Not as much fun as the title, and more to the point:
Lauren Fleshman, the US national champion in the 5000m in 2006 and 2010, shared even harsher criticism in an Instagram post, writing: “I’m sorry, but show me one WNBA or NWSL team who would enthusiastically support this kit. This is for Olympic Track and Field. Professional athletes should be able to compete without dedicating brain space to constant pube vigilance or the mental gymnastics of having every vulnerable piece of your body on display. Women’s kits should be in service to performance, mentally and physically. If this outfit was truly beneficial to physical performance, men would wear it.” She added: “This is not an elite athletic kit for track and field. This is a costume born of patriarchal forces that are no longer welcome or needed to get eyes on women’s sports. ... Stop making it harder for half the population @nike@teamusa@usatf.”
I have no idea if that’s a legit response BUT in the event that it is, that uniform in the pick is not the same as what they have for this next round. This is it, and it is way way way unacceptable. I used to have lingerie undies like this and I hated them, I called it the labia splitter.
As sus as the leotard is it’s optional and they do have an option with shorts if they don’t want to worry about accidentally exposing the entire world.
Don’t really see a problem with it since there are other options. If you wanna show your new Brazilian to the world, you do you.
They do it because ultimately, they get away with it. I understand athletes have worked their asses off to get to compete (especially in the Olympics), but at some point if they genuinely want change, they need to take a stand — either wear something less revealing, or boycott their events. Get enough people to do it, and maybe it’ll send the message.
I am pretty aghast at how revealing that track outfit is. It’s already bad enough how short women’s running shorts are compared to mens; if you have even slightly thicker thighs they can chafe pretty badly!
I don’t know how to be completely proper without diminishing the meaning of my statement all the time, but I agree with this statement’s substance and structure. I hope people can take comments like this without feeling degraded.
Nobody should be forced to wear a uniform that diminishes their hard work and achievements that earned them the required uniform. Olympians are going to want high performance garb - generally tight-fitting and light weight. That doesn’t mean the team organizers should go hog wild on showing skin to boost ratings. It’s impressive, inspiring, and (for me) a bit depressing to see the peak human form without being creepy, but these folks have worked far too hard to be objectified.
But if they’re down, I’m down
*Edited afterthought: Do NCAA gymnasts have uniform issues? I don’t see their competitions often, but they tend to stay in place to my knowledge. I’m not trying to argue for the new uniforms - it just seems like those uniforms would be a relevant case study.
It means to say something that can’t be unsaid, usually in the context of blabbing a secret. The origin is from the British Royal Navy in the age of sail. The “cat” is a Cat’o’ nine-tails a type of whip used for punishment. It was stored in a velvet bag, and once it came out there was no going back, it was going to be used on you.
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