Tuesday, May 24, 2022
With the leaked draft of the Supreme Court’s opinion that will likely result in overturning the constitutional right to abortion, and, consequently, severely restricted access to abortion in about half of the U.S. states, the conversation around women’s rights and bodily autonomy has been heating up. While abortion rights are often thought of first, the ways in which patriarchy impacts women’s bodies extend far beyond reproductive rights.
How does the policing of women’s bodies– and their presentation– play out in the world of sports?
Uniforms
The rules and regulations around the articles of clothing women are permitted to compete in highlight how sexism can permeate into sport. Last summer, the Norweigan women’s beach handball team was fined by the International Handball Federation for wearing spandex shorts instead of bikini bottoms. Female players were mandated to wear bikini bottoms with sides less than four inches in diameter, whereas their male counterparts were allowed to wear shorts that rested a maximum of four inches above the knee.
If both teams are participating in the same sport, doing the same athletic movements, then the difference in uniform style can’t be credited to any functional reason. While the Handball Federation didn’t vocalize marketing as the culprit, the Badminton World Federation has. In 2011, in an attempt to increase viewership, the badminton governing body decreed that elite women’s players must compete in dresses or skirts. Officials said the dress code would make women appear more feminine and therefore able to attract more fans and sponsors. If y’all are thinking, if this doesn’t sound like something that only a man would say, you are on the money. At the time, of the 25 members of the federation’s council and executive board, only two were women.
As most sport governing bodies are predominantly male, men dictating what women should wear and commenting on the presentation of women’s bodies in athletics is nothing new. In 2004, Sepp Blatter, the then president of FIFA, suggested that female soccer players could increase their appeal by wearing tighter shorts, stating: “Let the women play in more feminine clothes like they do in volleyball.”
The policing of a woman’s presentation doesn’t always lean toward more sexual or revealing clothing; oftentimes it’s the opposite. Last summer, a Paralympian was told her competition bottoms were too short while competing at the English Championships. I’ve even been subject to uniform policing. During my professional career, I have been denied size small training shorts by a male kit manager.
At the Tokyo Olympics, the Australian women’s basketball team sported yellow and green bodysuits. The players wanted to pay homage to the Opals who donned bodysuits at Australia’s first Olympic Games in 1996. Though it wasn’t stated, I imagine that some of the players prefer the one-piece over their jersey and shorts set simply because the bodysuit is more form-fitting.
Sportswomen choose to wear more revealing uniforms for reasons extending from fashion to function to appearance. Yes, it’s okay to want to wear a bodysuit while playing because it makes your booty pop. Personally, I hate wearing men’s cut football kits (and lucky for me, every European team I’ve been on has had the women’s team in men’s kits). Being 5’2’’ and having a small waist, no hips, thighs, and a booty, I feel like the skinny and long shorts– characteristic of men’s uniforms– do not suit me. I prefer the shorter and looser fit that women’s shorts offer because of their look and feel. There’s less fabric that bunches up in the crotch, less camel-toe, less obvious sweat lines, and overall, I just feel more attractive in them. On the other hand, I’ve had countless teammates who prefer the men’s cut.
Let Us Decide
I’ve been on one team where the staff allowed a teammate to wear men’s cut shorts instead of the team-issued women’s cut. And you know what? We still looked like a team. We still looked professional. We still attracted fans. More importantly, one more person felt confident and comfortable in their uniform.
My suggestion– ditch the “men’s” and “women’s” terminology and offer shorts in “high” and “low.” And let each player choose the style they want (yes, that includes men, too).
Feminism isn’t copying and pasting what’s done on the men’s side, nor is it constructing something so uniquely feminine that it proscribes to skewed gender norms and alienates swaths of women. True feminism allows for all women to flourish.
