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.

I don’t like little girls having to wear skimpy outfits (gymnastics- the girls outfits vs the boys). But when it's grown women choosing, then it’s up to them.

And ion the other hand, there is a female beach volleyball team (Canada?) who have been told they cannot wear the shorts with legs as their kit but need bikini briefs style gear. Again, the men wear long board shorts style gear for the same event.

And then there’s this:

www.skynews.com.au/world-news/should-be-a-free-choice-norway-womens-handball-team-fined-1500-for-refusing-to-wear-skimpy-bikini-bottoms/news-story/36679c2757b78159a69046483b4b7eea

[quote GreatBigBird]And then there’s this:

www.skynews.com.au/world-news/should-be-a-free-choice-norway-womens-handball-team-fined-1500-for-refusing-to-wear-skimpy-bikini-bottoms/news-story/36679c2757b78159a69046483b4b7eea[/quote]
That's the one I find particularly outrageous. How on earth can the sport justify requiring women to play in such skimpy bikinis with absolutely no exceptions, when they don't require it for men?

Same as any other area in life, its just fashion. No one will stop you wearing longer shorts if you want.

Exactly. So the fact that women tend to wear skimpy, revealing outfits and men don't is just, nothing to be concerned about?

@BigFatLiar

Women tend to wear much shorter shorts, showing much more thigh. Men wear longer ones, just above the knee. I'm not sure why this is the case.

Same as any other area in life, its just fashion. No one will stop you wearing longer shorts if you want.

And the fine for the Norwegian Volleyball team for wanting to wear shorts instead? How do you explain that?

Isn’t there a case that young women are conditioned to see that uber revealing clothes are normal? Clothes designed for the male gaze. You never see men walking around with their arses hanging out as they go about their business, but with women , it’s a regular thing. I think they look like fools, of course it’s their choice to look like fools. There’s no need whatsoever for female athletes to be exposing themselves while competing, but it has become the norm. What do the cameras focus on? All those fools running with their arses hanging out. It gives me the rage!

@BigFatLiar

In the original Olympics (male only) they competed in the nude, perhaps we can reintroduce that option and save any problems of what to wear.

Why stop there? Only men competed so let's eliminate women, too.

Anyone who thinks that men don’t walk around with their arses hanging out need to focus a little more on building sites.

I’m not saying it’s a good look, nor the beer belly, that oft goes with it. But let’s not pretend it doesn’t happen.

I think they look like fools, of course it’s their choice to look like fools. There’s no need whatsoever for female athletes to be exposing themselves while competing, but it has become the norm. What do the cameras focus on? All those fools running with their arses hanging out. It gives me the rage!

@PerseverancePays you think they look like fools but that doesn't mean they actually do look like fools as it's just your opinion. Maybe your clothing choices give them the rage.

These athletes choose to wear the kit they do. Maybe it's down to pressure from society but banning them from wearing them isn't going to change that.

The clothing doesn’t need to be banned, the women need to be educated at a young age that having it all hanging out is diminishing their dignity.
Read the thread about the teacher who doesn’t know where to look for the teenage students in their short skirts and thongs and everything on show.
It’s all very well saying that nobody should tell you how to dress, but is there not a case for a little dignity and not having your privates on show?

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

I think from reading this thread, that indeed it is not a surprise that it was a woman who judged her choice of sportswear inadequate.

Is it jealousy? I mean she has the figure and nothing immodest is on display. Or is it something more insidious, like blame. What are you scared of? She might excite those poorly controlled men?

She is a professional sportswoman, wearing totally legal sportswear. Because she wants to.

Leave her alone.

Just interesting- just seen this pic of Diane Modahl in the 1988 Olympics.

As a side note I was looking at her Instagram following Aimee Pratt's post- that's worth a read about Aimee's amazing story and the amazing work the Diane Modahl foundation do. The absolute positive side of athletics.

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

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

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.

@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.

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.

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

This will look different in different sports of course.

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!)

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 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.

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.

@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