My Worthy Opponent is Wrong
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, as woman have the inablity of chosing to wear what they are comfortable in. The International Olympic Committee 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. There’s 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, and for years they have been spoken out against. The Federations lack of change and even response against sexist allegatons, show that they do not care and are not willing to change.
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 criteria they have for uniforms are withheld upon request, as Bullens reached out to try and get an answer, and received no response. It is suspicious that the Federation would withhold this type of information, since if they were proud of their regulations there would be nothing to hide.
One Professor at the University of Toronto, draws the conclusion that the reason the criteria for uniforms are withheld, is because the Federation knows they would receive backlash for being sexist. Helen Jefferson Lenskyj 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. While these conclusions are her own, it is apparent that the Federations refusal to talk about their regulations hides their true intentions.
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. What these women did to stand up for themselves is admirable, but the men’s silent response is apparent that the regulating of women’s bodies is the status quo.
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.” Breen had worn this style of shorts for the past 6 years of her competing. They had been specifically designed for competing in, and are up to all the regulations from the Federation. 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.
But how much damage can these type of events have on female athletes who view them? The pressure to have the same body type as the female athletes we see on Television and social media grows stronger every day.Female athletes adhere to these standards and strive to perfect their physical appearance. Emily Liang, the 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.”
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. In comparison, only 10% of male athletes struggle with the same 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 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, and the lack of bone density leads to stress fractures and breaks. Repeated fractures do not heal, and eventually, the body will give out. The lack of nutrients, stress on the bones, and increased strain on the heart and lungs to keep the body functioning without food, leads to death.
You cannot deny that the over-sexualization of women in sports has an impact. Thousands of women are affected 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 about 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. Those that got angry and raised their voices on social media, made a real difference. It is not too late to overturn sexist rulings and allow women the chance to be comfortable in the presentation of their athletic skills.
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.
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Counterintuitive Fall 2022 
I would like feedback on if I successfully argued against my opponent, or if i went on a big long tangent that didn’t go anywhere. Also, any feedback on structure or preciseness is appreciated, thank you!
Successful Refutation (SR) or Big Long Tangent (BLT)?
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.
—No matter how powerful your refutation arguments are, they are weaker than they would be if they aren’t rebuttals of real, named, credible, Worthy Opponents. Here we’re asked to accept your word that the most powerful arguments in favor of sexualized sports uniforms are “critics of Feminism,” and “many,” and “the media,” and “they.”
—We also have to trust that you’re sharing with us their most powerful counterarguments instead of hearing from the critics themselves.
—You haven’t been specific enough about the athletes’ agency in uniform choices here, Oni. A better sentence would help out: “Sports uniforms are sexist, and there’s nothing empowering about being compelled by a Uniform Committee to wear a degrading or sexually objectifying outfit.”
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.
—What do you know? I anticipated the content of this paragraph nicely, without knowing what to call the Federation. My recommendation stands: the better place to name both the federation and the objectification is in the Introduction.
—There’s a big difference between being “not public” and being “withheld on request.” You can emphasize that there wouldn’t appear to be anything to hide here if the federation were proud of its regulations.
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.
—That “gender differentiation” claim is bold and useful, but it’s not from the federations themselves. Pity.
—Also a pity we can’t get ahold of the actual regulations for women’s beach volleyball.
—However strong the opinions of Professor Lenskyj, the conclusions are hers.
—You haven’t caught the federations in hypocrisy yet. They might very well admit their motivation is to earn TV ratings. When they don’t answer the question, though, you can accuse them of hiding their true intentions.
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.
—I don’t know how you could think this was a BLT, Oni. This is a brilliant anecdote that goes a long way to making the sexist nature of the regulations obvious.
—I wonder if you’d go so far as to suggest that if the male beach handball athletes were enlightened enough to express solidarity with their female counterparts, they could, as a protest, show up for a match in uniforms that met the requirements for female players.
—What the women did is inspirational; what the men could have done, could still do and haven’t, is more evidence that the status quo is firmly in place.
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.
—This is hopelessly confusing for a simple oversight. You don’t describe Breen’s shorts as compliant with the regulations. If they were, the Official’s objection is hilarious and pertinent. But you don’t say that, so we have to wonder what’s your point?
The pressure to look like the female athletes we see on Television and social media grows stronger everyday.
—With all the emphasis on uniforms, Oni, I read this sentence to mean, “The pressure to dress like the female athletes . . . .” Clearly not what you mean, but you’ll understand the confusion.
Female athletes adhere to these standards and strive to perfect their physical appearance.
—This ultimately resolves the confusion, but even “adhere to these standards” can be read, “wear the required uniforms.”
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.
—We’re still hearing from critics of the critics instead of the critics themselves.
—We’d really like a quote from the experts who say, “athletes can increase their self esteem by becoming empowered in their sexuality,” instead of being told that that’s what they say.
“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.
—Good quote. Not clear on the actual meaning of your final editorial comment.
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”
—Your percentage of disordered eaters will be relevant only if a much lower percentage of male athletes suffer similarly. The 45% could be lower than for men, which would ruin your point.
—Don’t forget to WEILD your statistics.
—Some very problematic quotation punctuation going on there. Three open quotes and only two close quotes. Plus, the quoted material within a quote gets single quotes. So . . . .
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.
—Could be useful, as in the paragraph above, but not without a male comparison.
—The stressors are the same in your telling: overexercise, dieting, mental strain. Nothing there about the need to look sexy in a uniform.
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.
—Have athletes gone on the record to declare their FAT syndromes are caused by body dysmorphia, not excessive training?
WE CAN NO LONGER deny that the over sexualization of women in sports IS DANGEROUS AND PERVASIVE. Thousands of women are AFFECTED daily, and around 10,200 people die from an eating disorder every year.
—Clever how you snuck that in there, but no careful reader will fail to notice you’re not saying 10,200 FEMALE ATHLETES. If you COULD, that would be very powerful.
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.
—”have influenced a step forward”?
—”equal playing field with men” strikes a rather pathetic note here, Oni. Let’s ignore the men and not pander by demanding permission to be their equals.
—Try something else, about women getting out of each other’s way, or about paying less attention to costumes and more attention to athletic skill, or . . . .
Overall quite good, I thought. Not a BLT at all. Except as noted, your Refutation makes the right points. Let me know if you need help with sources.
Provisionally graded. This post is always eligible for a Regrade following significant Revision.
I didn’t have a lot of time, but i tried to fix up this paper according to your feedback. I don’t really know what to do about your main issue with my paper, calling out specific critics instead of saying stuff like “they say this blah blah”. I’m having a lot of trouble finding specific people and quotes speaking out that uniforms aren’t sexist, but a lot saying that they are. I tried to turn it into that the Federation’s lack of change tells us everything we need to know about what they think about uniforms, but I don’t know if I pulled it off. Please let me know.
Actually, the Federation is the perfect opponent for debate since it’s because of their regulations that the sexist uniforms persist. They might not want to go on the record to explain their defense of the status quo, but their actions say they like the way they’re making the women dress.
You’ve made considerable improvements here, Oni. I don’t know if the sources I added to your White Paper will do you any good, but I do think a graphic representation of the International Federation of Beach Volleyball’s specifications for men’s and women’s uniforms, side by side, will provide indisputable evidence that the specs have nothing to do with comfort or functionality.
Regraded, always eligible for Regrades following substantial revisions.
Searching for academic sources that address uniforms in women’s sport is pretty fruitless, it seems. Most of the following are popular or news sources, but the FIBV standards do go on the record regarding the very different specifications for men’s and women’s uniforms, including diagrams of how the outfits must look with specific measurements. Feel free to include graphics if they help tell the story.
1. Bonk, Lawrence (11 August 2016). “Here’s Why the USA Women’s Volleyball Team Refuses to Stop Wearing Bikinis”. Archived from the original on 15 August 2016. Alt URL
2. ^ “Bikini blues – Beach volleyball makes the swimsuit standard”. CNN. 13 January 1999. Archived from the original on 9 August 2015.
3. ^ “Aussies opt for bikini cover-up”. BBC News. 5 January 2000. Archived from the original on 17 December 2018.
4. ^ Beach Volleyball Archived 19 April 2010 at the Wayback Machine, Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
5. ^ FIVB: Official BEACH VOLLEYBALL Rules 2009–2012, Archived 20 September 2009 at the Wayback Machine, Rule 5.1.1: “A player’s equipment consists of shorts or a bathing suit. A jersey or ‘tank-top’ is optional except when specified in Tournament Regulations.”
6. ^ FIVB: Olympic Beach Volleyball Tournaments Specific Competition Regulations, Archived 21 June 2007 at the Wayback Machine, Regulations 24.2 and 24.4.
7. ^ Jump up to:a b Netter, Sarah (18 August 2008). “Olympic Uniforms: Less Clothing Means Better Result”. ABC News. Retrieved 24 July 2021.
8. ^ McAsey, Jenny (5 August 2008). “Skimpy bikinis part of the plan”. news.com.au. Archived from the original on 8 September 2008.
9. ^ “Denise Johns: There is more to beach volleyball than girls in bikinis”. The Times. 13 March 2012. Retrieved 1 August 2012.
10. ^ Jaime Schultz (2014). Qualifying Times: Points of Change in U.S. Women’s Sport. University of Illinois Press. p. 193. ISBN 9780252079740.
11. ^ Bissell, Kimberly; Duke, Andera (2007). “Bump, Set, Spike: An Analysis of Commentary”. Journal of Promotion Management. 13 (1–2): 35–53. doi:10.1300/J057v13n01_04. S2CID 167803591.
12. ^ “London 2012 Olympics: female beach volleyball players permitted to wear less revealing uniforms”. The Telegraph. 27 March 2012. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022. Retrieved 1 August 2012.
Hyperlinks don’t copy well into Reply fields, so I dropped the whole list of 12 sources into your White Paper.