German gymnastics team, tired of 'sexualisation,' wears unitards at Tokyo Olympics

acer621

New member
Considering the way that female gymnasts have been sexualised in the past and the horrific crimes of Larry Nassar in the United States, I think this is a fantastic step forward. I hope that other countries take this up, or at least give female gymnasts the option of wearing a unitard moving forward.

Article here
 
@acer621 This actually kind of sucks to me

I don't need to sexualize anything and everything. When I see athletes (male or female) competing, I prefer more "revealing" outfits.

For me, part of the enjoyment of watching is seeing the muscles of their bodies. Like, these men and women have sculpted their bodies into works of art.

Why does everything have to be ruined by pervs?
 
@acer621 Wow I was just thinking about this the other day - why the gymnastics uniforms are so revealing for women. I definitely thought sexualization was a part of it but then thought that it might have to do with flexibility and not wanting any fabric to impede motion. Although if that’s the case - who really needs that high of a cut that you’re a couple of centimeters away from showing EVERYTHING?
 
@acer621
Just days before the Games began, the Norwegian women's beach handball team refused to play in bikini bottoms during European tournaments, opting instead for skin-tight shorts. For that, they received a fine for violating a wardrobe requirement.

What the actual fuck?!
 
@acer621 I think it’s important for women and girl athletes to have autonomy over what they wear, and I’m cheering for this shift. But I hope that like me, you will keep in mind that there is no winning option for women and girls under patriarchy.

Suggesting that women and girls are safer from sexual objectification and assault by virtue of being more covered up is definitely a hop, skip and a jump to victim blaming, because it links the behavior of predators to the appearance of victims. *Insisting* that gymnasts be more covered up probably sets off alarm bells (I hope!), and insisting that these athletes continue wearing leotards (or in other sports: bikini bottoms, etc) also seems like a poor choice. So given that, it might seem like the best option is letting women and girls choose for themselves, right? Sure, except… don't forget, the house always wins, and the house is patriarchy! For instance, just fast forward and imagine this gains traction and then… guess which athletes will be labelled as attention-seeking sluts for opting to be sexualized vs serious athletes? There are ultimately no winning options for women and girls looking to reason their way to a solution for patriarchal violence while existing within a patriarchal framework. Our bodies, conduct, garb can change, but they aren’t what *needs* to change.

Again, I personally would be wearing whatever option I could that meant leggings or shorts—but I don’t have any illusion that “just add shorts/leggings/some other garment” = undoing the system in which someone like Larry Nassar (and so many others! So many.) was (are still) enabled and protected as a horrific predator for yeeeeeeaaaars.

Also, I regret I don’t have time to look it up and provide a link, but if anyone is curious, I recall seeing some fascinating discussion of this on (I think) the gymnastics subreddit a few months ago. Current and former gymnasts were reflecting on this option. Just about all were supportive of it as an option, but many were reflecting on how they were personally fine with wearing leotards at competitions because that had been what they had always worn, and was simply how they dressed as a serious athlete in that sport. I was glad for this reminder. Not letting women/girls wear unitards if they choose is bullshit, but we also have to be cautious of the power dynamics at play in seeking to liberate others from what we personally feel to be their oppression (ie, many of the athletes themselves might prefer otherwise). So yay for unitards, sincerely, but *lots* of footnotes on that yay.
 
@acer621 I wish they could wear something more like the mens tbh, its still a tight fitting ensemble and doesnt look that comfy.

Is there an impracticality for their type of gymnastics with the loose fit or is it just theyve always had to wear the tight stuff?
 
@acer621 It's wild to me that leo + shorts are not allowed. Literally your only options are show your butt or have a full-length unitard. I hate the excuse that the judges need to see their legs to determine things like straightness & leg separation...those criteria apply to men too yet they're allowed to wear loose shorts and pants.
 
@dawn16 My team’s competition leotards were soooo high cut. One of my worst gymnastics memories was of being at a meet and getting a horrible wedgie during my floor routine. All the spandex was engulfed by my butt cheeks, my whole ass was out. I couldn’t stand it anymore and pulled out the wedgie with both hands. I got a huge deduction just for fixing my damn wedgie and then my coach chewed me out afterward.

Plus for young teens just leaning how to deal with a period, a leotard is an absolute nightmare. Let girls wear shorts and unitards.
 
@ibiggy God it's so fucking weird and gross. In nearly any other situation, it'd be ridiculous for someone to chew you out like that. This shit has to change.
 
Back
Top