Why do female athletes wear skimpy clothing?

originally posted by: bastion
a reply to: grainofsand

How does it not offer a performance advantage?

When you run, you sweat, sweat is absorbed by clothing which makes it weigh more and have more resistance against the body and more wind resistance.

Less clothing = faster PB. It's basic physics.

With the money at the highest levels of athletics, the difference between gold and silver, if the advantage was even 1/10th of a second then male athletes would do the same of course. It clearly is an insignificant benefit to performance because male athletes don't.

Showing one picture of a runner in a normal top doesn't mean it has no advantage, it just means that particular runner is better.

If that were the case then it is curious why she doesn't do the same as the others to get an even faster speed. She doesn't because it obviously makes no difference.

Look at swimmers, the males wear far less than the women for obvious reasons.

Yes, because they are swimming and there is greater resistance in water...It's basic physics.

Men dont wear boob tube tops as we don't have boobs and have broader shoulders so that design of top would be restrictive to movement.

I wear tight tee-shirts so are you really saying if I cut one off mid chest it suddenly becomes restrictive? Please tell me you are joking because you must see how ridiculous that sounds.

It's also extremely painful for men to run in y fronts

Hahaha! You really are joking now yeh?! I sprinted for years playing rugby with under armour in my sports-scats to protect my bits. Maybe you need to buy a bigger size or you have a condition where it is painful for you because I've never heard that from anyone ever.

and women run the risk of yeast infections etc... if they pile on clothing down there.

What?! So if the fabric didn't stop where the legs meet the torso, and continued down the thigh as cycling shorts do, you are saying it risks infection? You really sure you're not joking?

As I said in my post I run topless in ice races to avoid carrying water weight/being cold. While at lower levels it may be about fashion, at olympic levels people aren't going to throw away a lifetime of training just to look good on camera for a few seconds. At least give them some credit.

Male athletes at the highest level would not throw away the chance of losing 1/10th of a second if it made any noticeable difference to performance. The reason they don't is because it makes no difference. Oh, and to be honest I have little awareness of ice races such as you enjoy so please feel free to post a pic of male and female competitors here.

originally posted by: InverseLookingGlass
a reply to: grainofsand

LOL.

If all athletes competed totally nude, would we really have to ask why everyone looks away in horror when the men's high hurdle team runs by?

Where are the feminists on this?

Of course, in the original Olympics they were (and were all men).

And Gymnasium/Gymnastics derives from the Greek gymnós meaning naked ...

Though I can see an advantage to men wearing jockstraps, and women sports bras!

Edit: Nyiah beat me to it

originally posted by: AndyMayhew
Of course, in the original Olympics they were (and were all men).

And Gymnasium/Gymnastics derives from the Greek gymnós meaning naked ...

Though I can see an advantage to men wearing jockstraps

Lol, wrestling would be dangerous [shudders]

Because the female body is beautiful...especially when she's an athlete. These women spend almost every moment of their lives perfecting their bodies. A female athlete isn't just showing skin. She's showing muscle that she worked hard for.Physical strength is what these sports are about. Showing off the body isn't done to sexualize. These sports are all about body performance. Why not show it off?

The only reason men don't is because society still sees skimpy clothing as feminine. I'm sure in time men's athletic clothing will show more skin as well.

originally posted by: JessicaRabbitTx
Because the female body is beautiful...especially when she's an athlete. These women spend almost every moment of their lives perfecting their bodies. A female athlete isn't just showing skin. She's showing muscle that she worked hard for.Physical strength is what these sports are about. Showing off the body isn't done to sexualize. These sports are all about body performance. Why not show it off?

So it's about body image then? But I must ask how can you speak for all female athletes when a percentage might well feel sexy and want to project that outward image?
I agree with the body beautiful thing of course, but to deny any sexualised element at all is opinion at best.

*Edit* I can't imagine a female athlete's 'significant other' saying " I love when you wear that because it makes me realise how hard you worked for your body" very often compared to "Oh wow you look really sexy when you wear that" */Edit*

The only reason men don't is because society still sees skimpy clothing as feminine. I'm sure in time men's athletic clothing will show more skin as well.

You may well have a good point there, body image/sex sells well, male and female.

What an absurd thread. How about surfing? Women don't surf in string thongs, so your theory is wrong. Female professional skateboarders and snowboarders also dress like males, all the time. Upon writing the sarcastic comment where are all the Olympic Athletes wearing Victoria's Secret lingerie, there have been lots of photo shoots of female professional athletes modeling in skimpy clothing. Magazines like Maxim, FHM, and Playboy have done this numerous times. Just google hottest female athletes. You can feast your eyes and compare the attire to when they are actually out performing whatever professional sport they are paid to do.

You have a very conservative opinion on "skimpy clothing". I don't think if you drove down Las Vegas strip you would see billboards for strip clubs with women wearing track and field gear. LOL

originally posted by: JessicaRabbitTx
I'm sure in time men's athletic clothing will show more skin as well.

I hope not.

originally posted by: game over man
What an absurd thread. How about surfing? Women don't surf in string thongs, so your theory is wrong. Female professional skateboarders and snowboarders also dress like males, all the time. Upon writing the sarcastic comment where are all the Olympic Athletes wearing Victoria's Secret lingerie, there have been lots of photo shoots of female professional athletes modeling in skimpy clothing. Magazines like Maxim, FHM, and Playboy have done this numerous times. Just google hottest female athletes. You can feast your eyes and compare the attire to when they are actually out performing whatever professional sport they are paid to do.

You have a very conservative opinion on "skimpy clothing". I don't think if you drove down Las Vegas strip you would see billboards for strip clubs with women wearing track and field gear. LOL

Ah thank's for the contribution. You are free to ignore this thread whenever you like of course.

a reply to: grainofsand

Well obviously I can't tell you each athletes personal reasoning. Yes the outfits are sexy. A body in great physical condition is sexy. It's also the product of their training.

I guess I'm just not seeing your point. Are you saying a female athlete that chooses to show off her abs can't be for women's rights?

I've never understood why some feminists feel that women should hide their bodies. Some women chose to embrace and take pride in their bodies. I see nothing wrong with that.

a reply to: grainofsand

Very hypocritical. They are athletes and have a nice body. That is what happens when you work out, you know you start to get in shape and look attractive. Imagine if you can be a professional athlete and a model. How would you get booked as a model? It's not really rocket science. You're crazy too if you don't think females have huge crushes on soccer players for example and think they are so hot. How many professional male athletes posed for hanes underwear in the 90's? Or cologne? Or shaving cream? Or deodorant? Or shampoo? Do you not think there is some manufactured image of a male too? But that is an entirely different subject.

All performance gear, head to toe has a detailed description of the performance technology in the product. So if you want to claim conspiracy theory on womens apparel, then you would have to prove the performance technology is false and it's just to look skimpy, and not for comfort, durability, water/sweat resistance, and performance.

a reply to: Vasa Croe

She could get lower to the hurdle. Her form is OK, but there is room for improvement. Clearly, men think her other form is fine.

We wore those outfits because that's what Nike sent us to wear. I didn't like the bun tights because they were meant more for the African-American build. Those gals had an easier time building mass on their glutes. As a poor little white girl sprinter, I did not have an easy time packing junk in my trunk. So, I wound up mooning the entire building at several indoor meets. Thanks, hurdles!

As far as the sports bra get up ... it's more comfortable to work out in under the blazing Midwestern sky.

And honestly, after you've spent enough time in the training room, your body ceases to be so much a sex object when you are running/competing. It's just so much meat, and instrument for getting the job done. When you're in the last quarter of a 400m hurdle race, you are NOT thinking about how sexy you are or, more realistically, aren't. You just want it to be done.

a reply to: grainofsand

Well you can't handle the truth to when it comes to female surfing, skateboarding, or snowboarding. Or do you have examples of where I'm wrong?

Because if the blokes wore the skimpy outfits, I don't think noone would watch :L

originally posted by: rukia
a reply to: Answer

xD

while I can totally hear what you're saying, it also made me lol a bit irl because I thought on the other hand of how racist it sounded. Why would you think that? jk

That's how ridiculous the "racist" label has become... a person can't even make a positive factual statement about a group of people.

I know you were being lighthearted about it and so was I. The best humor is on the razor's edge between funny and offensive.

a reply to: grainofsand

Actually, there is some truth to that about the tops. I knew a gal when I was competing who was extremely well endowed. She wore the top with at least two sports bras and it wasn't enough. She finally had breast reduction surgery to reduce her discomfort while competing.

It really is uncomfortable to have your top half bouncing around uncontrolled. Men don't have that issue.

A sports top does take care of it and having the top and the bra be built together reduces the layering and the need for the rules to demand everyone where all the same.

a reply to: grainofsand

Your post makes no sense - how can you acknowledge water resistance but ignore air resistance? The rest is basic human anatomy and personal preference.

Name one winter sport where females wear less clothes than men.

Here's pics of the ice races -

www4.pictures.zimbio.com...
www.zimbio.com...
www.theguardian.com...

originally posted by: grainofsand
All opinions welcome, especially from any strong feminists who may have thoughts on the issue as sexual objectification, female empowerment, or neither?

I consider myself to be a feminist. Not sure what a "strong feminist" is... You either support equality or you don't. It's like being "very pregnant"... You either are or you aren't.

I haven't read the whole thread, but my first guess to your question is that they choose to do it. WHY they choose to is THEIR business. They don't have to justify their choice to me. Or to you. Maybe it's fashion, comfort, sexiness, maneuverability, peer pressure, being PROUD of their bodies... It could be many reasons. Do all women have to share a reason? If I looked like these women, I'd wear as little as possible. Why? Because I would look and feel great! And that's enough for me.

Why don't men wear less?

Well, I should have really done a bit more reading before starting this thread because after a little searching I found an excellent article from a blog (Fit and Feminist) titled A defense of skimpy running clothes, which pretty much answers all my questions or musings.

I'll quote a few paragraphs, but it really doesn't do it justice so I'd recommend reading the whole piece if you are remotely interested (Oh, and the reader comments on the article are equally interesting) ...I really wish the author was a member of ATS!

A defence of skimpy running clothes

we dress this way because we feel most comfortable this way. Frankly, I can’t wait for the day when I feel comfortable enough with myself to run in just a sports bra and shorts. Clothes are kind of a pain in the ass; just ask any woman who takes off her bra and pants the second she walks in the door after she gets home from work.

There’s another angle here, too, which is that people seem to want to know why women don’t dress like their male counterparts, who tend to wear longer, baggier outfits when they work out. The idea seems to be that we should be dressing more like them if we want to be considered equal as athletes. Well, what I want to know is why men have started wearing longer, baggier clothes when they compete. Male athletes didn’t always used to wear manpris when they played basketball

I think that the reason why changes in men’s sporting apparel go without so much as a raised eyebrow is because the choices of straight cis men are consistently held up as the ideal standard of behavior for all of humanity. When women do not meet that standard, for whatever reason, our behavior is subject to criticism. If we prefer romantic comedies to action movies, it’s because we are silly little weak-minded bunny rabbits. If we choose to wear clothes that are revealing, we are contributing to the sexualization of all women and/or we are trying to get the attention of straight men. And so on and so forth – you get my point.

I get it totally now, and although I imagine there remains corporate sponsors in the background who care less about the athletes than the possible ratings/sales/exposure, it all boils down to how happy the athlete is, and if the choice of clothing has a side effect of increased ratings/revenue for the athlete, then good luck to them. Female athletes work just as hard as their male counterparts yet get much less cash out of it from the media machine.

I've not really got much to add to this topic now, I've been effectively silenced so to speak lol, but if you agree/disagree with anything in this post then please feel free to share your thoughts.

Regards,

Gos.

a reply to: Benevolent Heretic

If it was up to me and socially acceptable I for one would just walk about in these.


I do at home on my days off because I feel very comfortable in them while reducing drag when running from my now crazy cat who has discovered catnip...
I will continue my quest for society to once again accept men in paisley Y fronts and to wear them for all occasions and sporting events.

a reply to: Answer

go on my social wall here on ATS and add me on facebook--then you can add her, too. I'm chill with adding anyone from ATS to my fb. ^_^