Olympic gold medallist Laura Kenny referred to as “pregnant wife”
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The Times posted a photo of Laura and Jason Kenny, with the caption “Cyclist Jason Kenny was with his pregnant wife Laura.”
The caption is causing quite a stir as Laura Kenny is not only a cyclist herself but an Olympic gold medallist and Great Britain’s most successful Olympic female competitor of any sport.
Libby Dawes called out The Times on Twitter, bringing attention to their way of describing Kenny.
There was some backlash on Twitter from people claiming that the caption is not technically wrong, but mostly Dawes’s post has been well received, with people agreeing this caption showcases sexism within the media.
Many agree this description for Kenny takes away from her personal achievements and promotes categorising a woman only in relation to her husband.
Laura's twitter bio "4 x Olympic Champion, 7 x World Champion" but yeah I'm sure she just prefers 'pregnant wife'
— Jen (@Jennifer1906) July 10, 2017
It's the fact they mention his achievements and not hers, its insinuating the only achievement she has made is marrying him.
— Sarah Fiddaman (@SarahFiddaman) July 10, 2017
Some have even suggested alternative captions:
Cyclist Laura Kenny with her husband, dad-to-be Jason.
— Jo Gibson (@JoGibsonUCLAN) July 10, 2017
Cyclists and parents to be Laura and Jason Kenny
— Sarah Pickford (@PickyCricket) July 10, 2017
Dawes' tweet has been retweeted over 8,000 times, has over 21,000 likes and is still being shared.