Sports Clothing Hot Potato Polemic

[Chedney Honks]

Long jumper Paralympian told her shorts are too revealing:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/disability-sport/57887715


Norwegian beach handball team fined and told they need to wear bikini bottoms not shorts:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/handball/57890430



Which is it?

Are sports persons too sexualised? I don't think it's just women, you get a lot of comments about man footballers legs and arses, but I think it's predominantly women, especially tennis, athletics, swimmers, gymnast, maybe cyclists, basically anything where a woman is wearing tight clothes.

There was another story recently about gymnasts wanting to wear a full body leotard for modesty because sometimes you can do a double back twister and suddenly your cunt is out. Plus, there's been systemic sexual abuse in many national programmes.

I've never really understood why women sports players and athletes wear so little. As a teenage boy, yeah, it was an eye opener, but that's got nothing to do with sport as a competition.

Or is this just nu-puritanism and we should all be cheering 'fucking jummmmp!' and whooping while masturbating our penis and/or prostate and/or clitoris/vagina using a vibrator and/or a dildo until we've reached sexual climax?


Personally, I think there's a balance to be found between comfort, functionality and modesty. The manufacturers of these clothes, especially in tennis, seem to be promoting a sexualised image, in my experience.

[imitationleather]

In the old Olympics all the participants were nude and I can't recall a thread by you complaining about it then.

[TrenterPercenter]

Are sports persons too sexualised? I don't think it's just women, you get a lot of comments about man footballers legs and arses, but I think it's predominantly women, especially tennis, athletics, swimmers, gymnast, maybe cyclists, basically anything where a woman is wearing tight clothes.

Nah I'd say it's pretty even across the park here; men are just more vocal and generally more base about their desires (which is actually the main problem).

[PlanktonSideburns]

Rather than puritanism, is it just bored officials needlessly welding power?

[Paul Calf]

Nah I'd say it's pretty even across the park here; men are just more vocal and generally more base about their desires (which is actually the main problem).

Yep. I've always said that in Britain we don't bottle up our feelings and natural urges tightly enough.

[TrenterPercenter]

Slightly bigger things in the world to worry about that someone's choice of gym kit.

[Chedney Honks]

Point of the OP (I think) is the conflicting standards and expectations.

But there different sports...

Yeah, but why is it compulsory for beach handball players shorts ride up so high they need to be removed with invasive surgery whereas a sprinter or long jumper is given a quiet talking to at the medal ceremony because she's showing too much ass.

I guess the answer is a lot more than complicated than we might want to admit.

[imitationleather]

At least COVID means there won't be any of those infamously sick-in-the-head Japanese perverts in the stadia enjoying the sports.

[TrenterPercenter]

Yep. I've always said that in Britain we don't bottle up our feelings and natural urges tightly enough.

That is the problem isn't it; men feel embiggened to tell everyone about their sexual urges and the consequence of this is the creation of the belief that women don't have them themselves.

[TrenterPercenter]

Point of the OP (I think) is the conflicting standards and expectations.

Not really though is it.

It's just two different bell ends opinions on two different things.

[Blue Jam]

Found a pic- Norwegian shorts on the left, regulation bikini bottoms on the right:



Yeah, that's taking the piss. Players must spend half the match pulling them down every time they get a wedgie. Most women don't even visit the beach or go swimming in bikini bottoms that smol.

There's a similar conundrum with school uniform rules and dress codes, again mostly for girls. Pupils must dress modestly, skirts below the knee, no cleavage, no bare arms or visible collarbones for the girls and no shorts for the boys even in hot weather, but PE kit can be as skimpy and clingy and humiliating as you like. At my school we weren't allowed to wear trousers even in cold weather because while practical they weren't "ladylike", but we had to do cross-country running in little gym knickers and couldn't wear our (short) PE kit skirts over them "because skirts slow you down and you want to get a better time don't you?". Our main uniform had skirts only available from one supplier to make sure they were well below rhe knee, but a couple of the more sadistic PE teachers had no qualms about making girls do PE in a vest and knickers if they "forgot" their PE kit. All that "You are an ambassador for the school and must look ladylike at all times" stuff seemed to go out the window when it came to the public walking past the playing field, the parents on sports day and the dirty old men taking photos.

"practical" is the key word here I think. Also good on the Norwegians for going "Fuck it, we'll ler our players wear something more practical and pay the fine". Bit like Pay To Play innit? Hopefully all the teams will be doing it and the fine will be scrapped.

[Better Midlands]

Are sports persons too sexualised? I don't think it's just women, you get a lot of comments about man footballers legs and arses

There was a megathread on mu*snet running through the Euros about which footballer you want to fuck, also a break off thread about how dumb Jack Grealish was but you'd still let him have a go.

[Johnny Yesno]

It's impractical for most sportspeople to wear long jumpers.

[TrenterPercenter]

There's a similar conundrum with school uniform rules and dress codes, again mostly for girls. Pupils must dress modestly, skirts below the knee, no cleavage, no bare arms or visible collarbones for the girls and no shorts for the boys even in hot weather, but PE kit can be as skimpy and clingy and humiliating as you like. At my school we weren't allowed to wear trousers even in cold weather because while practical they weren't "ladylike", but we had to do cross-country running in little gym knickers and couldn't wear our (short) PE kit skirts over them "because skirts slow you down and you want to get a better time don't you?". Our main uniform had skirts only available from one supplier to make sure they were well below rhe knee, but a couple of the more sadistic PE teachers had no qualms about making girls do PE in a vest and knickers if they "forgot" their PE kit. All that "You are an ambassador for the school and must look ladylike at all times" stuff seemed to go out the window when it came to the public walking past the playing field, the parents on sports day and the dirty old men taking photos.

Agree this is something that should be looked at there is no need for anyone to be forced to wear anything they feel uncomfortable in for sports or schools - it's completely unnecessary and frankly weird that anyone would insist on it.

[thenoise]

Women are naturally more forgetful than men, they are made to go out in just their pants which will hopefully teach them their lesson for next time.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

The denim shorts/hot pants thing that was in 10 years ago seems to have gradually become more severe a look. Impossible not to notice 🧐 that the cut is now intended almost as standard to display the lower buttocks of the overall arse, rather than it resulting from people just wearing something too small for their size.

Which is fine, I honestly couldn't give a toss, but it seems like the progressive side of the argument is genuinely torn whether female empowerment means wearing whatever they like or dressing modestly to demonstrate that women's bodies aren't male property. I think people should wear what they're comfortable wearing providing that isn't hindering performance of some intrinsic aspect of their job, including wearing nothing if they want to.

[Kankurette]

That is the problem isn't it; men feel embiggened to tell everyone about their sexual urges and the consequence of this is the creation of the belief that women don't have them themselves.

And there's a certain 'progressive' fandom contingent who think women over 30 having sexual desires and writing fanfiction is shameful and that we should be looking after our children and doing our taxes instead. Or find it disgusting when we express attraction for hot older men.

[Butchers Blind]

I have studied very closely the women's beach volleyball and can't see a problem with their outfits.

[Jasha]

Found a pic- Norwegian shorts on the left, regulation bikini bottoms on the right:



Yeah, that's taking the piss. Players must spend half the match pulling them down every time they get a wedgie. Most women don't even visit the beach or go swimming in bikini bottoms that smol.

I think maybe the governing body's board is mainly made up of people with a penis

[Chedney Honks]

That is the problem isn't it; men feel embiggened to tell everyone about their sexual urges and the consequence of this is the creation of the belief that women don't have them themselves.

I don't have that belief at all, but I acknowledge that it's just a recurring observation you make and not addressed at the OP.

Not really though is it.

It's just two different bell ends opinions on two different things.

The comments and fine came from the ruling bodies of the two sports, so I don't understand why you would want to minimise and handwave the concerns these athletes have raised.

[Huxleys Babkins]

sometimes you can do a double back twister and suddenly your cunt is out.

Story of my life.

[Chedney Honks]

I think people should wear what they're comfortable wearing providing that isn't hindering performance of some intrinsic aspect of their job, including wearing nothing if they want to.

This is my position, except I would worry about Linford Christian. He would get a disqualified for running outside his lane because of his dick swinging in the other lane!

[TrenterPercenter]

I don't have that belief at all, but I acknowledge that it's just a recurring observation you make and not addressed at the OP.

Perhaps you don't know many women or you know women but they are seldom comfortable to talk to you about sexual desire.

The comments and fine came from the ruling bodies of the two sports, so I don't understand why you would want to minimise and handwave the concerns these athletes have raised.

They are two different sports and two different ruling bodies.  They are not in direct contradiction of each other.  It is the OP that is imposing an erroneous reductionist logic here by saying "which one is it" to which the answer is simple - neither; people should wear what they like.

[TrenterPercenter]

And there's a certain 'progressive' fandom contingent who think women over 30 having sexual desires and writing fanfiction is shameful and that we should be looking after our children and doing our taxes instead. Or find it disgusting when we express attraction for hot older men.

This seems awfully specific; I don't think I'm engaged with the internet that much to know what "progressive fandom" is but obviously these views are just ridiculous and require ignoring.

[thenoise]

This is my position, except I would worry about Linford Christian. He would get a disqualified for running outside his lane because of his dick swinging in the other lane!

He can either tuck it into one of his socks, or throw it over one shoulder.

[Catalogue of ills]

I think maybe the governing body's board is mainly made up of people with a penis

Like, one collective mono-mega-penis, or just one remaining between them because the rest have been thrapped to nothing?

[bgmnts]

Just the same old misogynist bullshit telling women what to wear and what to show shite.

I think yeah it's just some jumped up officials on a weird power trip.

Wonder if the being paralympic thing is a subconscious factor. The idea that people who are physically divergent from the norm can't possibly where something a physically perfect sexy person can. Stupid shite.

[Paul Calf]

to the public walking past the playing field, the parents on sports day and the dirty old men taking photos.

The fuck?

[Chedney Honks]

Perhaps you don't know many women or you know women but they are seldom comfortable to talk to you about sexual desire.

No, you misunderstood in your desire to make your recurring point that women are sexual creatures. I agree with your recurring point. It's self-evident to the extent that nobody else on the forum makes this point!

I was pointing out that your observation about female sexuality was irrelevant to the point I made in the OP in case you misread in your haste to make this point.

While it's comfortable for you and me and Shoulders to say 'they should be able to wear what they want', that isn't the case for these athletes in their respective sports. By contrasting the standards and expectations of dress across these two sports, I'm pointing out that both positions are flawed.

If you thought 'which is it?' was an invitation for a binary answer, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt because you're a well-meaning sort.

[Blue Jam]

The fuck?

It was an all-girls school. We'd often get dirty old men hanging about.

Depressingly, a lot of women, myself included, can recall their first experience of street harassment occurring while they were wearing school uniform. Lots of creeps out there.