Throughout the past several decades, women’s sports have made enormous strides in about every aspect of athletics. Viewership rates have skyrocketed, competition has been raised, and encouragement for younger girls to begin sports has been far more prevalent than previous years. However, there are still many issues associated with several aspects of women’s sports that continue to reveal themselves as pretty big problems. One of the most prevalent is the issue of sporting outfits. More and more, have we seen women encouraged and pressured into wearing sporting apparel that has become progressively revealing and less and less practical. However to properly address this issue, we need to go back to when it originated.
In the 19th and early 20th centuries, women had the opposite problem. The few sports that allowed women to compete forced them to wear extremely covering, impractical clothing that oftentimes restricted movement in order to fit within the tightly regulated “codes of decorum.” This is how it was for decades, until regulations began to be loosened. It began with removing hats and corsets, then shifting towards shorts and smaller shirts that prioritized range of motion. However, beginning in the early 21st century, in many places this new revelation of autonomy was twisted by sporting bodies and governments trying to sexualize women’s sports. In 2004, FIFA president Sepp Blatter blatantly said he wanted women footballers to wear tighter shorts to attract sponsors, beach volleyball players were forced into bikinis rather than the shorts and shirts offered to men, gymnasts and basketball players wore extraordinarily tight bodysuits, and an overall regression in outfit practicality was spreading across athletics like a wildfire.
It contributes to issues like body dysmorphia, especially in young girls looking to pick up a sport, leading to far increased rates of girls dropping sports early as compared to boys. The outfits themselves were generating expectations of how women were supposed to look when competing in athletic activities. Instead of focusing purely on strength, skill, and performance, female athletes often feel pressure to meet certain aesthetic standards while they compete.
Many professional athletes themselves have begun speaking out about how uncomfortable or impractical certain uniforms can be. Tight or revealing clothing may not provide the same sense of security and freedom of movement that other athletic wear might. In sports that require constant movement, jumping, or physical contact, athletes should be able to concentrate entirely on the game rather than worrying about adjusting their uniforms. When clothing becomes a distraction, it can hinder performance rather than enhance it.
Ultimately, the goal of sports apparel should be functionality and choice. Athletes should have the option to wear clothing that best suits their comfort and performance needs. By prioritizing practicality over appearance, sporting organizations can help create an environment where female athletes can get the attention they deserve for their athletic performance.
