Tom Daley’s former diving partner has defended leering at male athletes at the Olympics, saying “they’re going to get stared at regardless of what they’re wearing”.
Blake Aldridge, who competed at the 2008 Beijing Olympics alongside then-14-year-old Daley, admitted he was pleased by the admiration he received during his time in the sport.
Speaking on Good Morning Britain, the 42-year-old actress clashed with actor Douglas Robson, who insisted athletes “should not be sexualised”.
Throughout the Olympic Games, male athletes have been admired not only for their talent in sport, but also for their six-pack abs and lean, muscular figures.
Thousands of comments have piled up on social media expressing their admiration for the handsome boys and beautiful girls taking part in the Paris Games.
On Thursday’s Good Morning Britain, athlete Blake Aldridge (left) and actor Douglas Robson (right) appeared on the show to debate whether it is acceptable for men to be “learned” for their appearance.
Responding with a cheeky grin on his face, swimmer Blake Aldridge (pictured) went on to talk about his experience of being widely admired when he took part in the Beijing Olympics in 2008. He held up his tiny swimming trunks at the spectacle.
Douglas insisted that men should not be looked at with lust in the same way as women.
She said: ‘If we are going to have a serious conversation about gender disparity, then we have to say that what’s good for the goose is good for the gander.
‘For years we have been protecting women from being oversexualized and why is it different here?
‘The question is this: A, do we believe that men and women should be treated equally? And B, do we believe that sexualizing someone is good?
“And if the answer is no, someone needs to explain to me why it’s different.”
Responding with a mischievous smile on his face, Blake went on to talk about his experience of being greatly admired when he participated in the Beijing Olympics in 2008.
“I think if you’re in the public eye and you’re wearing something like that… you’re going to get stared at no matter what you’re wearing,” revealed a skimpy Team GB swimsuit.
Blake said: “That’s the beauty of the Olympics, they come in all shapes and sizes and everyone has found their little niche that makes them amazing at what they do, whether they’re big, small, fat, skinny, whatever.”
Blake Aldridge pictured with Tom Daley as they competed in synchronized diving at the 2008 Olympics. Tom was just 14 years old at the time.
Pictured: French swimmer Jules Bouyer has set many people’s hearts racing.
Presenter Kate Garraway asked if the swimsuits she competed in were the real thing.
“So these are the underwear I wear,” he revealed, holding up the baby-sized briefs.
Kate commented: “They’re very small, aren’t they?”
Many athletes, particularly swimmers who often arrive at the competition wearing only a tiny pair of underwear, have been fervently admired for their performances at the Paris Olympics.
French high jumper Jules Bouyer, 22, has sent fans into a frenzy as he competes in Paris with many going wild for his cheeky smile, six-pack abs and now viral ‘famous bulge’.
Team GB’s Tom Daley has long been admired not only for his impressive jumps but also for his handsome looks.
This year’s Games have also marked out several male athletes as the heartthrobs of the season, with 23-year-old Italian swimmer Thomas Ceccon and Swedish pole vaulter Armand Duplantis setting pulses racing with their incredible physiques.
However, according to Douglas, the muscle-bound athlete claims that just because athletes look good doesn’t mean they should accept being looked at lustfully.
Blake Aldridge prepares to dive during Great Britain’s diving training session at the National Aquatics Centre during the Beijing Olympics in 2008
Presenter Ed Balls seemed to agree that leering was inevitable. He said: “You’re going to get stared at, you’ve got a fit body, you train hard, you’ve got to be comfortable in your own skin and people are going to look at you, whether you’re a man or a woman.”
Douglas responded, disagreeing with the sentiment that inevitability was justified.
She said: ‘Just because people are going to watch, the way they perceive it is very different and the message that the media gives to people about what is acceptable goes back to the narrative that men are never victims and they are always the perpetrators and that is damaging to society as a whole.
‘Even though this is going to happen, we must hold ourselves to a higher standard.
Ed said: ‘Aren’t men the most athletic looks for what makes them really good at jumping or running, because of their strength and their physique? Whereas women are often the most athletic looks for things that have nothing to do with why they are good sports stars.
Blake asked: ‘If someone stares at a man but someone stares at a woman, is that okay? And that’s where the argument lies.
‘A woman staring at a man seems okay, but a man staring at a woman.
Blake photographed on the phone in 2008 while competing in the 2008 Olympics.
Kate noted that those competing in the games are “young and incredibly fit” – qualities that make them more likely to take home a medal.
“That’s part of the reason they’re there, they’re not lawyers in court,” he said.
Douglas argued that athletes’ age only increased their vulnerability to leering, saying “then there’s not only a pressure to be good but also to look good.”
‘There are a lot of athletes who are in great shape, but a lot of others have different shapes and they won’t be celebrated just because they don’t meet the beauty standard, and that beauty standard creeps in and you see a lot of body issues in young men.
“We have to be careful about the message we send to men. Young men are under a lot of pressure at the moment and you can see that in the mental health field – they are going through difficult times.”
Blake responded by saying: ‘That’s the beauty of the Olympics, they come in all shapes and sizes and everyone has found their little niche that makes them amazing at what they do, whether they’re big, small, fat, skinny, whatever.
“And they will look at them regardless of what they are wearing,” he insisted.