In Olympic beach volleyball, women have several options. More than the men in fact:
The women can wear either a one-piece or two-piece bathing suit; shorts with sleeved or sleeveless tops; or a full body suit in cold weather. Due to the typically warm playing conditions, most opt for the two-piece. The men must wear shorts and a tank top. Players are allowed to wear hats and sunglasses.
This absolutely ignores sponsorship pressures. Men get millions of dollars playing in full clothes. Women have to wear bikinis just to ensure a few thousand dollars “because it sells more tickets”. Choice or not, there are structural cultural norms that nullify the offer of alternatives. Misogyny doesn’t disappear just because you can choose different clothes.
Great, none of the articles mention the issue of sponsorship or the gender aspect of bias in sports regulations.
By the way, it’s not cool to link without reading the articles.
Last month, bikini-wearing athletes again made headlines when the European Handball Federation fined Noway’s beach handball team for wearing shorts rather than the required two-piece bathing suits.
There are still problems with the lack of choice, why?
Ultimately, the 2016 FIVB uniform guide actually offers more options for women than it does for men […] who are stuck with a tank top and shorts as their only style choice.
Wouldn’t it be interesting to try to understand why this is this way?
“There are also certain times of the month that wearing a bikini isn’t always such a comfortable option, especially when you’re on TV.”
Interesting testimony. Should we actually ask a follow up question to the person who said this to hear her opinion about why being on TV is a factor…Nope, too late, narrative is done, article is over.
Like, seriously, I’m not talking about infantilizing women or restraining options. Quite the opposite. I’m talking about turning your damn brain on and actually look at the world with curiosity beyond the common places of thought terminating memes, cliches and manufactured narratives. It’s not hard as long as you are focused on actually having healthy discussions instead of being obsessed with being right on the internet (the worst kind of right).
I read all the articles. That lack of choice in handball and other sports should be addressed, and I hope it is soon. But in Olympic beach volleyball athletes have the choice and many choose to wear bikinis.
I’ve never heard of a female athlete saying anything like “I feel pressured to choose more revealing uniforms because of sponsorships or cultural expectations from males.” If you have, I’d love to see it. I have seen a bunch say that they prefer them, given the choice.
Gee, I don’t know. Let’s see if that has been said anywhere, shall we?
Sponsorships tell a similar story: men typically get $50,000 annually, while women make about $15,000.
Where does the money come from?
Organisations like FIVB have standardised payouts at major tournaments, but league salaries and endorsement deals remain uneven. Differences will persist until sponsors and broadcasters invest equally.
Why would that this sponsor and broadcaster pay differently?
One of the most significant problems female athletes face has nothing to do with the sport itself. It’s how they’re shown in the media. Far too often, the focus is on their appearance rather than on what they can do. In volleyball, that means more talk about kit choices or body image than actual skill or game stats. It’s frustrating when talent gets pushed aside for appearance.
Would you look at that statement? Maybe there are things beyond the surface level that influence people’s decision making at a structural level?
Over the years, coverage has been overly sexualised, which hasn’t helped. That said, social media has started to shift things.
But what the hell do I know. I’m just a sociologist during his coffee break pondering about how invisible things like social constructs alter individual beliefs and decision making. I’ll go back to work, bye.
The pay gap between men and women exists in every professional sport and is a separate problem, although I can see your point about how it could influence decision making.
This article also touches on the sexualization of female athletes in general, but at no point is the claim made that women who wear more revealing outfits are given better sponsorships nor is there any testimony from any athlete to back that up or to say they ever made those choices for that reason.
Which begs the question. If the most efficient equipment to use is a full suit (remembering here the snark skin controversy), why are men not allowed to wear it, but women are.
It is absolutely arbitrary and based on historical gender biases. But that is too complex for some idiots to digest.
and denied them because it actually harmed their performance, compared to the current standard.
The part I responded to by saying "Y’know if that were true and it actually did give an advantage, you’d think the men would be wearing something similar too. " Your link says absolutely nothing about it being a competitive advantage - did you respond to the wrong person?
That’s irrelevant. The point is they have a choice, and many choose to wear two pieces. Whether it’s because they feel like they play better, or it’s comfort, or even if they simply just like how they look. They’re allowed to wear shorts and tank tops if they want.
As 2012 London beach volleyball silver medalist Jennifer Kessy explains it, the two-piece outfits make total sense from a performance perspective: “Our suits need to fit just right so they don’t move places we don’t want them to move. So how about this: Let’s call them competition suits or competition gear — then perhaps it won’t make people uncomfortable or there won’t be a stigma attached.”
As a pro athlete, everyone has a different comfort level with either a bikini or one-piece bathing suit. Playing in a one-piece was never comfortable for me. It was restricting and limited my movements…
It’s totally a personal choice. [A one piece] wasn’t comfortable for me. Way too sweaty and too much sand. But, in certain situations leggings could be a good option — just not in the heat. There are also certain times of the month that wearing a bikini isn’t always such a comfortable option, especially when you’re on TV. So it’s important to have the freedom to choose what works best for you. Players should be able to wear what they want and what makes them perform the best — and for me it was a bikini.
I am aware they have options. That has never been in question. But, like your emphasis calls attention to, it’s important to have the freedom to choose what works best for you. So in the spirit of that, why are men not allowed the same freedom? Again, if it actually is a blanket improvement to a player’s performance like the above person implied, you’d think that men would have adopted a similar outfit.
I don’t know. You’d have to take that up with the IOC. Males and females have different body types and maybe it’s just not comfortable or practical for males to play volleyball in a banana hammock, or maybe they’d all love to, who knows.
My thesis statement here is that the female athletes who choose to wear bikinis are choosing to of their own free will, and whatever reasoning a person has to wear what they wear is their own business. Though I suspect that at the Olympic level everyone is going to wear what they feel most comfortable and capable in, just like the player interviewed above.
In Olympic beach volleyball, women have several options. More than the men in fact:
https://www.nbcolympics.com/news/beach-volleyball-101-olympic-equipment
This absolutely ignores sponsorship pressures. Men get millions of dollars playing in full clothes. Women have to wear bikinis just to ensure a few thousand dollars “because it sells more tickets”. Choice or not, there are structural cultural norms that nullify the offer of alternatives. Misogyny doesn’t disappear just because you can choose different clothes.
https://www.today.com/news/why-do-women-s-beach-volleyball-players-wear-bikinis-today-t226134
https://www.businessinsider.com/why-do-women-beach-volleyball-players-wear-bikinis-olympics-2016-8
https://people.com/sports/beach-volleyball-olympians-react-bikini-controversy/
Female volleyball players have said over and over and over again “we wear bikinis because we want to.”
Great, none of the articles mention the issue of sponsorship or the gender aspect of bias in sports regulations.
By the way, it’s not cool to link without reading the articles.
There are still problems with the lack of choice, why?
Wouldn’t it be interesting to try to understand why this is this way?
Interesting testimony. Should we actually ask a follow up question to the person who said this to hear her opinion about why being on TV is a factor…Nope, too late, narrative is done, article is over.
Like, seriously, I’m not talking about infantilizing women or restraining options. Quite the opposite. I’m talking about turning your damn brain on and actually look at the world with curiosity beyond the common places of thought terminating memes, cliches and manufactured narratives. It’s not hard as long as you are focused on actually having healthy discussions instead of being obsessed with being right on the internet (the worst kind of right).
I read all the articles. That lack of choice in handball and other sports should be addressed, and I hope it is soon. But in Olympic beach volleyball athletes have the choice and many choose to wear bikinis.
I’ve never heard of a female athlete saying anything like “I feel pressured to choose more revealing uniforms because of sponsorships or cultural expectations from males.” If you have, I’d love to see it. I have seen a bunch say that they prefer them, given the choice.
Gee, I don’t know. Let’s see if that has been said anywhere, shall we?
Where does the money come from?
Why would that this sponsor and broadcaster pay differently?
Would you look at that statement? Maybe there are things beyond the surface level that influence people’s decision making at a structural level?
What Women’s Volleyball Tells Us About Equality in Sport
But what the hell do I know. I’m just a sociologist during his coffee break pondering about how invisible things like social constructs alter individual beliefs and decision making. I’ll go back to work, bye.
The pay gap between men and women exists in every professional sport and is a separate problem, although I can see your point about how it could influence decision making.
This article also touches on the sexualization of female athletes in general, but at no point is the claim made that women who wear more revealing outfits are given better sponsorships nor is there any testimony from any athlete to back that up or to say they ever made those choices for that reason.
Olympic swimming is the opposite though, women are allowed to wear full suits, men aren’t allowed to wear anything above the navel.
Which begs the question. If the most efficient equipment to use is a full suit (remembering here the snark skin controversy), why are men not allowed to wear it, but women are.
It is absolutely arbitrary and based on historical gender biases. But that is too complex for some idiots to digest.
Since 2012, yes I’m aware. But that does not address anything I said.
It literally is the citation you asked for, dingus
The part I responded to by saying "Y’know if that were true and it actually did give an advantage, you’d think the men would be wearing something similar too. " Your link says absolutely nothing about it being a competitive advantage - did you respond to the wrong person?
That’s irrelevant. The point is they have a choice, and many choose to wear two pieces. Whether it’s because they feel like they play better, or it’s comfort, or even if they simply just like how they look. They’re allowed to wear shorts and tank tops if they want.
No it’s not. Especially when the initial topic was male gaze.
Emphasis mine.
https://www.today.com/news/why-do-women-s-beach-volleyball-players-wear-bikinis-today-t226134
I am aware they have options. That has never been in question. But, like your emphasis calls attention to, it’s important to have the freedom to choose what works best for you. So in the spirit of that, why are men not allowed the same freedom? Again, if it actually is a blanket improvement to a player’s performance like the above person implied, you’d think that men would have adopted a similar outfit.
I don’t know. You’d have to take that up with the IOC. Males and females have different body types and maybe it’s just not comfortable or practical for males to play volleyball in a banana hammock, or maybe they’d all love to, who knows.
My thesis statement here is that the female athletes who choose to wear bikinis are choosing to of their own free will, and whatever reasoning a person has to wear what they wear is their own business. Though I suspect that at the Olympic level everyone is going to wear what they feel most comfortable and capable in, just like the player interviewed above.