A century ago, female athletes were told to cover their ankles. Now, they’re told to show their legs. Across time, the rules have changed, but the message remains the same: Women’s bodies are still being managed, measured and judged within the realm of sports.
In 2021, the Norway women’s beach handball team sparked international attention for wearing thigh-length shorts instead of the required bikini bottoms, a protest against rules that many saw as outdated and sexist. The team was fined 150 euros per player, but their determination inspired similar conversations across sports and within the media. That same year, the Germany women’s gymnastics team chose full-length unitards at the Tokyo Olympics to challenge the expectation that female athletes should compete in revealing leotards.
More recently, Nike faced criticism for its 2024 women’s track and field uniforms, which exposed far more skin than the men’s versions. These events highlight how design standards in sports clothing continue to treat women
differently, sexualizing their bodies. Ironically, this current debate marks the complete opposite problem early female Olympians faced. For much of the 20th century, women were forced to compete in restrictive, modest clothing meant to prevent them from being “distracting.” Over time, even as uniforms grew more revealing in the name of modernization and current fashion trends, control over a woman’s athletic image persisted. As uniform expectations have switched from one extreme to the other, the shared similarity lies in prioritization of aesthetics and social expectations above the comfort of female athletes, minimizing their bodily autonomy.
This discussion isn’t only confined to the international level. In fact, PAUSD students have reported similar concerns within both in-school and extracurricular sports teams.
For junior Elisa Brembilla, who participates in gymnastics outside of school, she noticed these patterns with her cheer uniforms that consist of a very short skirt and shorts, whereas men can be allowed longer shorts or even full-length pants.
“The shorts for girls are just like a strip (of fabric),” she said. “It’s just strange seeing how different the expectation is.”
Gunn cheer co-captain senior Lilia Alishahian believes that the problem doesn’t stem from the uniforms itself, but rather people’s expectations and preconceived notions.
“A lot of uniforms for female sports can be not provocative or sexual at all,” she said. “I think the issue is that men’s uniforms are so (full coverage), that when people see female uniforms, they automatically assume that it’s because we want to sexualize ourselves.”
Badminton athlete senior Arden Lee notices this phenomenon within his sport, and attributes the shorter, tighter uniforms for women to the fact these sports are more male-dominated and caters to a male audience.
“I think the reason why the uniforms tend to be more formfitting or revealing is to appeal to the male audience,” he said. “Men like to see women they find attractive play sports, so if the uniforms are more revealing, then male viewership might have better retention.”
Although women in Lee’s badminton community can opt to wear normal-length shorts and shirts, which is accepted within the
community, they have no control over the clothes they receive when playing for the national team.
“I receive clothes that I don’t have control over, like whatever they send me I have to wear,” Lee said. “So I know for women, it might be frustrating when they only receive shorter shorts and tighter shirts. I wish they had a little bit more free reign in requesting (uniforms) they feel comfortable to play in.”
Additionally, both Alishahian and Brembilla notice a potential danger in involving young girls especially in performance sports that are hyper-fixated on a perfect appearance, despite some regulations in place such as restricting a visible midriff for cheer competitors under 12 years at age.
“I see some of the small youth teams and it’s like, even if they have to wear a middle piece, they will have to wear a ton of makeup,
be all perfect, dolled up, and like put in this box,” Brembilla said.
Alishahian echoes this sentiment.
“Young girls are very sexualized, no matter what sport they do,” she said. “I feel like there’s always a mentality of predation, because people just view it that way. In general, girls are pushed towards being sexy and wanting to appear more mature. I think that idea also translates across sports.”
