Why do female gymnasts always look like that?

I used to compete in gymnastics from a young age. During an average training session where my hair was up in a simple pony tail or bun, I probably redid my hair an average of 50 times per session. The running and the movements really cause your hair to move. When you're competing you can't have hair moving about, you really do need it french plaited or sprayed back so that nothing is in the way when trying to balance on a beam etc. The glitter for us was something that signified "competition hair" and made the hairspray more fun. It was harmless.

Gosh, some people on this thread are absolute c**ts.

Gymnastics is one of the very few sports that evolved to showcase what female bodies are better at as well as male. The female events focus on balance, flexibility, artistry as well as acro. The male events are much more about strength (particularly upper body strength) and power.

The scrunchie for my gymnast is to hide the several smaller headbands underneath required to in order to ensure her copious amounts of hair stays put.

They have changed quite a lot. Gymnastics scoring prioritises technical mastery over grace. Men are expected to point their toes and present just as women are.
I'm struggling to think of any other olympic sports where expectations differ for men and women.

Maybe watch the recent documentary about him to understand. The “lunchbox” thing was a racist fetishisation of black mens’ bodies pushed by tabloid newspapers. He had a breakdown over it.

Presumably you are referring to artistic gymnastics where the answer is in the title, it is artistic and points are given for this as well as the technical aspect. To be honest I'm not really sure what the point is of this thread except to decry the efforts of amazing athletes.

Some people must have rather sad and pathetic lives to get so worked up about glitter and hair scrunchies. Yes they look like young girls because they are young girls. They are mostly teens and early twenties, not middle aged, menopausal women, or would you prefer it if they competed looking like lamb dressed at mutton?

The problem is the male/female events having such different expectations and rules.

When women were first allowed to compete in the Olympics they were only allowed to do so in a way that showcases femininity and grace. That’s why the women’s floor events have music and dance involved and the men’s don’t. Things just haven’t changed.

If you can't tell the difference between what gymnasts do and what breakers do - none of us can help you

@LaeralSilverhand - seriously? Dear god woman go get yourself down to the humour shop. Racist tropes? Please do explain....

Anyone seen the competitor in the pole vault who took the pole out with his lunchbox

I read the comment from @TheHateIsNotGood as saying the judgy types would object, not that we should.

Ah yes, not content with the misogyny on this thread, it’s time to resurrect some good old racist tropes.

And the Divers - now there's a sight to behold - for the judgy-pants amongst us. Just today, I did notice that a Spanish diver, after completing her dive in the current de rigeur diving costume of no 'bottom-coverage' placed one of those dainty little towels over her buttocks after exiting the pool.

Anyone remember Linford Christie's Lunchbox?

Well that must be a guess. Because they don't look remotely alien. They look like humans with their hair tied back, more or less tightly. And wearing pretty normal amounts of makeup.

But the OP was being honest, saying they had realised they were wrong. No need to condescend further.

@Thepottingshed not sure what you are on about, several gymnasts did compete in unitards. And beach volleyball players can and do wear shorts. The (idiotic) beach volleyball rules were changed 3 years ago.

Have you actually been watching any of the sports you are commenting on?

Also.

Class.

Would the Germans have been allowed to compete in their full leg suits? If not, why not? (I'm not being goady, I'm genuinely interested- the gymnasts say it doesn't hamper their performance).

Yes. They didn't put them on just to pose next to the equipment, they've been competing in them when they want for years now.

Yes, two of the German athletes did compete in their full leg suits. The full leg suits are very old news by now!

All the outfits are leotards, unitards, or potentially leotards with tights or leggings under or over. The leotard is a very sensible outfit to wear for gymnastics.

I'm guessing that after slicking back their hair so tightly, they look weird, alien-like and slightly masculine so they need to feel human and womanly by wearing make-up? They want to look cute and theatrical rather than slutty or sultry. That would explain why SOME of them do it.

I’ve just realised that while there have been multiple threads criticising gymnasts, divers, synchro swimming, and track and field female athletes’ garb and appearance I haven’t seen a SINGLE thread criticising the frankly bizarre dress of the dressage and show jumping riders.

It’s almost as if this has nothing to do with clothing, and everything to do with a deeply misogynistic attitude to women’s bodies. How dare women have strong, beautiful bodies? How dare they choose to show off their amazing bodies and what they can do?

Gymnastics isn't just a sport - it is a performance and the floor routine in particular is supposed to look effortless. Hence the smiles.

If you are throwing a javelin, or wrestling someone to the ground or running 100m in less than 10 seconds it doesn't matter what your face looks like. You can grimace with the superhuman effort and it doesn't matter if it looks like hard work.

Ok great, delighted, I am presuming the outfits are all a variation on a theme though, no one is going wildly off piste there, are they? Unlike athletics where there is usually a very wide range of types of outfit. Would the Germans have been allowed to compete in their full leg suits? If not, why not? (I'm not being goady, I'm genuinely interested- the gymnasts say it doesn't hamper their performance).

Some interesting thoughts from volleyball players here as well (it's interesting to ask what interest is being preserved in fining them for wearing- gasp- shorts!)

https://www.upbeacon.com/article/2021/11/more-than-the-uniform-volleyball-players-speak-out-about-body-image-and-sexism

All sport is absolutely shot through with sexism, like anything else. It doesn't detract from the athleticism to ask how that is acting on the sport, and the institutions of that sport, especially as those institutions are dominated by men.

Yes exactly. OP is seeing things that aren't there. Goady