Together we can turn the Year of the Woman into the Era of the Woman. The Olympics taught us an amazing lesson about girl power. It doesn’t matter what you look like or where you come from or even if you’re a girl; if you set your mind to something, you can achieve your dreams.