Why do female gymnasts always look like that?

Their make up is just the normal stuff that young women wear. And a lot of the gymnasts are black or mixed race. Braids are a normal hairstyle. There's nothing about their hair or makeup that would look out of place in a shopping centre. Just watching women's all round. Simone Biles hair is actually quite messy, doesn't look hair sprayed at all. There are bits sticking out all over the place.

thegymter.net/2016/04/06/gymnastics-hair-a-retrospective/

I haven't linked it as not sure how but this goes through changing styles across the ages. They also used to wear shoes!

Thing is the OP isn’t even true. Lots of the gymnasts had very plain buns and not much glitter in sight. Some went pretty blingy, some went quite girly. There has been lots of hair styles sported across the different sports. I saw some of the US track athletes with ribbons in their hair so maybe they just bloody like them and that is their choice.

I believe from earlier threads on this issue that beach volleyball options for women now include shorts like men's.

For those interested, here is the full text for the section on competition attire for women's international gymnastics. It includes some eye-roll inducing words like elegant and proper, but it's basic and focuses more on making sure nothing is too extreme or distracting. There are no deductions or points for fashion, that is not a thing in modern gymnastics.

Makeup, braids, sparkles... they're all just about what gymnasts like to wear, and there's a huge variety. Most women I know like to do something fun or special with their hair, makeup and/or clothes on important days in their lives.

'Male gaze'? I imagine the vast majority of those watching are female.
I have always wondered why women in beach volleyball the women are wearing what looks like a two piece bathing suit but the men wear shorts and tank tops.

A handful of older German gymnasts prefer the unitard. Any gymnast may wear it. It hasn't become popular and younger German gymnasts don't wear it.

The women who have promoted it have also clarified that they do not mean to criticize anyone's choice of the traditional leotard. That is not immodest or inappropriate. It is cooler, easier to fit, and for many gymnasts less slippery on apparatus than the unitard.

It's a choice, not a superior option to be used to criticize other women. It has been an option for years.

Below are this year's German representatives

@LovelyBitOfHam But you can identify the gymnasts from a mile away.

The sport has an artistic element to it, which is why the women look and perform a certain way.

Is it some kind of male gaze thing?

No.

I’ve always associated gymnasts with the sort of girls who didn’t really grow up, but I’ve now realised just how wrong that is.

It's good that you've realised this is wrong, but it's astonishing you would even think that to begin with. I would say that sitting at a computer and scrutinising women's appearances on the internet isn't grown up.

I think perhaps because gymnastics has elements of dance, artistry and self expression and therefore it contains more showmanship and performance as opposed to other sports. Any genre of performance/dance is going to have its canon looks and traditions.

I remember Olga Korbut and Nadia Comeneci, the greats that put Women's Gymnastics to the fore - neither wore gloop but both tied their hair back - Olga wore a smile and Nadia looked stern - both very young and very small and skinny. I'll always remember a little 8 year old Polish (USSR) girl who fell off the uneven bars and burst into tears; and not because she hurt herself.

Now we have mature, muscly women performing great masterful gymnastics - I'd wager most of their days don't involve glitter and make-up so I've no problem at all with them wearing glittery stuff for their very few days in the spotlights.

Believe me when I tell you that those ribbons aren’t the only thing going on in the hair and those 2 bits of ribbons are used to secure the bun along with a thousand and one hair grips and pins

If you think about just wearing the standard black leotard and everyone is wearing the same standard black leotard how would you tell the difference between all the gymnastic teams at a glance

Although you don’t get points for a really nice sparkly leotard, If it makes the contestant feel happy in themselves, they are going to perform better

I've watched quite a lot of the Olympics this time round and to be honest I think virtually every female athlete, whatever their discipline has got their hair tied back, or plaited, or braided. Some of the track runners have extensions but if you look it's all held back by a hair band and by this I mean an Alice band

It's an issue for gymnasts. Interferes with line of sight for landings from tucks and twists. I don't know what break dancers are required to do, but no reason for gymnasts to endanger themselves.

Something that you completely imagined and has no grounding in reality is madness? Yep, you’re right there.

It is not like this.

The physical requirements of these sports and the dangers if hair gets impedes vision or gets caught against equipment are completely different.

@Thepottingshed 20 seconds of googling would have shown you that they select their own kit from hundreds of different combinations, and that they have a full say in designing the kit.

I always thought it was like ballet. My DD did it and the students would be marked down in exams if their hair wasnt in the perfect bun.

Madness.

Gymnasts are amazing athletes who can do what the majority of the population can’t .

Ingrained misogyny gives rise to threads like this. That and jealousy.

Who cares how they dress and the hair has to be scraped back because of the summersaults and flips they do. It would get in the way otherwise.

I'm pretty sure the gymnasts don't get to choose their own outfits, it's the team 'strip' essentially. So it will reproduce a set of accepted standards/conventions in the dress for that sport. I don't think anyone would say that gymnastics didn't have a shady history in the way it treats young girls and their bodies. Simone Biles has said she had to steal food at a training camp as it was withheld from them.

Interestingly the German team have been pushing for unitards: https://www.reuters.com/sports/olympics/gymnastics-german-gymnasts-choose-full-body-suits-comfort-freedom-2024-07-25/

Doesn't seem to be an issue for the female breakers, though.

Many young women like to wear make up and look good for photos.

These ones are awesome gymnasts too.

The bun style is not “in the rules”.

the rules simply state the hair must not touch the floor in a handstand or otherwise create a hazard.

they gymnast has absolute free rein over what that style is. Bunches, plaits, short hair, whatever they choose.

Why is the male way of doing things the default? Men wear plain gym clothes, so the women should too?
What the fuck is wrong with sparkly leotards exactly?

BECAUSE THEY FUCKING WANT TO.

That’s it. The end. No further discussion needed. Women are dressing how they want to, because they want to.