Marion Bartoli Latest Successful Women to Be Criticized for Her Looks. Here Are 11 Others

Tennis champ Marion Bartoli won Wimbledon Saturday, snagging the biggest victory of her career and becoming the first Frenchwoman to capture the title since Amelie Mauresmo in 2006. But that wasn't enough to impress BBC Radio sports commentator John Inverdale, who felt compelled to insult Bartoli's appearance instead of focusing on her win. He asked listeners, "Do you think Bartoli's dad told her when she was little, 'You're never going to be a looker. You'll never be a [Maria] Sharapova, so you have to be scrappy and fight?'" The comment caused an immediate firestorm of outrage, with critics on Twitter calling him everything from an "idiot" to a "sexist dinosaur," and saying he should be fired. Inverdale then apologized for his "ham-fisted" remark, saying, "We poked fun, in a nice way, about how she looks … but Marion Bartoli is an incredible role model." (Gee, thanks.) Unfortunately, this is not a new story. Let's revisit the other alpha women who were insulted over their appearance, shall we?--Beth Greenfield, Shine Staff