Sexism and sport: why body-baring team uniforms are bad for girls and women
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Sexism and sport: why body-baring team uniforms are bad for girls and women
Sarah Zipp, University of Stirling and Sasha Sutherland, The University of the West Indies, Barbados
Team outfits and fashion were not supposed to be a big talking point at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. But protests over skimpy uniforms by two women’s teams in the months before the games have brought bikinis and high-cut leotards into the spotlight. Now these high-profile campaigns are leaving Olympians, fans and aspiring young athletes wondering: why are women expected to bare their bodies while men cover up?
In April, the German women’s gymnastics team ditched the traditional, high-cut leg-baring leotards for ankle-length unitards, protesting the “sexualisation” of their bodies. This dissent was intended to highlight and prevent sexual abuse in the sport, following recent high-profile cases in the US and UK. They continued their protest at the Tokyo Olympics.
In a similar move, the Norwegian women’s beach h...
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