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The truth is, this is the life of many females in sports, not just gymnastics. Women’s sports, from volleyball to track and field, have included over-sexualized uniforms for decades. In track, women wear sports bras and tiny briefs on the bottom, but men get to wear longer shorts and tank tops. In gymnastics, women wear a leotard that barely covers anything and men flaunt long pants and tank tops. Don’t even get me started on volleyball; their tight, virtually nonexistent shorts are not only the norm on indoor volleyball courts but also outside on the sand, where the uniforms only become skimpier.
Of course, these bare minimum uniforms must be all about sports performance. The less material, the less restrictive; the tighter the clothes, the easier to move. So why are men’s uniforms substantially different from women’s?
I’ll tell you why: The sports industry capitalizes on women’s bodies instead of their performance. There is a clear-cut, sexist line between men and women, even in the sports they’re supposed to enjoy, but what can the women affected by these standards do about it?
Truthfully, not much. My teammates and I would often get in trouble for wearing shorts over our leotards, as that was seen as combating the status quo. An article from The New York Times mentions something similar: “The European Handball Federation fined Norway’s women’s beach handball team after players wore shorts, instead of bikini bottoms, during a game.” Each player was fined €150, (about $177), for a total fine of €1,500.
It’s the individual choice of whether or not to wear the uniforms that is so crucial for making athletes feel comfortable in sports, according to Akilah Carter-Francique, the director of the Institute for the Study of Sport, Society and Social Change. “It’s not just about the uniform. It’s about creating equity, inclusion, and space for these young women in a competitive environment. These athletes need to bring themselves into the space and not worry about how they look or whether they are being objectified.” Altogether, we must combat these immoderate uniforms to create a safer, more enjoyable environment for our athletes, and a space for these young women to find and continue to use sport as a place of empowerment – not objectification.
Works Cited
“2020-2021 Women’s Rules and Policies — USA Gymnastics.” USA Gymnastics, Nov. 2020.
Benbow, Dana Hunsinger. “Skimpy Difference: Women’s Athletic Uniforms vs. Men’s.” The Indianapolis Star, 5 Nov. 2016.
Friedman, Vanessa. “Policing Women’s Bodies via Dress Code Is Nothing New in Sports, Writes Our Columnist.” The New York Times, 30 July 2021.
Pruitt-Young, Sharon. “The Sexualization of Women in Sports Extends Even to What They Wear.” NPR, 23 July 2021.
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