Lauredhel at Hoyden About Town put up these nice images comparing Australian women’s and men’s athletic uniforms:
As tigtog mentions in another post, if these skimpy uniforms were really about performance, men would be wearing them too. But that, of course, would look ridiculous:
Tigtog also points out that this degree of sexualization is new. Here are pictures comparing the men’s and women’s runners uniforms at the 1984 Olympics:
17 Comments
I’m convinced.
So, why now and not in the 80s?
And is this a bad thing?
And what can be done?
Can we learn anything from the increasing sexualization of women athletes?
I don’t know if you’ve seen the swimming suits for the Olympics but they seemed pretty similar. In fact they covered up quite a bit (no speedos and the material came down to the knees.)
those beachvolley outfits are VERY little!
Worse yet, compare the builds of female and male gymnasts. Female gymnasts look like underfed 12-year-olds, male gymnasts are all muscled but wiry, like Spiderman.
I really don’t think this is sexualization at work. The more skintight outfits really do aid in performance.
Also, Elena - how is that anything notable except that it’s biology and the way the human body works when it’s trained in gymnastics…? The whole point of it is to be strong but small and light.
Eleanor, then why are the men’s outfits NOT skintight, if it’s performance-enhancing?
Eleanor: I’m saying, female gymnasts aren’t fit 20-something-year-olds in their prime, and male gymnasts aren’t scrawny, small boys who can bend their joints like circus performers and who are too old for the sport when they hit 18.
I’m so glad I’m not the only one to notice this. I’ve been commenting throughout the whole olympics now, asking my friends why the beach volleyball women have to wear bikinis. The response has overwhemlingly been “why are you complaining? …it makes being a spectator more fun! …etc.” and this is from the women.
It this some way to popularize women’s sports? If there is more skin, more people will watch? It bothers me to no end.
Anon - I don’t know why they don’t, it would probably help. I’ve played a lot of sports throughout high school and college and wearing baggy shorts and big t-shirts never helped, they just weighed me down. Any serious athlete will tell you that the smaller, ‘tighter’ uniforms are so much easier to manuever in.
On the other hand, some sports need heavy, bulky clothing for everyone — judo, aikido and kendo are the prime examples. And you don’t see that much difference between men’s and women’s uniforms in fencing (where it would be stupid, *stupid* to leave the body unprotected) or the rest of martial arts that don’t hinge on gripping the opponent’s clothes like karate or taekwondo.
(I did aikido for a while, and if you’re a woman you’re typically wearing a bra and a t-shirt under your gi, so you’re usually even more overdressed than the men — and wearing cotton trousers, hakama and a heavy cotton gi doesn’t make it particularly difficult to move around)
Elena: exactly. A cursory look at the Olympic judo matches will show exactly how much a gi slows a competitor down.
before the speed suit men showed more flesh than women in their speedos. why would women look good in mens uniforms anyways. the worst is when women in basketball and such wear the mens uniforms, it is rather unflattering. the reality is that womens and mens bodies are shaped differently and so must be clothed differently to look best.
and well theres water polo, no speed suit there. the men wear speedos.
”
Eleanor, then why are the men’s outfits NOT skintight, if it’s performance-enhancing?”
they are when it matters. whens the last time you saw loose shorts type swim trunks on a swimmer.
the sexual attractiveness of womens bodies and mens are fundamentally different.
its why women get paid more as models. this is undeniable.
I’m with Eleanor - it is about performance. So why aren’t men wearing them - why, the post explains it wonderfully: cause they’ll look silly. So, in fact, it is THE MEN who are being limited by gendered perceptions of appropriate clothes, not the women.
Any notice the clothes worn by the women taking part in the heptathlon? Skimpy is redefined. e.g. http://www.flickr.com/photos/richardgiles/2770041410/
If there is actually sexualization taking place, then a valid question would be: Who are the ones committing it (in terms of the sports attire)? The designers of the outfits, coaches, sports TV producers, etc? I wonder if there are any female athletes who object to the outfits they are assigned to wear (because of perceived sexualization). That could be a blog topic of its own.
If they want the big money from commercials they got to show some skin - nudety sells… Besides Its not like they have anything to be ashamed off - They look bloody awsome. So shut the fat ugly bitch up, that wrote this comment.
I was discussing this at home, and someone brought up the idea that perhaps the women might actually feel more comfortable in a uniform that DOES show off their athletic bodies… some women might like the choice of athletic clothing that does not look identical to the men’s, and even emphasizes that they can be feminine AND good atheltes. (some female athletes can be portrayed as “manly” in their behavior for their pursuit of a sport) Gabrielle Reese, I think, was one of the first women I was aware of who was able to be seen as a woman, and attractive, even though she was athletic and a professional sports star.
Speaking of volleyball: I’ve always seen them in bikinis or swimwear on tournaments on TV since at least the 90s. I’ve heard it explained that sand in your sports bra covered by another layer of a uniform can be annoying and uncomfortable. I also DO think there is a movement to encourage viewing by showing more skin, but I’ve always felt if a person if comfortable and confident in what they are wearing, and it’s not violating any nudity taboos, it should be up to them if they wear it. I haven’t heard of any of the athletes complaining about their uniforms as of yet.
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