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?

[SoupDragon]

When I think of it, I do think it's a little odd that the women all wear make up and sparkles though. TBH, I don't really notice it as I m too blown away by what they are doing. Same as for the men (who have different costumes depending on what apparatus they're doing, unlike the women)

[JigglypuffsCaptor]

It would be a viewing experience, sometimes I'm glad the majority of my genitals are all internal, must be a faff having them waving about sometimes, DP does a lot of excercis and often complains about certain boxers not being supportive of the junk haha

[JigglypuffsCaptor]

blue boxers are not marked on their attire, there are no presentation points.

[TaraCarter]

Wel, if there is a gymnast or volleyball or tennis player who wants to challenge the status quo they can. But there is no obligation on every other female who does the sport to challenge.

I don't think anyone on this thread has said that! Most people are simply saying that they think the women should be offered a choice without having to sacrifice their place on the team.

There are exceptions; in fact one maverick said the opposite and that they shouldn't have choices; If you chose to do the sport, you should wear the regulation kit. Same for any job. Many have uniforms and these are different for men and women..

Oh wait. That was you.

Honestly, I'm getting a bit fucked off with your posts. I agreed with you on the other thread that your daughter was an athlete and that volleyball players deserved to be included in the Olympics, but now I'm begging to wonder if you're actually a plant from a Volleyball governing body, seeking to shut down audience objections to overly rigorous uniform regs.

I can't understand why you'd be so invested in saying that athletes should have to wear tight pants, otherwise.

[JenLindley]

they wanted all female boxers to wear a skirt.



What on earth was their reasoning for that??

[JenLindley]

blue boxers are not marked on their attire, there are no presentation points.

As it should be.

[JenLindley]

And not everything has to be a feminist battle.

Doesn't have to be, but might be improved by being one.

[Theoretician]

While we're on the subject of gymnastics and teenage girls, I remember being somewhat and when the gymnastics coach at school ( a male housemaster at a mixed sex boarding school) use to catch/steady the girls landing after dismount from the uneven bars with the palm of one hand cupping the pubic mound.

I assume he wasn't doing it because he enjoyed it, but I've always wondered if it was really standard practice.

[Felascloak]

On another thread a while back a really knowledgeable poster (micah) said the reason female gymnasts don't wear shorts/trousers is because it can impede their circles on the bars by rubbing, which makes sense.
I've been more surprised by the Brazil in style swimming costumes the divers are wearing. They look very uncomfortable! The men's trunks are quite hair raising too and none of the men have any chest hair which makes me think there's some waxing going on

[JigglypuffsCaptor]

Jen not a sport I know much about but I think the skirt decision was a bit of a stupid one, some thai kickboxing women wear a skirt so I think that's possibly one reason for trying to do it, but I could be wrong.

[TaraCarter]

Bit of a shit choice, yeah?

Why should athletes ever be presented with that kind of choice?

And people wondered why the last Olympics didn't increase participation in grassroots sport in the UK...

[JenLindley]

Do you mean the uneven bars felas? Surely the women could wear the same as the men wear when they do the high bar?

[StrawberryQuik]

JenLindley - women touch the bars with their waist/top of thighs in a bar routine, men don't. (Think child spinning over a railing/monkey bar)

[GoudyStout]

Many swimmers will shave down for a top meet - but it's as much to do with changing how they feel in the water as reducing drag. Shaving removes the top layer of skin so the nerve endings feel the water more, swimmers feel faster so there is a psychological boost.

[JenLindley]

Ahh ok, thanks strawberry!

[TaraCarter]

I chose and continue to choose swimming costumes that aren't cut high on the leg. Because waxing plus high-cut swimming costumes aren't compulsory if I want to go swimming...

[JenLindley]

Shaving because you want to isn't the same as shaving because you will lose points in a sports event if you don't very. Also, no-one can know how many.

[OlennasWimple]

Pamela Stephenson's column on her experience on strictly was fascinating on this sort of thing (she ended up with the full Hollywood IIRC, having never done that previously, all for the sake of the costumes)

[HandbagCrab]

I think there is a difference between clothing and hair that improve performance and clothing and hair that are about demonstrating sexist attitudes towards women (and men) in sport. Eg the cycling outfits are aerodynamic so perform a function but as shown by the image up thread, beach volleyball is not impossible in a tiny outfit or a fully covered outfit, so decisions on those outfits are being made based on something other than performance. I think the glitter and diamanté in women's gymnastics are inappropriate for sport outfits, if individuals want to do their hair or whatever a certain way then that should be a choice, not a necessity.

I get if you're involved it might not feel like it's worth the effort complaining about tiny awful outfits and compulsory waxing and tanning for aesthetics when you're putting all your efforts into training and competing but to someone on the outside it looks regressive and sexist.

[StrawberryQuik]

Ooh are you on the south coast Miaw?

[AHedgehogCanNeverBeBuggered]

I agree with OP regarding gymnastics, some v sexist attitudes on here.

However, I disagree that a bikini wax shouldn't be required for any job - what about swimwear modelling?