Editorial: What should female athletes wear at the Tokyo Olympics? Whatever works for them (via latimesopinion)
It was, essentially, an order for the female athletes to show more skin: The Norwegian women’s beach handball team drew a fine for wearing shorts at the European championships last week, instead of sporting bikini bottoms that bare part of the derriere.failed to meet the European Handball Federation’s requirement that briefs have “a close fit and cut on an upward angle toward the top of the leg.” Midriff-baring tops are required as well, though the team had those.
Some athletes prefer scant uniforms; for example, many female beach volleyball players have said that close-fitting bikinis keep out sand and keep them cool during play. And those players, the best of whom are now at the Tokyo Olympics, actually have options — a 2012 rule change allowed them to choose among various outfits they can wear depending on what serves their athletic, religious or personal needs, as long as both members of each team decide on one style.
Now the European handball federation is proving that sexism is far from dead. And women are getting sick of it. Not just the athletes, but the viewers who see these female athletes of accomplishment being reduced to objects of desire., a deliberate statement about what they called “sexualization” in the sport. The unitards met regulations, but they were different enough from the usual high-cut leotards to draw attention, which was the idea in the first place.
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