Hello!

I am asking that the identity of the Ice Girls be reconsidered and their entire identity rethought. Their image as the "erotic mascots" of the team is simply a casual exploitation of demeaning sexism, one that destructs the genuine character of all women. The Ice Girls seem to promote a false, submissive, and sexualized image of women in the male-heavy sport of hockey.

I am a seventeen year-old - female - fan of ice hockey. However, I often find that as a teenage girl my deep liking of Kings hockey is not taken seriously, especially when I proudly display my Tyler Toffoli jersey at school or present a “Physics of Hockey” presentation to my mostly male class.

As you know, the female population of loyal hockey fans is slowly gaining parity with male fans but is mainly represented through the half-clothed women of the Ice Crew, a homogenous, young group featured in annual string-bikini calendar shoots; through this subtle yet crude depiction of these women as sexual objects, the calendar successfully attempts to raise profit for the Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles, which is assumably a popular and alluring buy for men that leads to a successful campaign. Additionally, the Ice Crew shovels the residue ice on the rink as the women skate in oddly - and suggestively sexual - stances, while the male Kings fans supportively whistles mockingly from the stands. Contrarily, the men on the Ice Crew look "normal" and relaxed.

The most recent game that I attended was the Blackhawks vs. Kings game on November 29th, where the Kings miraculously won 3-2, even silencing the excitement of Patrick Kane’s then 19-game point streak (despite his rape allegations from the previous summer). I remember seeing the Ice Crew, a roster of both sexes, shoveling ice during a brief pause in the game. The men were fully clothed in festive holiday sweaters, while the girls sported seductive Santa bikinis with faux-fur, half-clothed as usual.

Below me, a seven year-old girl and I lightly chatted throughout the game about Quick, the possibility of overtime, and the recent addition of 3-on-3 (overtime) play. She herself was a hockey player and clearly an astute admirer of the sport. Next to her, boisterous men - beers in hands - derogatively noted how nice the asses of the Ice Girls looked, interweaving bad language, drunken laughs, and other bluntly offensive and demeaning comments. I immediately realized that something needed to change, and that this demeaning and cat-calling culture of the Ice Girls - and the representation of all women in sports - as "pieces of ass" and "erotic mascots" can no longer be tolerated.

With this consideration, I want to acknowledge the identity of the female population of Kings fans in the stands - who are a significant component of the Kings hockey culture - and the fragile surface that we stand on and the misrepresented character that defines us. It seems that our only representation - and our only value - is exhibited through the sexual portrayal of the Ice Crew, the only female presence on the ice.

I then think of the young girl that I spoke with at the game - an aspiring defenseman, or rather “defensewoman.” It truly saddens and irritates me that this is the reality that she experiences, and I know that this happens frequently. The presence of the Ice Crew subtly suggests that her only value lies in the roles of the sexualized Ice Girls, slowly diminishing her proud identity as a female hockey player.

I feel that the Ice Crew and Ice Girls should represent both the image and overarching spirit of the team. They should encourage and inspire the female population in a dignified, truthful, and meaningful way, as the Ice Crew and Ice Girls both have a publicized role within the Kings community. The sexualized presence of the Ice Girls also essentially encourages men and young boys to treat women as their "inferiors" and "sexual objects." 

I hope that through this possible change, or at least some consideration of the matter, other teams within the NHL will also be inclined to investigate this, a facet that they have great control over. Though this seems to be a rather insignificant concern, this "small" change has the great potential to ease the extreme gender divide in the NHL and throughout the sport of hockey.

To clarify: I do not intend to demean or attack the team that I dearly love. I admire the girls, but as a girl who believes in the equality of the sexes, I find it upsetting to see the LA Kings Ice Girls sexualized and degraded in such a way that disguises their individuality and instead exposes an unintended role as the ubiquitous “erotic mascot."

Go Kings, Go!