WAG German gymnasts' outfits take on sexualisation in sport

[txgymfan]

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.

If you want to discuss that, please start another thread.

 

[raenndrops]

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).

In USAG Developmental and Xcel, they would not all have to wear the same uniform. As long as the unitard matches the leotard (and honestly, it doesn't even have to match exactly), then it would be fine. There are teams that let their high school seniors wear a special "senior leotard." Usually, they pick one that has the same color scheme, but is a different style. This year, our senior leotard that was SUPPOSED to be navy, silver, and gunmetal ended up being royal blue, silver, and gunmetal.

I have been to club meets where one or two girls on a team were in a different leotard (sometimes it was a tank leotard and other times it was an older style the team had or just one in the same color scheme) and it was never an issue.

Plus, now that USAG is allowing black lycra shorts in competition (completely optional whether or not to wear them), there will probably be less of a push for full unitards in Developmental and Xcel.

 

[gymgal]

I finally got around to watching the division with the Germans. I thought the unitard looked fine in terms of being able to judge properly - not that I'm a judge but they seemed to be form fitting where you could see the hip/knee joints find to determine level of flexion

 

[txgymfan]

This fits here, mostly.

 

[IreneKa]

The article in Russian popup up on my news feed in Facebook (I speak Russian). It was an interview with Khorkina. I couldn't find the English translation, so can't give you the link, but she said something along the lines: there are complex skills in gymnastics like double saltos where you have to grab your knees. In those bodysuites your hands might slip and you can kill yourself.

I know we are not fans of Khorkina here, but wondering if there is any truth to her words?

 

[Dahlia]

The article in Russian popup up on my news feed in Facebook (I speak Russian). It was an interview with Khorkina. I couldn't find the English translation, so can't give you the link, but she said something along the lines: there are complex skills in gymnastics like double saltos where you have to grab your knees. In those bodysuites your hands might slip and you can kill yourself.

I know we are not fans of Khorkina here, but wondering if there is any truth to her words?

That doesn't seem to be an issue for the men. ‍

 

[B&M's mom]

It appears that the men's pants material is different than the standard leo material. As such, it may not be as slippery as leo fabric. Now, I had daughters who wore leos and never felt the fabric of the guys pants. I just remember the head coach cautioning the boys' parents to not let them stretch the knees of the pants too much or they would sag.

I can't comment on whether it would be difficult to hold leo fabric while flipping.

 

[Dahlia]

Looking at GKs site, mens gymnastics pants are 75% nylon and 25% spandex. Leos are the same or they are a combination of polyester and spandex in a similar ratio. I don't know what the German's unitards were made of, but I'm sure safety was taken into account. They may have even been the same materials as the men's pants.

 

[Tweb]

I love this.

German gymnasts' outfits take on sexualisation in sport

Women defy convention by ditching the leotard for a full-body suit at the European championship.

bbc.in

I was not a fan, I thought it interfered with the ability to evaluate form. I hate to be the sarcastic man in the room but what happened to strong, confident women who were proud of their bodies. Also, if any athlete is going to complain about the required uniform its the male divers.

 

[raenndrops]

I was not a fan, I thought it interfered with the ability to evaluate form. I hate to be the sarcastic man in the room but what happened to strong, confident women who were proud of their bodies. Also, if any athlete is going to complain about the required uniform its the male divers.

Male divers and female beach volleyball players ...
The unitard doesn't interfere with evaluating form - they can evaluate men's form on events that they are wearing PANTS on ... and the pants are often NOT form fitting.
And as for strong, confident women who are proud of their bodies ... why should they have to wear something that can lead to half their bums showing (and there is a deduction if they try to correct it during the routine). Also, these same strong, confident women had to make it through puberty ... and had to deal with all that that entailed. Who knows how many girls with the potential to make it to the Olympics quit gymnastics because of puberty???
I do like that USAG has approved shorts over the leotards ... just wish they were allowed to match the leotard instead of only black ones being allowed.

 

[skschlag]

Male divers and female beach volleyball players ...
The unitard doesn't interfere with evaluating form - they can evaluate men's form on events that they are wearing PANTS on ... and the pants are often NOT form fitting.
And as for strong, confident women who are proud of their bodies ... why should they have to wear something that can lead to half their bums showing (and there is a deduction if they try to correct it during the routine). Also, these same strong, confident women had to make it through puberty ... and had to deal with all that that entailed. Who knows how many girls with the potential to make it to the Olympics quit gymnastics because of puberty???
I do like that USAG has approved shorts over the leotards ... just wish they were allowed to match the leotard instead of only black ones being allowed.

I will say that the men are not allowed to wear black pants because they do help to hide form breaks. But otherwise, yeah. Men do double backs even triple back dismounts wearing pants that are made of the same material as the singlet.

 

[B&M's mom]

But men don't wear pants for floor where they would be grabbing their legs in tuck positions during tumbling. I asked my daughter who is now a diver about that. She said that you need a dry, not slippery surface to grab otherwise "you'd kill yourself". So, if a team were going the unitard approach, they may want to make sure that there was some texture on the calf area to prevent their hands from slipping as I know that some of the leo fabrics that my daughters have had are fairly slippery.

 

[skschlag]

But men don't wear pants for floor where they would be grabbing their legs in tuck positions during tumbling. I asked my daughter who is now a diver about that. She said that you need a dry, not slippery surface to grab otherwise "you'd kill yourself". So, if a team were going the unitard approach, they may want to make sure that there was some texture on the calf area to prevent their hands from slipping as I know that some of the leo fabrics that my daughters have had are fairly slippery.

but they do double and triple backs off high bar, rings, and pbars where they are wearing pants.

 

[Carabistouille]

I sometimes wear spandex pants (not sure about the english word for that : same as bars shorts but going all the way to the ankles) during winter because of the cold. I trained double backs on trampoline and flipping tsuks on vault and never had an issue with hand slipping. Honestly, the fabric isn't much more slippery than skin, especially if there is swear involved.
Although allowing shorts in international competition would obviously be the best solution.

 

[TumbleLeo]

I love this.

German gymnasts' outfits take on sexualisation in sport

Women defy convention by ditching the leotard for a full-body suit at the European championship.

bbc.in

instead of covering gymnasts head to toe to combat "sexualization", how about we get rid of the mindset of skin inherently being sexual. private areas being covered is obvious, arms and legs being covered doesn't make sense because they aren't private parts, and who wants to be performing vigorous physical activity fully covered head to toe in a warm, heated gym.
why does society think that someone's arms or legs has to be sexual?
There are some parts of a leotard that can sometimes slip and show too much, but it can be solved

Pros of the current leotard requirement in gymnastics:
Cooler temperature, allows sweat to evaporate faster
Higher leg line allows better range of motion, and allows the leg muscles to be accentuated

Cons:
Arms are fully covered which increases temperature and reduces motion (easily fixed with a sleeveless leotard, idk why they don't have this already)
Sometimes slips up in the back (easily fixed with slightly more back coverage or a gripper fabric, this wouldn't hide the leg)

Proposed solution:
Sleeveless leotard
non-slip material hidden inside of the bottom of the leotard to avoid slipping, wedgies etc.
slippery on the exterior to avoid catching on anything
leotard made from spandex, and nylon or microfiber

 

[Pineapple_Lump]

why does society think that someone's arms or legs has to be sexual?
There are some parts of a leotard that can sometimes slip and show too much, but it can be solved

The real question is... Why are you so interested in all the (old) threads about athlete attire?

 

[cmg]

The real question is... Why are you so interested in all the (old) threads about athlete attire?

I think it is because she is a new member and not a creep which is what you are implying. If you want to grow membership making snide comments to newbies is not the way to do it.

 

[Tweb]

instead of covering gymnasts head to toe to combat "sexualization", how about we get rid of the mindset of skin inherently being sexual. private areas being covered is obvious, arms and legs being covered doesn't make sense because they aren't private parts, and who wants to be performing vigorous physical activity fully covered head to toe in a warm, heated gym.
why does society think that someone's arms or legs has to be sexual?
There are some parts of a leotard that can sometimes slip and show too much, but it can be solved

Pros of the current leotard requirement in gymnastics:
Cooler temperature, allows sweat to evaporate faster
Higher leg line allows better range of motion, and allows the leg muscles to be accentuated

Cons:
Arms are fully covered which increases temperature and reduces motion (easily fixed with a sleeveless leotard, idk why they don't have this already)
Sometimes slips up in the back (easily fixed with slightly more back coverage or a gripper fabric, this wouldn't hide the leg)

Proposed solution:
Sleeveless leotard
non-slip material hidden inside of the bottom of the leotard to avoid slipping, wedgies etc.
slippery on the exterior to avoid catching on anything
leotard made from spandex, and nylon or microfiber

As far as I can tell leotards haven't changed, they were basically wearing the same style leotard in the 1960s. I could see the problem if they had been changed to make them sexier.

 

[Geoffrey Taucer]

The real question is... Why are you so interested in all the (old) threads about athlete attire?

That.... seemed a bit uncalled for?

I'm with @cmg on this one

 

[TumbleLeo]

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!

yea i think tank leotards are actually allowed "Leotards/unitards may be with or without sleeves; shoulder strap width must be minimum 2 cm."