A full wax
Speaking of shorts on the men and tiny tiny underpants on the women, Gail Dines points out something I think of every time I see those damn photos and clips –
No discussion in mainstream media about the need for women athletes to have a full Brazilian wax to wear the hypersexualized, pornified skimpy outfits. Aside from the very painful procedure, women often bleed during the wax, get infections, and it hurts when the hair grows back. Could you imagine men having to wax their pubic area in order to compete in sports? And the mostly male coaches get to have a bird’s eye view of the women’s crotches, and we know that Larry Nassar is not just one bad apple!
Seriously. They can’t possibly wear those awful little rags without getting all their pubic hair yanked out, and they are forced to wear the awful little rags. It’s a god damn outrage.
I’ve been watching the women’s skateboarding and they wear baggy T-shirts, trousers and baseball caps. Very sensible and they look as comfortable as women can falling on concrete.
As for the aesthetics – tanned, very fit young women look fantastic in shorts and tops. It’s absurd they have to look like they’re holidaying on a beach when they’re involved in strenuous sports.
I know of the existence of Brazilian bikini waxes only from the saga of Jonathan Yaniv.
GW, lucky you?
Ha. Lucky me until last year, I guess, when I heard about Jonathan Yaniv and thus about this procedure. No longer lucky me.
GW, the game of handball as Yaniv plays it has different rules.
This has been an issue in a number of settings – particularly gymnastics and related sports. A number of us have taken the point deduction that comes with departing from uniform expectations in competitions. Those deductions can be substantial – going from a near-perfect score on technical grounds, to ending up placing last as a direct result of the clothing/appearance penalty. A penalty applied only to female athletes in these settings – the males rarely have points deducted on these grounds.
I have competed wearing leggings in some sets, and others have worn the “boy’s” uniforms – a vest or mens’ leo with shorts. We were all penalised for refusing to wear skimpy, impractical, undignified (and inevetably sexualised) clothing. There is no technical advantage to the high-leg leotards; it doesn’t help the gymnast in any way, or benefit any aspect of the performance – the whole reason for wearing the leotards is “that’s what female gymnasts wear”. There is literally no reason to prohibit wearing leggings or shorts.
Gymnasts are penalised for having bra-straps showing beneath a leotard, or any hint of underwear generally visible – this often results in gymnasts being unable to wear anything under the leo, and having to temporarily glue the thing in place for competitions to avoid extreme embarassment (plus further deductions of points). With this expectation of near-nudity comes the chance for predators to abuse their targets – it’s clearly related to the clothing limitations; predators see it as part of their excuses for their behaviour.
Finally a number of international competitors are refusing this indignity – the German team have been competing in full suits; basically the equivalent of long-sleeve leo and matched leggings. This is exactly what a lot of gymnasts would like to wear, given the choice. It’s much more dignified, and still shows the technical “lines” etc.
Also, if the guys can wear shorts and the judges are still able to tell if their routines meet the requirements, then what reason can possibly be offered for why the girls cannot wear the same? Apart from sexism, there’s nothing.
The very fact that these athletes keep having to insist that they are, in fact, athletes; not decorative things for gross dudes to drool over, is still infuriating. We should not be penalised by males for insisting on practical, dignified attire in which to perform our sports. Women are still fighting to be seen as Real People, not accessories for males, and access to sport is part of that.
How many girls have turned away from these chances to understand their own strength and capability because they face these demands to perform their incredible feats in ridiculous outfits?
How often are brilliant girls, demonstrating their hard work and dedication in magnificent performances belittled and dismissed because stupid people want to focus on what the girls are wearing, and whether they look sufficiently doll-like and decorative, or whether they meet some other bizarre male fantasy?
Nobody expects the dudes to look decorative. They get to be sporting professionals and be recognised as such without having to fulfil anyone’s fantasies. Males get to be Real People by default.
Just like in medicine, science, philosophy…in fact, everywhere. Everything is judged based on the male “ideal”, with females regarded as departing from that ideal by however much females differ from the male.
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