So Where are the HABs?

Every time there is a major (male) football tournament, the media subject us to long and lavish coverage of the WAGs - the Wives and Girlfriends of the various players. Which is pretty reductionist and demeaning, particularly as most of the women in question have reasonably high profile careers in their own rights (and the ones that aren't in the public eye presumably choose not to be).

Still, where there is a major football tournament being run and the wives and girlfriends are there specifically in a supporting role to their husbands and boyfriends, I suppose there is at least a little justification. Maybe.

Except that right now we have a major footballing tournament being run, the Women's World Cup, during which many of the players presumably have husbands and boyfriends in attendance, there specifically in a supporting role to their wives and girlfriends.

So... where is the long and lavish coverage of the HABs? Where are the multi-page spreads, the slobbering debates over which country has the hottest HABs?

I should perhaps note that I'm not particularly desperate to see such coverage. But geese and ganders, and all that stuff: we shouldn't be accepting a double standard. So, as a matter of principle, it must be there.

Or perhaps the media could stop drooling over the WAGs in future?

(Oh, one last thing: I'm aware of course that at least some of the players in the Women's World Cup are gay, and as a consequence have wives and girlfriends supporting them, and it wouldn't be fair for me to completely ignore them. I haven't mentioned them thus far mostly because I've been talking about double standards re:WAGs/HABs. But given the events of this week, it's also important to note that I'm very much not calling for such intrusive coverage. As a wise woman said this week: they're not there for our benefit.)

#27: "Gardens of Gallowspire", by Crystal Frasier