My Worthy Opponent is Wrong

Many critics of Feminism look at sexualized Sports Uniforms and see nothing wrong. Those that do, argue that it’s empowering for women to be sexy to the masses.  Many even say that it doesn’t matter at all, and argue that no one cares. The sexualization of women in media has been downplayed ever since it began, but it’s so much more impactful than they realize. Sports uniforms are sexist, and theres nothing empowering about being forced to wear something you are uncomfortable with. The sexist rules and regulations against women have detrimental and lasting effects on young athletes. 

Women can’t chose to wear whatever they want when they compete in the Olympics. According to author Lara Bullens, In the most recent Charter published by the International Olympic Committee, they say that the International Federation has “sole and exclusive authority to prescribe and determine the clothing and uniforms to be worn, and the equipment to be used, by the members of their delegations on the occasion of Olympic Games”. The International Olympic Committee is responsible for organizing the Olympic games and does not have the authority to establish or enforce uniform regulations. That responsibility belongs to International Federations for each individual sport to regulate what’s appropriate to wear in each gendered group. The criteria they have for uniforms are not public, as Bullens reached out to try and get an answer, and received no response. 

It’s up to the International Federations to make decisions on what athletes can and can’t wear. Professor Helen Jefferson Lenskyj at the University of Toronto states in her book, The Olympic Games: a Critical Approach, that uniform decisions are based on practicality, tradition, and gender differentiation. The International Federations say their decisions are based on fairness and performance. However, Lenskyj goes on to say, “Sports judged on aesthetics like figure skating has clothing rules consistent with judges’ often stereotypical views of what a ‘feminine’ skater should look like. Women’s beach volleyball uniform regulations are based solely on heterosexual sex appeal.” The idea of having rules in place solely to regulate the way a woman looks in her uniform is sexist. 

 In the 2021 Euro tournament, the Norwegian women’s beach handball team challenged this idea by refusing to wear bikini bottoms during their game. According to ABC news writer Caroline Radnofsky, the team was fined 1,500 euros, $1,700 USD for “improper clothing” by the International Federation. “While male players are allowed to play in tank tops and shorts no longer than 4 inches above the knee, women are required to wear midriff-baring tops and bikini bottoms “with a close fit and cut on an upward angle toward the top of the leg” and a maximum side width of 4 inches, according to International Handball Federation regulations.” These women refused to wear bikini bottoms and were punished for it. They broke the International Federations rules by trying to wear something more comfortable, and more secure.

Even when women appeal to these rules and regulations, they are often still criticized for it. Olivia Breen, a Paralympic athlete at the 2020 Tokyo Summer Games, was told by a female Official at the English Championships that her shorts were too short and inappropriate. In an interview with Sky News Breen stated, “I didn’t know what to say. I just looked speechless and I just said to her, ‘are you joking?’ And she said ‘no, I think you should consider buying a pair of shorts.’ I just looked at my teammate and I just didn’t know what to say.” Women face these double standards in all aspects of sports, even at the highest level. If they try and wear what they are comfortable in, they are fined. If they adhere to the rules, they are told to cover up. It’s a lose-lose scenario. The over sexualization of women in sports does nothing to benefit them, it only satisfies the viewer.

The pressure to look like the famale athletes we see on Television and social media grows stronger everyday. Female athletes adhere to these standards and strive to perfect their physical appearance. Emily Liang, writer for the Inquiries Journal, argues that while critics may say that athletes can increase their self esteem by becoming empowered in their sexuality, the idea that an athlete needs to cater their bodies to the masses in order to be empowered, directly contradicts this idea. “As long as she complies with the media’s demands, she cannot be genuine to her own identity. By emphasizing female athletes’ sex appeal over athleticism and encouraging the athletes to do the same, the media’s sexualization takes away self-esteem and individuality from women’s sports.” You cannot be empowered if you are not reaping the benefits.

As more women start to speak up about superficial criticisms against their bodies, we start to see just how impactful these sexist regulations can be. When the media is focused so much on their bodies, female athletes self-esteem is reduced and it leads to an unhealthy obsession with their body image. According to author Margot Rittenhouse, 45% of female athletes struggle with some form of disordered eating. “The negative impacts of eating disorder behaviors on the female athlete are so common that treatment professionals refer to them as “Female Athlete Triad” syndrome, which specifies three consequences as “menstrual dysfunction, low energy availability, and reduced bone mineral density. Approximately 4.3% of female athletes struggle with this syndrome”

The Female Athlete Triad is directly tied to when a female athlete becomes so obsessed with athletic training and her body, that it leads to harmful behaviors. It occurs when there is a combination of disordered eating, lack of menstruation, and osteoporosis due to overexercise, dieting and or mental strain. These three repercussions are so common that they are named as the Female Athlete Triad, and are prevalent in 15-62% of female college athletes, according to Julia Hobart of the American Academy of Family Physicians. The medical condition often goes unnoticed, as the women afflicted do not wish to be stopped. They are convinced it will better their performance and looks, without realizing just how deadly their behaviors are. As a result the body starts to break down, the lack of bone density leads to stress fractures and breaks. Repeated fractures do not heal, and eventually the body will give out, leading to death.

You cannot deny that the over sexualization of women in sports has no impact. Thousands of women are effected daily, and around 10,200 people die from an eating disorder every year. The objectification of women in sports has deadly consequences, and there is nothing empowering of feeding into heterosexual desires. However, things can always still change. As of early 2022, Women’s Handball players can now wear shorts and shirts, as well as the previous bikinis. Those who were outraged at the Norwegian team being fined, have influenced a step forward for women everywhere. It is not too late to overturn sexist rulings, and allow women the chance to be on an equal playing field with men across all sports.

References

BULLENS, Lara. “Tokyo Olympics: Female Athletes Face Double Standards over Uniforms.” France 24, France 24, 22 July 2021, https://www.france24.com/en/sport/20210722-tokyo-olympics-female-athletes-face-double-standards-over-uniforms. 

Daniels EA. Sex Objects, Athletes, and Sexy Athletes: How Media Representations of Women Athletes Can Impact Adolescent Girls and College Women. Journal of adolescent research. 2009;24(4):399-422. doi:10.1177/0743558409336748 COPY CITATION TO CLIPBOARD

Ilchi, Layla. “A Closer Look at the Tokyo Summer Olympics Uniform Controversies.” WWD, 27 July 2021, https://wwd.com/fashion-news/fashion-scoops/tokyo-summer-olympics-uniform-controversies-1234887033/. 

Jefferson Lenskyj H. The Olympic Games : a Critical Approach. Emerald Publishing Limited; 2020.

Hobart, Julie A., and Douglas R. Smucker. “The Female Athlete Triad.” American Family Physician, 1 June 2000, https://www.aafp.org/pubs/afp/issues/2000/0601/p3357.html.

Liang, Emily. “The Media’s Sexualization of Female Athletes: A Bad Call for the Modern Game.” Inquiries Journal, Inquiries Journal, 1 Oct. 2011, http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/587/the-medias-sexualization-of-female-athletes-a-bad-call-for-the-modern-game. 

Radnofsky, Caroline. “Norwegian Women’s Beach Handball Team Fined for Not Playing in Bikinis.” NBCNews.com, NBCUniversal News Group, 20 July 2021, https://www.nbcnews.com/news/sports/norwegian-women-s-beach-handball-team-fined-not-playing-bikinis-n1274453. 

Rittenhouse, Margot. “Eating Disorders in Athletes.” Eating Disorder Hope, 14 July 2022, https://www.eatingdisorderhope.com/risk-groups/eating-disorder-athletes.