That having a bikini wax shouldn't be a necessary part of any job?

[ThatsWotSheSaid]

I've been watching the amazing gymnastics at the olympics and every time I can't help but wonder if they are all happy to have such revealing gym costumes. I would hate to have a camera doing a slow mo when I'm legs akimbo in the air wearing so little even if the camera angles seem to be discrete.

I have tried to look up if there is a rule about the cut and if they wanted could they wear little shorts but I can't find anything. I did read if they remove a wedgie they get marked down?!

AIBU to think that in this day and age it seems a bit odd that these elite athletes need to be so scantily clad and that they probably have more to worry about than waxing, ingrowing hairs and itchiness in the run up to the games?

Bertrand "So why not just have leggings as part of the kit?" - How many times do you have to be told that they can choose to wear leggings if they wish?????

You seem determined to make a point where there isn't one.

If I want to wear a leotard it is not for YOU to tell me it is indecent.
You choose your clothes. I am sure you pick clothes to maximise what you intend to achieve. You would no more give a formal presentation in a ball gown and face mask than build a wall in a bikikni.

If you had a crucial paper to submit you would not write it in pale yellow ink on parchment - you would want the most peopel to appreciete the brilliance of it so it would be visisble, legible and available.

These gymnasts are being judged on certain very difficult movements - they could of course try to compete in clothing that you approve of - or clothing which is safest, which they feel confident in, which allows their skills to be seen to the best advantage.

And I know NO MEN AT ALL who get their rocks off on this . FFS you must know some weirdos if that's what you think of men. ANd it is women on this thread judging other women as inferior.

Going to hide this now - and go for a walk. HMMMM - now what shall I wear???

Chikara- have you actually read anything I've said?

yea that's what they say, but really they just want it so Sally and Jane can win more medals till their knees are bust up, and that Zoe and Rebecca are poised to take their place with working knees

Oh, I'm certain of that, but that's one of the premises on which they get the funding, and that's key.

It is quite possible and plausible that if every single elite gymnast was given the opportunity to take part in an anonymous survey, they would all say that they have tried different styles and they find that, overall, their present cut is far more accommodating of movement, and the price of wedgies and bikini waxed is well worth it. If that's so, then we can get back to gasping in amazement at their feats.

It is also plausible that some of them would like to be wearing unitards, or a leotard with more fabric, but think that wanting to have a different style of costume from the rest of the squad wouldn't go down well, and have thus figured it's better to put on what they're given and have a crack at winning. Which is not an unreasonable decision. Chance at Olympic medal in outfit that requires waxing or just giving up? Hmm, even if you'd got that far and never been presented with the choice before, I can't imagine many young women spending many hours soul-searching over it!

The problem I have here is the knock-on impact. At lower levels, young competitors don't have such a powerful incentive to just accept costumes, and so may simply quit. Especially if any of the supposed grown adults involved say, "it's the kit. If you don't like it, don't do the sport".

I think that at the higher levels, organisations have a duty to make sure that if there is anyone who does want to pick a unitard or differently cut leotard, she can. Normalisation of gear that isn't so tightly-cut would affect attitudes at lower levels, like Bertrand's daughter's club.

Thus decreasing drop-out rates, yada yada, public health, yada yada.

And as for the "conform" bullshit - those women are strong, muscular, relatively flat-chested - so not conforming at all to a typical model.

Other athletes are big, strong - think Sophie Hitchon, or lean and straight - Dibiba.

I am sure you do not go to work dressed in a bin liner with hair and nails that you have never cut. What does that say about "conforming"? (Unless we conform to your idea of what to look like!) Tell us what it is so we can get it right in future

And yes I have read what you said.

are actual gymnasts campaigning for the right to wear full coverage leotards and be hairy, or is it mostly non gymnasts?

Bert its still a choice though isn't it? And as many have pointed out the cut of the leotard is to maximise the extention and form. Nothing else. Lower cut leotard pinch in the thigh and can be very painful and uncomfortable causing bruising.

You are determined not to accept that the clothes are functional for the sport, you are determined not to accept that the athletes are happy waxed or whatever, you are determined to continue to sexualise a sport.

Not one young girl I know who watched gymnastics has ever done so to inspect the waxing of the genital area or commented on it, it's "wow did you see that" and if your child did comment on it then it would be your place as a parent or peer to have the discussion about "personal choice and grooming habbits of Women" and up to you if you want to make it a feminist issue in your parenting/peer support, a sport can parent/peer support for you.

If you think removing body hair demerits their achievements of hard work and dedication, then don't watch, you clearly just "can't grasp it"

Chikara, this is not a debate about indecency. There have been batshit threads on MN in the past about gymnastics being indecent, but this isn't one of them.

Yep. Hot sweaty leggings. Or removing your pubic hair. Great choice, eh?

But those aren't the only choices available by any means, just those at opposite ends of the spectrum.

Again, you can't have uniformity (male and female) of uniform when you're not using the same apparatus, and have different required elements (so perhaps you could also take a look there for reform and make some suggestions)

"
If you think removing body hair demerits their achievements of hard work and dedication, then don't watch, you clearly just "can't grasp it"
You really aren't reading an actual word I'm writing, are you?

My son plays water polo and every year there are new teens starting who are very uncomfortable wearing speedos. Eventually pretty much all of them decide to wear them despite their discomfort because they are the thing best suited to the sport which becomes obvious after playing a while. Some of them never seem to be entirely comfortable with them but the majority after playing for a while seem to not even pay any attention to it and just treat it as very normal and what one does. I bet the gymnasts are the same, years of wearing leotards and bare legs for hours a day means most probably don't even think about alternatives.

..and there are alternatives that are provided by the school but almost no-one uses them.

So it just becomes the norm for them to remove this pubic hair because the alternative are never even discussed.

It's not about modesty or sexualization. It's about the message we are sending to girls about what it is and is not acceptable for a woman's body to look like.

"Not one young girl I know who watched gymnastics has ever done so to inspect the waxing of the genital area or commented on it, it's "wow did you see that" and if your child did comment on it then it would be your place as a parent or peer to have the discussion about "personal choice and grooming habbits of Women" and up to you if you want to make it a feminist issue in your parenting/peer support, a sport can parent/peer support for you. "

I'd be surprised if they did; below a certain age, they may not know about pubes; above that age, they will see magazines and newspapers etc where any woman in a bikini or swimming costume would have no visible hair.

It's about the message we are sending to girls about what it is and is not acceptable for a woman's body to look like.

I think most sensible women, and men, would realise that those gymnasts bodies are not the norm, or easily attainable, and only achieved by many many years of intensive training.
I refuse to talk about the pubic hair that both the male and female gymnasts are removing yet again!

neck indeed because this beautiful musclar athletic bodies are "the norm"

Wish I was still "the norm" haha but after swapping to coaching and children I'm now that hard to achiev fluffy mother look 😂

"All young women are removing their pubic hair whether or not they are gymnasts. I dont see the point of the thread"

They aren't, you know.

I do see your point about hair removal Bert I just think it's ridiculous to point out gymnasts over any other sport.
Until society reaches a position where body hair is acceptable, women stop shaving their legs or bikini line to exercise, and we stop seeing headlines about pit hair there is no chance sports people like gymnasts will feel comfortablecompeting hairy. Trend seems to be for more hair removal though, for men too.
Its ridiculous extrapolation to suggest gymnastics is somehow different and more exploitative than any other sport (the point I was trying to make about running gear).
clicknclack that exactly what I see with the kids at trampolining. They start out being embarassed but end up in leotards as its more comfy. My club has no training dress code beyond comfortable sports attire either, but I'd say at least 80% of regular bouncers are in leotards

Fuck off vitreous, your views on how sexy it is and female hair removal for your benefit are repellant

What Bertrand said.

And thanks for telling us that hardworking and talented teenagers doing their job are sexy to you. For someone who thinks this is a "nothing" thread, your post is well below nothing: rock bottom, 50 feet of digging, then your post.

"You are determined not to accept that the clothes are functional for the sport, you are determined not to accept that the athletes are happy waxed or whatever, you are determined to continue to sexualise a sport"

^^^
This.

Watching the gymnastics this year, none of the male gymnasts are exactly mammoth are they? I think the men are probably at the waxing more than the women tbh. Even on the beaches these days - there's barely a hairy chest in sight. If someone like my DH decided to wax his chest, he'd have to do his arms and back too -it would be never-ending. Just as well he's not a gymnast! He does have male cycling friends who shave their legs - for the aerodynamics As for bikini waxing, it's just like going to the hairdressers for many women.

Cyclists don't shave for the aerodynamics but for when they fall and graze their legs.

Vitreous, how old are you? So far you've asked what a bikini line is, and now you're making wildly inappropriate comments for this (online) social setting.