I’ve been seeing highlights of the French Open on the news and I got to thinking. Am I the only one who thinks those skimpy tennis outfits worn by the women are totally sexist?
How come the men get to wear knee-length shorts and short-sleeve shirts while the women have to scamper around in tight-fitted tank tops and ultra short mini-skirts? Do the women get some sort of competitive advantage running around in lingerie? If that were the case, I’m sure the men would be playing in speedos.
I’m not even making some Islamic hijab-based argument for covering up. I’m just talking about wearing the same gear the men are wearing.
Tennis seems to be the only sport that has such clothing-based gender discrimination. Basketball, softball, soccer, track and field – all sports wherein women don the same uniforms as their male counterparts.
And truly indicative of their warped sense of morality, these folks ballyhoo the equal prize money as a sign of advancement in gender equality (eventhough women play three sets while men play five!), all the while ignoring the more sexist clothing arrangements.
Warped indeed!
Many activists talk about women being their own worst enemy in the fight against patriarchy and misogyny, referring to cases where women themselves perpetuate social and cultural norms antithetical to gender equality. Choosing to objectify one’s body surely places one into this category.
These female tennis players are equally guilty of sabotaging the women’s rights movement as the Pakistani mother who forces her daughter to return to her abusive husband in the name of preserving family honor.
Shame on these women and shame on the tennis world (organizers, sponsors, and spectators) for allowing such sexism.
WAW
1 day ago
17 comments:
Haha nice topic, the only reason the prize money is equal is because those skimpy outfits. I think many people (i.e. men) watch the women tennis matches mostly for that, how else could good ole' overrated Kournikova be so popular and famous.
I think the way they justify it is that they are giving them "freedom"...meh
You forgot women's beach volleyball, which is even more sexist than women's tennis (IMO). Apparently those women have complained about wearing such skimpy clothes as well.
I started writing about this issue back in 2005 when the Sania Mirza controversy erupted, and have looked at the issue from the perspective of a couple other women's sports, including basketball and track and field.
Lol, I read an article about some girls kicked off a track team because she refused to wear shorts and take off her scarf the school said, the people needed to be dressed in a equal manner..hypocrisy.
Well, take a look at this,
http://themuslimkid.blogspot.com/2008/06/if-anyone-is-willing-to-read-this-you.html
Tennis is one of those rich people sports, isn't it?
AA-
@Ali, "the only reason the prize money is equal is because those skimpy outfits."
Seriously, I don't doubt that the sponsors have a major say in the way the women dress. Ahhh...the beauty of capitalism!
@JD, I can't believe I forgot beach volleyball. Those women are basically playing in swimsuits, while the men are covered up.
Yeah, I thought about Sania Mirza as well, but I believe she wears clothing like the men (shirts and shorts), so she's excluded from my rant. ;-)
@Amy, "Tennis is one of those rich people sports, isn't it?"
And your point?
hmm remember that muslim indian player something Mirza who tried to keep it modest? She wasnt that skimpy... so if Anna K or someone else wants.. they can! I also read tht female tennis players r the largest percentage of athletes r in those sponsored bikini beach shoots...
go figure
Time for a wanky post cause i’m procrastinating studying for exams and in a wanky state of mind so!
I find this post a bit puzzling. It seems you have a conception of what women ought to aspire to and even if actual women contradict that with their own actual desires and needs they’re still wrong. They are, in fact, ‘sexist’ or contributing to sexism. The word ‘sexist’ is being used as code for ‘what i don’t like about these women’, which reveals more your own disdain for these women’s values and suggesting that, insofar as they’re not your values, that they are degrading to them. So any association of female gender with these particular characteristics/in this specific context you don’t approve of, maybe because you don’t like the way this culture constructs femininity differently from your own or your own conceptions of it, which is fine if that’s the perspective you’re taking, but i have a couple of problems with this.
Firstly, when used in this way, the word ‘sexist’, far from drawing attention to race and gender as a means of elevating the equality of both, it is doing the opposite and hiding them away in favour of some ideal of universalism that is slightly perverse to me in that universality in this instance and instances like it can be used to refuse to look at someone in all their specificity and difference and replacing that with looking at someone through rooted ideology (and I’m sure you’ll agree that arrogance in exporting or transposing those systems of ideology under the guise of them being ‘neutral’ leads to some worrying consequences globally/politically/socially/economically). Secondly, the problem with approaching femininity in the way described is that you will disallow those instances of specificity and difference if it is counter to your ideology. So women dressing this way is 'sexist' or externally enforced or counter to an assumed feminist goal and not because it is how they want to dress when they play tennis.
So, while it’s often precarious to make deterministic links between gender and behaviour, it's also wrong to leave gender out of account entirely. To call something like clothing, that foregrounds gender, as ‘sexist’ is silly because gender is still an important signifying differentiator. Within sports and in the world. And it’s in these sorts of particularities that you can be anything that particularity can be which is the same as anything that anyone else can be if you’re in a truly just society (not that this is one, but occasionally/rarely it tries to be). So let them wear skimpy dresses if they want to is what I’m saying, no one’s forcing them gosh! ;)
I don't see why men and women should have to wear the same clothes in the same sports. What people wear in athletics is usually what is easiest for them to play in.
But in some sports women traditionally would wear different clothes. Like swimming...
Tennis was one of those rich people sports--and that matters, because it meant there was a special outfit for people to wear, and that it wouldn't be considered proper in some circles for women to wear britches (only exception I can think of is horseback riding), so they'd wear skirts.
And there is an advantage of a skirt--I have a tennis skirt, with biking shorts underneath it (attached), which I used to like because it obscures the crotch at least, if nothing else. (And in some circles, that is considered modest!) So it feels slightly less revealing than spandex alone.
AA- Hassan,
I appreciate your comments. I won't respond line by line as I wish to maintain faithful to your entire contribution.
Firstly, I'm glad you picked up on my appropriation of the term 'sexism'. I disagree that I used it to promote values that I hold. Instead I chose to use it in an unorthodox manner as I believe that sexism goes both ways – its equally sexist to consider women inferior to men as it is to expect them to wear sexually suggestive clothing. Too often, the latter is not considered sexism.
I say sexually suggestive clothing because I don't believe that their outfits are giving them any competitive advantage or serving any functional purpose. What else explains their clothing? Because that's the way they wish to dress? Methinks that is naïve.
Second, I don't believe that I'm imposing my moral values on these tennis players. On the contrary, I'm simply asking them to remain faithful to their own society's values of equality and women's rights. This same society that shows no differentiation on how the genders dress (jeans, shirts, tank tops, loose or tight, long or short, everything is fair game for both sexes), all of a sudden expects female tennis players to wear revealing outfits while the men play covered up? Huh?
I understand that western society does not impose absolute equality when it comes to dress. Women wear revealing dresses when attending black tie events while the men are fully covered in tuxedos. I get that (although my personal beliefs find that abhorrent and hypocritical).
What I don't get is the selective nature with which this 'difference' in gender dress is implemented. Why tennis and not soccer?
Additionally, I'm calling on simple logic in making my argument, namely the women in all other sports are dressed in a similar fashion to their male counterparts, so how come tennis is any different?
If the choice to dress that way is being done so in the name of femininity, why only tennis? Why haven't women in other sports, holding the same social values, made a similar stance in touting their femininity? I'm willing to accept that logic, but are all other female athletes butch? Besides, a sports venue is an odd place to assert one's femininity, no?
And to suggest that clothing does not play a role in perpetuating sexist beliefs is naïve. If that were the case, why was burning the bra such a symbolic act?
Again, this is not about imposing my values or ideologies on these women – that is irrelevant to the premise of my post. According to their values and ideologies, I concur that they are free to dress as they wish, as that is a foundational right in western liberal society. I'm merely questioning the blatant sexist double standard found in tennis.
AA- Amy,
"What people wear in athletics is usually what is easiest for them to play in."
And is that the case in tennis? Is it physiologically easier for them to wear those skirts than normal t-shirt and shorts? If that is the case, I stand corrected, but I seriously don't think so.
"it wouldn't be considered proper in some circles for women to wear britches (only exception I can think of is horseback riding), so they'd wear skirts."
Good point Amy, but that was back when the social mores dictated what women wore. But current society isn't restricted to pre-Victorian clothing regulations, right?
"I have a tennis skirt, with biking shorts underneath it (attached), which I used to like because it obscures the crotch at least, if nothing else. (And in some circles, that is considered modest!) So it feels slightly less revealing than spandex alone."
Yeah that's fine if spandex shorts are the only option, but how about normal shorts like what the men wear? Are they also more revealing than the short skirts women currently wear?
I remember when I was in marching band and would buy athletic shorts and I hated that my mom would make me get ones that were kind of longish.
The girls would typically buy shorter shorts than guys (not even spandex), but still they would roll them at the waist to make them even shorter and lower.
It "felt" more fashionable, even more comfortable that way--the shorter the shorts, the better. Of course now I wouldn't be caught dead doing that... realizing now all those teenage boys were looking at all those teenage girl legs and butts.
Just goes to show that women like to be looked at, like to show off. And that is fashionable.
Ok...I cannot agree with you all. I am sorry but I don't think women tennis players should start wearing long shorts and t-shirts like the men. And I don't think the men should start wearing short skirts and tank-tops. Men and women wear different things. Not just in sports. In life too. Is it "degrading" to men to see a man without a shirt on? No...So why is it so "degrading" to women if they want to show a little more skin than you yourself are comfortable with. You are probably more jealous at their bodies than worried about sexism. I am sorry but if a woman has a nice body, chances are, they want to flaunt it somehow. Nothing wrong with that. Men would do that too. And if they do not want to show that much of their body, THEY DONT HAVE TO! It is their choice! Just like men. So I think you are the one being "Sexist" here, as you think that all women should cover all their skin so as to compensate for some wildly misplaced values of you own. Women with great bodies should be somewhat proud of their figure and should thus be able to show it off somehow and if not, they don't have to.
And if you ever think that everything will be perfectly equal in this world, then you, my friend are a communist as well as an un-realist. Face it, there will always be some inequality in this world, so stop being so selfish and stop complaining about women in tennis who are comfortable with showing their bodies. If you are such a prude, then don't show your body, but do not ridicule others by saying they are degrading your preposterous beliefs of women.
Anon,
"I am sorry but I don't think women tennis players should start wearing long shorts and t-shirts like the men. And I don't think the men should start wearing short skirts and tank-tops. Men and women wear different things."
Not true. I made that point in my post. Athletes in every other sport (beach volleyball and tennis being the only exceptions) wear similar attire. Why is tennis different?
If it was about healthy, athletic women wanting to show off their bodies, why don't those fit athletes in basketball or softball wear skimpy outfits??
"So I think you are the one being "Sexist" here, as you think that all women should cover all their skin so as to compensate for some wildly misplaced values of you own."
Again, not true. Please re-read my post. I never made any Islamic argument for covering up. The entire premise for my post was on the discrepancy between the men and women.
I specifically left out my own (wildly misplaced) values in making my argument.
"If you are such a prude, then don't show your body, but do not ridicule others by saying they are degrading your preposterous beliefs of women."
Nice. If I felt that you had made any substantial arguments in your rant, I might have tried to reason with you. Oh well...too bad...your loss.
Woooo, you really got me, naeem! You won! You happy? But the women in sports such as basketball are dikes, like you, so of course THEY won't wear skimpy clothing. As for "every" other sport wearing "normal" clothing..wrong again. Have you ever watched Track and Field or even Softball (of which you said is not skimpy) for that matter? Many times in Track the women wear spandex underwear and spandex bras. And softball, although not a huge "atrocity" as skirts (EWWW) and bikinis (OHHH MYYY!), still is different than the males. They wear short shorts and tank tops. Not exactly skimpy but not exactly the same as males, eh? And...beach volleyball. BEACH volleyball...What do normal people wear on the beach? Bathing suits! For women that means bikinis. And obviously the women in the sport feel confident about themselves and willing to wear what they wear. I think it would be laughable if they started wear baggy shorts, shoes, socks, and t-shirts while playing on the sand...As for tennis...even my grandma plays tennis...sometimes in shorts and sometimes...gasp!...in a skirt!!!! She finds that they are comfortable to move around in and easier. Plus she is a woman and does not need to pretend to be a man...just as i do not feel the urge to pretend to be a woman. Again, I see no problem with any of these clothing styles and if you want every person in every sport to dress the exact same then I think that would make things less interesting. I like diversity in men and women's sports. So go write a book about your measley woes and let's hope it becomes a bestseller!!!
Yeah, naeem, you GO work on that book, Im SURE itll be a bestseller...
Excellent post! I appreciate your insight into sexist double standards found in some sports uniforms such as tennis and beach volleyball.
I, too, find it difficult to believe that female tennis players would actually choose to wear skimpy, tight uniforms instead of simple shorts-and-tshirt, if they had not been indoctrinated all their lives by society and the media, that to be "feminine" means to seek validation from males via sexually objectifying themselves.
And of course, all this "revealing" clothing is not limited to the confines of tennis or beach volleyball: most women in mainstream pop culture seem to adhere to the "trashy" look (skimpy clothing) much more blatantly - not least because of their quest to publicly impersonate "femininity", and hence, be validated by men and society in general.
Thus, what needs to change most is our societal constructs of femininity/masculinity.
As long as femininity continues to be defined as "being meek, receptive, submissive, and being the sexual plaything for men", it is guaranteed that there will be no shortage of idiotic women who buy into the belief of their subordinate role, and indeed act out against the women's rights movement; whether it be personally (i.e. dressing in slutty, uncomfortable clothes for the sake of attracting men), or actively (e.g. the Muslim mother who facilitates her daughter's "honour" killing).
P.S. On that note, it seems to me that some people here think that the level of sexism would somehow be lowered if women were to cover-up their bodies instead of donning revealing clothing.
This thinking is absolutely WRONG.
Clearly, wearing burqas and hijabs are JUST AS sexist as wearing skimpy clothes, the reason being that in both these situations, the woman is wearing these clothes for the sake of men, not for herself (i.e. the burqa donning woman who says that she is less objectified than her American counterpart, but then goes on to say how her burqa keeps lustful "male" eyes off herself. In this scenario, isn't she herself also engaging in behaviour for the sake of men?).
More importantly, however, is the fact that the Taliban imposed the burqa/hijab for the symbolic purpose of silencing women via a veil of anonymity.
Thus, sexism is equally apparent in both the Western world and the Middle East; it just manifests in different forms.
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