Paralympian Olivia Breen is told her sprint briefs are too short

[RaspberryRipplesofLard]

www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/jul/19/paralympian-olivia-breen-dismayed-after-being-told-sprint-briefs-too-short

I’m in two minds about this story. Obviously my immediate reaction is that officials can F off, commenting on a female athlete’s clothing. Would they do the same to a male athlete?

My second thought, on looking at the photo, is that her bum is barely covered and from the back you can quite likely see a lot of bum cheek (for lack of a better term). So why are female athletes required to expose so much more of themselves than their male counterparts who wear knee length shorts?

Other than Tom Daley’s micro trunks, I’m struggling to think of any event where the men are as exposed as the women. It can’t be for athletic advantage or you can guarantee the men would be doing it to. So why? Is this a feminist issue?

Oh and on a separate note, Olivia Breen is an outstanding athlete and see the irony in starting a thread about her shorts rather than her talent. Olivia - if you see this, you are amazing.

[YANBULTB]

Maybe Addidas have outsourced their manufacturing to M&S!

I wonder if the full shape of her profile goes against her. I bet the same pair of shorts on someone with a flatter bum would be considered more appropriate.

[christinarossetti19]

I think she meant similarly criticised by an official for the sports kit they choose to wear.

[patkinney]

What made me laugh when I read the article was this bit: "I have been wearing the same sprint style briefs for many years and they are specifically designed for competing in,” she added. “I will hopefully be wearing them in Tokyo. It made me question whether a male competitor would be similarly criticised.”

A male athlete would never get 'em on!

[christinarossetti19]

@AuntieStella

Olivia Breen doesn't play beach sport, but I agree that the clothing rules for female volley ball players are outrageous

You do realise that they had a major revision of beach volleyball uniform rules in 2018? Those who want to wear sleeved tshirts and shorts can do so.

And the Norwegian beach handball team (whether playing under EHT or IHT rules) is of course unrelated to beach volleyball.

No, I'm not all that au fait with the differences between beach volleyball and beach handball.

Partly because it's not that relevant to the point of this thread or the point that I was making.

[MrsSkylerWhite]

Something to do with aero-dynamics, maybe? Just guessing.

They look uncomfy to me, well they would be on my bum but presumably she’s found what suits her needs best.

Fuss about nothing really.

[AuntieStella]

Olivia Breen doesn't play beach sport, but I agree that the clothing rules for female volley ball players are outrageous

You do realise that they had a major revision of beach volleyball uniform rules in 2018? Those who want to wear sleeved tshirts and shorts can do so.

And the Norwegian beach handball team (whether playing under EHT or IHT rules) is of course unrelated to beach volleyball.

[christinarossetti19]

Olivia Breen doesn't play beach sport, but I agree that the clothing rules for female volley ball players are outrageous.

The Norwegian women's handball team were fined for wearing shorts (like the men do) rather than thongs.

That's outrageous.

Olivia Breen choosing to wear knicker shorts is different. I believe that the regulatory body is investigating the out of order remarks made by an official, rather than Breen's choice of athletic kit.

[MargaritaPie]

Maybe they are required to wear skimpy beach clothes because the sport isn't really that popular and they are relying on pervy male viewers to keep up the spectator and TV-viewing numbers?

[NerrSnerr]

@DancelikeEmmaGoldman have you actually heard any female athletes speaking about their bodies. Many are very open and honest in interviews/ social media and love embracing their muscles and strength. It's an ongoing joke about athletes posing and clenching to make their abs look good (joking about themselves).

Athletes will comment on each other's pics complementing them on looking strong. They're not trying to get Kylie Jenner's bottom, they're trying to get strong gluts.

The skimpy clothing is to show how strong and athletic they are. To show their amazing, strong body,

[DancelikeEmmaGoldman]

This popped up in my newsfeed today and I was particularly struck by the comments about “femininity” versus an athlete’s body. While the interview questions about Bev Francis’s body might not be allowed today; at the same time, cultural ideas about the “ideal” female body are even more highly sexualised.

Perhaps the conundrum for female athletes is embracing their powerful, athlete’s bodies in a climate where a highly photoshopped photo of Kendall Jenner is lauded as the ideal.

Being fast, strong and athletic is apparently not important, unless athletes are able to demonstrate adequate performance of femininity, including skimpy clothing. It must be a difficult dance for young, female athletes.

www.abc.net.au/news/2021-07-23/bev-francis-the-strongest-woman-in-the-world/100215946

[FolornLawn]

Given that a long jump leap includes a hitch kick thing I wonder whether the official was thinking the shorts were skimpy on the genitals rather than the arse. That photo of Ashia Hansen does show quite a bit.

[randomsabreuse]

I think that jumpers and hurdle types like the higher cut legs because they have to lift their legs as high as possible to get the best fractions of performance. Having to make the fraction more effort to move against the elastic might feel like it makes a difference. Distance runners might well want to stay cool while sprinters seem to like compression. Quite normal to save "optimal" conditions for competition - hence the different tan lines!

In athletics there is clearly a choice - I have far more problem with sports (like beach handball) where no choice is permitted.

My main sports involve rather more clothing for either protection from injury (fencing - clothing must cover from just below the knee and protect from sharp (broken) swords) or tradition/function/protection from rubbing (on saddle/ground if you fall off) (equestrian). These are the sort of situations where lack of choice is fine, where the gear isn't protective, not so much.

[NerrSnerr]

I have a problem with athletes having to wear enforced skimpy uniforms. I know many people talk about men's diving trunks, but the women's costumes are not much better as they're very high cut. They won't get to choose the cut of the international costumes. Obviously the beach volleyball is extremely problematic.

I find it hard to get too worked up about sports where women (and men) get the choice in how much they cover up.

It is nice to see some changes in gymnastics (especially the German team recently).

[littlbrowndog]

I play sport. If I had to wear them thongs in public I would give up.

Imagine digging your pants out off you bum every time you made a move 🤦‍♀️

[littlbrowndog]

@Ghislainedefeligonde

You have to drawn the line somewhere or women will be wearing thongs and a bikini top to do long jump at the rate things are going.
Ffs why do these women feel the need to show their arse cheeks to any random? Is it sponsorship? More likely to make money if they wear micro shorts and a tiny top??
Depressing. It just is so bad for female sport to pander to the male gaze like this.
(And from that photo and her tan lines looks like she does normally wear bigger shorts!)

Women in thongs

[Ghislainedefeligonde]

What women wear has an impact on other women esp if they are on tv etc.
Girls feeling they have to wear skimpy outfits does not happen by chance.
The only people who benefit from this are men.
By sponsorship I mean additional sponsors ie not the people who make their kit. Women making themselves more marketable by wearing skimpy clothes is not new but it doesn’t mean I have to agree it’s a good thing.
Diane modahls shorts are nowhere near as short btw, I’ve just checked various images.

[NerrSnerr]

@Ghislainedefeligonde you say 'at this rate' but I don't think they're getting significantly smaller. I shared a pic up thread of Modahl in 1988 and this is Ashia Hansen in the 90s. There's always been some bum cheek on show.

Sponsors give the athletes a choice of length of shorts. Mizuno make Holly Bradshaw a custom made suit, many wear longer shorts. The second pic is from a 2021 diamond league, all sponsored athletes.

It's fashion.

[christinarossetti19]

The line is drawn (see guidelines above).

Who says women athletes are 'pandering to the male gaze'? I'd have thought their focus was on wearing the kit that enables them to perform at their best was their priority,

[Ghislainedefeligonde]

You have to drawn the line somewhere or women will be wearing thongs and a bikini top to do long jump at the rate things are going.
Ffs why do these women feel the need to show their arse cheeks to any random? Is it sponsorship? More likely to make money if they wear micro shorts and a tiny top??
Depressing. It just is so bad for female sport to pander to the male gaze like this.
(And from that photo and her tan lines looks like she does normally wear bigger shorts!)

[christinarossetti19]

Exactly, sports people wear the kit that maximised their performance and comfort.

This will look different in different sports of course.

[Matzeeo]

I'm a cyclist and there's very little difference between what the men and women athletes wear, other than cut and shape of course. The kit is 100% designed for performance reasons right down to how long your socks are. Turns out the more flesh you cover the better the aerodynamics.

[PerseverancePays]

@NerrSnerr

And the best way to educate people about dignity is to call them fools I suppose.

I’m not a teacher and never will be, but I’m sure there are ways of teaching the concept of dignity at high school level where malleable teens are brain washed into the whole fashion dogma of how a female person should present herself.

[Bluntness100]

I really don’t understand why you’re asking why females are required to show so much, did you not read the article? The athlete wishes to wear them, no one told her to.

[PerseverancePays]

Isn’t your arse private? Am I missing something?

[StarlightLady]

@PerseverancePays - describing her running shorts as “having your privates on show” is more than a little extreme. There are no privates on show!