Feminism as seen through female athletes' competition attire.

Starting with the German gymnastics team's "full-body" competition attire, the movement against revealing clothing was hotly debated at the Tokyo Olympics. However, it wasn't just at this Games; the attire of female athletes has always been a topic of discussion at many previous competitions. For many years, the sexualization of sports has been a chronic issue, with female athletes being the most affected group.

Is it necessary to wear revealing clothes to attract men watching sports?

Recently, during the European Championships, the Norwegian women's beach handball team received a €1,500 fine (over 40 million VND) for "inappropriate attire" – because the players wore shorts instead of the usual bikini-style uniform. Athlete Julie Aspelund Berg shared that her team knew they would be fined, but still decided not to wear bikinis because they were too short and could expose sensitive areas. "When wearing bikinis, we always have to check if they're in the right position. We get distracted by that, and it's really something nobody wants. We just want to be treated equally like men."

According to sports media researcher Mary Jo Kane, the inclusion of regulations requiring female athletes to wear bikinis with specific standards, such as not being longer than 10 cm or having a diagonal cut that exposes the hip bones, in the list of competition attire is a result of an ambition to attract more men to watch women's sports.

"Gender-discriminatory uniform policies may stem from the misconception that revealing and highlighting women's bodies will attract more viewers, and that sports will become 'more appealing' to male audiences," Yahoo News quoted research by Mary Jo Kane.

And clearly, with the aim of attracting male attention, those who set the dress code (which is essentially just bikinis or swimsuits, and very short shorts) have deliberately sexualized the women who are striving to compete and make their mark on the athletic charts. At the same time, this also leads many to mistakenly believe that for women, appearance is just as important as ability.

The attire of the female athlete who once "worshipped" femininity.

Women have long fought for the right to participate in sports and for recognition of their achievements. The first modern Olympic Games took place in 1896, but women were not allowed to participate until 1900. At that time, out of 997 athletes, only 22 were women competing in five sports: tennis, rowing, gateball, equestrian, and golf. British tennis player Charlotte Cooper became the first woman in history to win an Olympic gold medal, wearing a long dress.

In the 19th century, women competing in field sports like tennis often wore corsets and loose skirts, attire that clearly restricted their mobility. Michelle Flemons, a senior lecturer in sports education and youth development at St Mary's University, says the "dress code" at the time "aimed at balancing femininity and the spirit of sportsmanship." Similarly, the International Badminton Federation declared short skirts would be mandatory attire for female athletes at the 2012 London Olympics. The council argued that female athletes should look "feminine," and in this case, short skirts would fulfill that purpose.

Hilborne, CEO of Women in Sport, says that rules about what should be worn in competitions today “should be based on fairness,” with swimwear being one example. In 2019, the International Swimming Federation (FINA) decided to ban all swimsuits made from polyurethane. These garments were then touted as a form of “legal doping” because they helped swimmers shorten their competition times by minimizing water resistance. This caused significant controversy after numerous world records were set by athletes wearing these swimsuits.

Barriers from Racial Differences

The rules, regulations, and media commentary surrounding athletes' attire can sometimes fuel racism. This month, the International Swimming Federation (FINA) faced heavy criticism after Soul Cap, a UK-based brand, announced that the governing body of aquatic sports refused to approve caps designed for swimmers with naturally dark hair for international competitions, including the Olympics.

"Sport is a microcosm of society and therefore, in many ways, it reflects attitudes, cultural practices, ideologies; racism, sexism, homophobia, xenophobia that are really happening," says Akilah Carter-Francique, Executive Director at the Institute for Sport, Society and Social Change. "We see that through the performance of athletes, in the rules, or even in the matches themselves."

Fiona May, a retired track and field athlete, said that Black female athletes "are portrayed in a certain way, often judged as aggressive, and their appearance is scrutinized very closely."

Lipa Nessa, Commissioner of the Muslimah Sports Association, said that Muslim women face many barriers to participating in sports. "When I started playing football, before 2014, I couldn't compete because I wasn't allowed to wear a headscarf," she said, adding that a large number of Muslim women are unable to play the sport due to the ban on headscarves in competition (2007) imposed by the World Football Association.

efforts to end sexualization and gender inequality

FIFA officially approved allowing athletes to wear religious headscarves in 2014. Nessa said it was encouraging to see major governing bodies stepping up to revise their rules, and many other organizations have begun to follow suit, for example, the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) also approved athletes wearing headscarves in games in 2017.

In line with the feminist movements that have emerged in recent years, female athletes are also raising their voices about women's rights in sports. Recently, at the ongoing Olympic Games in Tokyo, the German women's gymnastics team wore full-body covering uniforms instead of their usual bikini-cut styles, in protest against the sexualization of sports: "We wanted to show everyone that women, or anyone for that matter, have the right to decide what they wear."

In addition, officials are working to curb inappropriate comments about the bodies and clothing of female athletes. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has instructed broadcasters not to unnecessarily focus on athletes' appearance, such as makeup, hair, nails, clothing, or private body parts like underwear, low-cut necklines, or exposed backs.

The Olympic Broadcasting Service also committed to limiting misleading or potentially offensive footage of athletes during competition recordings. The first approach proposed was to use more wide-angle and long-distance shots, instead of focusing on the legs, thighs, or breasts of female athletes, so that the Games would truly be "attractive in sport, not in gender."

Huyen Chau - Photo: Internet