WAG German gymnasts' outfits take on sexualisation in sport

[Geoffrey Taucer]

Idk, lets separate two issues here that are implied in one topic. The first is sexualization of athletes, the second is the empowerment of athletes to decide what they want to wear. On the first, I think you are crazy if you think wearing a full-body suit is any less sexual than a leo. One might argue they are even more sexual given the body forming. Go to some modern ballets or dance if you want to see. It is almost un-avoidable for modern athletes that are looking for competitive edges in performance that uniforms get tighter, skimpier, etc. And anytime you mix tight outfits on athletic frames you are going to get people that sexualize them.
Now not to be confused but related with the second. Some athletes may feel and I stress feel that wearing a leo is sexualizing them. I respect that and if they do, they should have the ability to wear whatever (within reason) makes them feel comfortable competing. That could be a body suit, shorts and top or just the standard leo. I would also caution folks on the borderline ****-shaming of girls that might prefer to continue to wear high cut leos.

This hits the nail on the head.

I think treating this as an issue of "should athletes be wearing leotards or should they be wearing body suits" misses the point. And asking "which one avoids sexualizing the athletes" misses the point even harder.

At the end of the day, it comes down to two crucial points, and I'm baffled that anybody seems to struggle comprehending them:

1) Athletes (and people in general) are not sexualized by what they wear. They are sexualized by the people watching them.
2) We can empower athletes by giving them more choices in what to wear. We cannot empower them by deciding what they must wear

There's nothing more sexual or less sexual about leotards vs body suits vs bikers/sports bra vs sweats/t-shirt vs full-blown nudity. Being "sexualized" is not something that happens on the athlete's body, it's something that happens in the minds (and subsequent behaviors) of the people around the athlete.

Along the same lines, empowerment or disempowerment is not a function of the specifics of what an athlete is wearing. There's nothing inherently more empowering about an athlete wearing more clothing, or less clothing, or different clothing. When an athlete's attire is dictated to them, it makes no difference if it is dictated by coaches, judges, parents, fans, or the committee making the rules.
Empowerment means letting the athletes decide, and respecting their decisions. Now, obviously there are limitations with regards to safety and practicality, but even those limitations are WAAAAAY outside what current rules and restrictions permit.

I think in a perfect world, athletes of any gender would be permitted -- and safe -- training and competing in sweatpants, long sleeve shirt, and a full head covering. Or in their underwear. Or anything in between. It should make no difference.
This is more or less how we see training handled on the men's side. Just browse men's gymnastics Instagram and you'll see everything from long sleeves and sweats to shirtless and shorts small enough to be functionally indistinguishable from underwear, and nobody seems to have a problem with either one.

 

[skschlag]

I like the outfits linked above, and I support giving them options to be more covered. That said, loosening restrictions on outfits could lead to people making outlandish and distracting outfits, so that's an issue.

One problem I can think of for the above outfits would be, with those black leggings, would it make their movements harder to judge? It's not OK if it causes difficulty when judging.

This is true. on the men's side, they are not allowed to wear black pants in elite competitions. Not sure if navy is allowed or not. The pants have to be lighter in color...red, gray, silver, white(which is always fun on them....), and other colors like that.

 

[Flippin'A]

For those talking about the potential difficulties of judging with black leggings on, I want to point out that judges seem perfectly capable of judging gymnasts with bare legs and darker skin tones. It's not like legs are one uniform light color, so why would allowing different shades of leggings make a difference?

 

[skschlag]

For those talking about the potential difficulties of judging with black leggings on, I want to point out that judges seem perfectly capable of judging gymnasts with bare legs and darker skin tones. It's not like legs are one uniform light color, so why would allowing different shades of leggings make a difference?

I just know on the men's side, they can't wear darker colors at elite meets. Our JO/DP team uses black, but when D went to elite meets, he had to have grey, white or red.

 

[Flippin'A]

I just know on the men's side, they can't wear darker colors at elite meets. Our JO/DP team uses black, but when D went to elite meets, he had to have grey, white or red.

Oh totally-- not trying to come after anyone. I think the difference on the men's side is that they're required to wear pants on certain events (right? Not an expert on mag) so it's uniform. We're talking about a world where basically no one has been wearing pants this whole time so judges should be plenty adept at spotting soft knees and such regardless of what shade the legs are.

 

[skschlag]

Oh totally-- not trying to come after anyone. I think the difference on the men's side is that they're required to wear pants on certain events (right? Not an expert on mag) so it's uniform. We're talking about a world where basically no one has been wearing pants this whole time so judges should be plenty adept at spotting soft knees and such regardless of what shade the legs are.

Oh I get it. I was just responding to the "darker colors" Yes, men are required to wear pants on 4 events. But not darker colors, so that the judges can spot the deductions better.

Now i think the girls are wearing more of a legging than a pant than the men, so maybe it won't make that big of a difference.

 

[Geoffrey Taucer]

Even the ban on dark leggings at elite meets is excessive imo.

If we can see them well enough to coach them in t-shirt and dark sweatpants, judges can see them well enough to judge them in t-shirt and dark sweatpants

 

[txgymfan]

 

[txgymfan]

These are the unitards that the German team wore for podium training. They are different but I like it.

 

[Carabistouille]

I am so glad they are doing that, really inspiring stuff. Not really a fan of the design, but then German leos always were kinda ugly.

 

[Jenny]

unitards as ugly as their leotards.

 

[Deleted member 26744]

I don't think I'll know how I feel about it it until I see them in motion. I do think it would have looked better if the eagle were some other color than white. I'm glad they are competing in what they like and feel comfortable in. I actually like their unitards a lot better than the purple leotard MyKayla and Jade were wearing in podium training.

 

[JessSyd]

Love the unitard concept, but not this design - the ones we saw at the Euros were nicer.

There were quite a few not very aesthetic leos on display at podium training yesterday. Not that it matters as long as the athletes are comfortable. But I imagine most gymnasts/teams are keeping the nicest ones for the actual events.

 

[flippin out]

So question….if one is uncomfortable wearing Leo and wants a unitard does everyone on the team have to wear the unitard? In past, all team members must wear same “uniform”. Track relay teams (even at the hs level we’re like this). If someone wants to wear a unitard that’s fine….but does that then infringe on someone who absolutely does not want to wear the unitard? My dd always is super hot and would definitely not like wearing long pants to compete in (she’d overheat and be super uncomfortable).

 

[ausnat83]

So question….if one is uncomfortable wearing Leo and wants a unitard does everyone on the team have to wear the unitard? In past, all team members must wear same “uniform”. Track relay teams (even at the hs level we’re like this). If someone wants to wear a unitard that’s fine….but does that then infringe on someone who absolutely does not want to wear the unitard? My dd always is super hot and would definitely not like wearing long pants to compete in (she’d overheat and be super uncomfortable).

Yes, for elite team competitions. So for example in Tokyo the four team members must be dressed identically in qualifications and the team final. That's a dumb rule IMO since it's not like team sports where refs & opponents need to be able to ID teammates at a glance or other disciplines where there are group routines. What functional reason is there for everyone matching exactly?

But yeah, whole teams will have to decide, which does add a layer of complexity. And as a former gymnast in Texas who was always hot and sweaty, I get the concern... but then I would have been more comfortable competing in a tank leotard for that reason, and that's a battle I wouldn't have gained any support on - competition leotards were always hot and it was something we accepted. I suspect a tank unitard might be better on that front, actually. Free the armpits!

 

[gym_dad32608]

So question….if one is uncomfortable wearing Leo and wants a unitard does everyone on the team have to wear the unitard? In past, all team members must wear same “uniform”. Track relay teams (even at the hs level we’re like this). If someone wants to wear a unitard that’s fine….but does that then infringe on someone who absolutely does not want to wear the unitard? My dd always is super hot and would definitely not like wearing long pants to compete in (she’d overheat and be super uncomfortable).

That was exactly my thoughts. Would it be fair for the gymnast who wants to wear a leo? But I guess either way someone wont be happy. As far as the uniform itself? Meh, as someone mentioned I think I would have to see them in motion to form a stronger opinion.

 

[gymgal]

I do find it interesting that they say it is to cut the sexualization of the outfits and then they create a design that implies a very revealing bodice through use of skin toned fabric.

 

[mommyof1]

I am not a fan of unitards--because of the way they fit, they are still quite revealing, and I think I'd actually feel more exposed in a unitard than in a leotard. It's the same reason I cringe at "biketards" on the tiny kids in the gym. I think teams should be required to offer every athlete options for shorts and leggings to be worn over the leotard.

 

[RTT2]

I prefer the look of bar shorts to the unitard, but I also prefer whatever the athletes feel most comfortable in.

 

[Deleted member 26744]

This is off topic from the German’s unitards but on the topic of appearance and body image. Has anybody else noticed Larisa Iordache looks nothing like her old self? It makes me sad when I see people change themselves like that.