A lot can be said about a society in which something as personal as sexuality is emblazoned on the covers of tabloids and used to shame people.

Former NFL Quarterback Tim Tebow and former Miss Universe Olivia Culpo recently broke up allegedly because Tebow did not want to break his vow to remain celibate until marriage. Since then, their split has been all over the news, from Christian blog posts to gossip magazines.

Most notably, Jerry Thornton, a sports radio co-host on the Dale & Holley Show and author of the Thornography blog, spoke out about the break-up last week, saying that Tebow handled his relationship the way he handles most past rushes, by “dropping the ball.” Thornton went on to say that Culpo has needs and didn’t “binge-purge all those meals to not have her animal lust satisfied.”

Thornton’s comments reflect the general conversation revolving around the break-up, and are representative of the way our culture views the intersection of gender and sexual behavior. But what many should realize is that it is unfair to project sexual stereotypes and assumptions on celebrities based on gender.

Athletes like Tebow are often perceived as overtly sexual because of their celebrity status and assumed access to sexual partners. On the flip side, in order to have won Miss Universe in 2012, Culpo had to have met certain beauty standards that exist in our culture. However, just because of her perceived attractiveness, that doesn’t mean her sexuality is this uncontrollable and insatiable urge that Thornton assumes it is.

Tebow’s stance on sexuality should be respected — not used to mock him. Thornton insinuated that Tebow maintaining his celibacy was a mistake — as if the idea of masculinity is challenged by not being sexually active. But Tebow’s choice to remain celibate until marriage is rooted in his Christian faith. When the media pokes fun at him, this is another layer of personal intrusion, which in this case is his spirituality.

Having said that, even if Tebow chose to be celibate for non-religious reasons, that is a decision that should also be honored and not used against him. A person’s sexuality is their own, and not open for ridicule, especially in the public eye.

In the same way, Culpo allegedly wanting to leave a relationship due to a lack of sex should also be understood and should not make her a target for the conservative community.

After the break-up went public, many news outlets have cast Culpo as a temptress who allegedly got Nick Jonas to abandon his purity ring. This narrative then typecasts Culpo as the “bad girl” and cannot be sympathized with as someone who just ended a relationship. Sexualizing Culpo in this way proves extremely sexist because some critics are treating her as if her entire existence weighs on her level of attractiveness.

The reality is, the public does not know all of the details of Tebow and Culpo’s relationship, and we don’t need to. Many, like Thornton, have made assumptions about the sexuality in their relationship, as if it was inconceivable that a sexualized figure such as Culpo could be in a relationship with a celibate man.

Tebow should not be looked down upon for his choice to remain celibate and his masculinity should not be defined by his sexuality and personal preferences. In a similar fashion, Culpo should not have people’s assumptions about her sexuality projected on to her. She, like Tebow, is not a caricature of sex.

Progressive thinking is allowing people to make decisions about their sexuality without being shamed for them. Of course, this will likely never happen as long as we uphold oversexualized ideas about both men and women, famous or not.

Elaina Crockett is a senior television, radio and film major and African American studies minor. Her column appears weekly. She can be reached at ekcrocke@syr.edu.

Published on December 7, 2015 at 6:17 pm