Representation Matters! We Don't Need Yet Another Study!

Folks like to conduct studies, look at the raw data and then arrive at a conclusion. So, I conducted my own study from the Runner’s World Magazines I had laying around the house, which I’ve collected since I started running in 2010.

In total, I had 43 Magazine, 36 featured white people, 15 were blonde white women, 8 brunettes, 13 men. There were 7 Black people, 2 were women and 5 were men.

There’s a common theme on the covers, they were all slim supposed runners profile. Now, I don’t know about you, but when I show up to a marathon, I see all different types of hues, beautiful bodies, tall, short, fat, LGBTQ, just about every race is represented and yes slender bodies are displayed on race day. Marketing departments know this already they don’t need yet another study to tell them that representation matters.

Sprinkling in a token black every now and again isn’t progress in my opinion, I’m not striving to arrive on the cover of Runner’s World Magazine. I don’t need to be a part of Runner’s World Magazine to confirm my existence in the world as a black man or my contribution to the running community.

I stopped buying Runner’s World Magazine. I don’t look to the media to see how I should behave in the world.  keeping-track.com had an interesting episode on why race matters. 

Perhaps instead of waiting for the Runner's World to catch up with the world we should create our own.