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missedyno
Sep 16, 2004, 11:22 PM
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http://www.theonion.com/...x.php?issue=4037&n=2
Wanted to post a link to this article in here. I fear if i post it in community, we'll have some more pics of the women's beach volleyball teams posted. :roll:
Warning: this article is tongue-in-cheek humour! If you aren't familiar with The Onion, it's a satirical news source. There are a couple "swear words" so don't view it if you're at work behind a filter.
I've also wanted to know what everyone else's thoughts are on how women's sports wear is getting skimpier and skimpier. Is it just me, or have track and field athletes always been competing in their underwear? Where's the men's beach volleyball?
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iamthewallress
Sep 16, 2004, 11:30 PM
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I didn't even find that so tongue-in-cheek...More like 'it's funny b/c it's true.'
We were noticing that whereas all of the other athletes have switched to bathing suits, the swimmers have switched to full body stockings.
So long as bathing suits don't become the rage in climbing...There are some places where I just wouldn't take any pride in a new scar.
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holdplease2
Sep 16, 2004, 11:45 PM
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Apparently, wallress, you've never been bouldering.
Its all about climbing in the string bikini top. The good news is that there are plenty of willing gents to make certain you dont scar your knoc...or knock yer...uh...nevermind.
-Kate.
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holdplease2
Sep 16, 2004, 11:55 PM
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And just for good measure...
I was going to paste my favorite beach volleyball pic here, but I don't know how. :(
-Kate.
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iamthewallress
Sep 17, 2004, 12:49 AM
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In reply to: Apparently, wallress, you've never been bouldering.
You're right.
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maculated
Sep 17, 2004, 12:57 AM
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http://www.phototour.minneapolis.mn.us/pics/2195.jpg
It's not the chick I like looking at. But this one is just funny. JUUUUUUUUST funny.
I hate all you who can wear a bikini top bouldering . . . fie to all of you. I'll wear my industrial-strength-breast-smasher bra and you'll all be happy.
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dancesonrocks
Sep 17, 2004, 2:15 AM
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Ha! That was a funny article. :)
I caught a little of the men's beach volleyball during the Olympics... they were wearing their shirts and had the usual longish baggy shorts. Not much eye candy for us there ;)
In regards to the string bikini top for bouldering, I may not need the industrial strength breast smashing bra (hehe great phrase, maculated) but I still feel more comfortable (and I'm talking physically) in something with a little bit more support and stay-put-ness than my string bikini top.
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missedyno
Sep 17, 2004, 12:43 PM
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i have one halter style sports-bra-for-the-flat-chested and i feel like a dressed up high maintenance freak when i wear it. seriously though, i feel more like a "look at me" than a serious climber. i'd rather attract attention with my afro than some skimpy clothing....
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kimmyt
Sep 17, 2004, 1:51 PM
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A satirical article, hitting on a subject that's quite interesting... (like most Onion articles).
It makes one think: is the sexualization of women's sports good or bad for the sports themselves? It's quite obvious that without the skimpy outfits, hot blondes, and shirt-ripping antics of today's women's sports, there wouldn't be near enough media and fan attention to those sports.
Face it, the majority of sports fans out there are men. Most men I've talked to don't enjoy watching women's sports traditionally. Except (shock of all shocks) they've started enjoying women's beach volleyball. They've begun enjoying women's tennis, and soccer to some extent.
My question to you, as women and athletes, is do YOU think that all of this is good for the sports women compete in, or do you think it's counterproductive and makes a sport seem less like a sport and more like a TV show?
K.
p.s. Jess, you have an afro?? :D
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snoangel
Sep 17, 2004, 4:01 PM
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Great article...love the Onion!
Regarding Kimmy's question, that's really hard to answer...for me anyway. I have been a serious athlete all my life and do believe that shifting the focus from athletic accomplishment to beauty definitely takes away from the sport and the accomplishment. I also think that it puts even more pressure on young girls to focus on superficial things like looks.
That being said, I have spent many years of my athletic life in "pretty" sports. I grew up playing tennis (in my cute tennis skirt), doing gymnastics (in my cute leotard with my hair and make-up just so) and cheerleading (hey, at least I cheered in college where is was extremely athletic, but I still had to dress the part).
Even now, when I play beach volleyball, I wear a bikini and when I climb, I like to wear cute tops. I'll admit, I like to look good when I'm doing something athletic, but the clothes I wear must be athletically beneficial. For instance, my vball bikinis are easy to move in and keep me cool. On the other hand, you're not going to find me wearing a stitch of makeup doing any of these activities. I don't need to look that good. 8^)
I don't know if any of this has made any sense, but I guess I'm trying to say that I think it's ok to want to look good while you're playing sports, just don't make it your primary focus. Unfortunately, the media will always focus on what sells...and in a male dominated industry, sex sells. As women, I think we need to emphasize to young girls the importance of being athletic, strong and independent for their own sake, and de-emphasize beauty. If a girl feels good about herself on the inside, outward beauty is simply the icing on the cake. :)
That being said...if FHM asked me to pose for their magazine, I probably would. :shock:
Rita :)
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iamthewallress
Sep 17, 2004, 5:48 PM
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In reply to: My question to you, as women and athletes, is do YOU think that all of this is good for the sports women compete in, or do you think it's counterproductive and makes a sport seem less like a sport and more like a TV show?
I think it's hard to get away from wanting to look at attractive people, male or female, in spectator events.
If Serena Williams wanted to play tennis in a g-string, I think it would be hard to make a case that she was all about objectification of women and physical subjugation to men...Sometimes overt sexuality can be used in a powerful way, and I think a lot of these chicks pull it off, well, beautifully.
Mia Hamm's sportsbra-and-abs made a hell of a great political statement to that affect, IMO. She was just being badass and if the rest of the world thought that was sexy, then that was ours to reconcile with her undeniable achievement.
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paige
Oct 3, 2004, 2:12 AM
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"It wouldn't hurt the WNBA to come up with sexier team outfits. Do you realize how much their audience would broaden if more of these girls were allowed some time off to model on the side? Tastefully done semi-nude photo shoots bring a lot of attention to the players and the sports they play."
wow, can you imagine basketball in bathing suits... hmmm
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bad_lil_kitty
Oct 3, 2004, 9:03 AM
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In reply to: now that many of our gender are quite athletic, and choosing to compete, i think it's tough to "be taken seriously" if we're still playing up the angle of women as sex objects. women are generally expected to also be attractive as well as whatever else it is they are doing.
agreed but admit that i do like the variety of apparel available. it takes all kinds. some enjoy being fashionable while functional and others like functional over fashionable. i've come across women who aren't into fashion - functionality, yes - but will purchase apparel based on colour. additionally, because of the various body types, it's wonderful to see the industry finally focusing on how better to support our phsyicalities for all shapes and sizes!
yes, sex sells and women are still objectified. although, i don't like subscribing to it, there are certain appeals in perhaps our human make up that marketing folks hit those chords that strikes us which in turn still dictates our 'ideals.' if that makes sense.
one thing i do like though - is the subtle movement that one can be feminine and still be athletic - but it's still a double-edged sword.... to look good (e.g. the sex kitten type athletes), one may find themselves having to work hard to be taken seriously... whereas, those women who are more, 'manly' like are still stereotype as being 'lesbian' and must work hard to be taken seriously as a woman athlete... okay it's way early here and i am not making sense.
i do however, like the onion :)
thankfully - i am not being paid scads of money to be an athlete where looks are everything...blah blah... that said, i like the fact that i look decent in my addidas spandexy capri bottoms - they are comfy, they wick off the sweat, they are fashionable but more importantly, it allows me to show off my hard work for me that i did and i accomplished - very functional and well made, comfy and durable... it can be misconstrued as vanity... but, i see it more as self-accetance of myself too - especially being made fun of growing up for not having all those girly sexy curves but growing into a young woman that now does and because i've kept an active and a relatively healthy (sans break-ups resulting in smoking ciggies and not eating) lifestyle - i can feel good about how i look, even if i am not rippling w/ muscles...
LOL but the skimpy outfits are kinda funny imo.
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tavs
Oct 4, 2004, 6:06 PM
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Way too much to say on this topic, so I'll try to stick to the highlights in my mind. First, the Onion rocks and is often, I believe, intended to be just as much "funny because it's true" as "tongue in cheek." With regards to beach volleyball--did you know that the men are required to wear shirts in international competition? (while the women are required to wear the bikinis).
As for the question of whether sexualization is good or bad for women's sports....tough one. In the Gender and Politics class I've TA'd for, we showed a video dealing with exactly this question. Compared to decades ago, when most female athletes were presumed lesbian and designated as "butch" and other flattering terms, and when there were almost no professional sports opportunities for women, it's hard to say we're worse off. And the idea that something other than pure athletic achievement sells is hardly unique to women's sports. Male athletes deal with corollary expectations about their personal lives, their "attitude," their cache with today's youth. And even when the focus is on some physical feat, many would argue that the decline/demise of certain sports--the NHL, to a lesser extent the NBA--has a lot to do with the fact that brutality and "amazing" individual feats sell, so you get lots of illegal hits and penalties in hockey (those same things often making up the highlight reel) and plenty of dunks in bball (again, the highlight reel), but the talents and skills that made those great team sports have been almost lost. The "purity" of sport, regardless of gender, has been missing for a while now. Finally, sexuality plays a huge, though perhaps not always as overt, role in men's sports. In their case, it's the presumed heterosexuality and the expected behavior to go along with it.
That said, women athletes are clearly more sexualized. But I like to think that maybe it's part of a learning curve--you draw in the fans with the skimpy clothes or Maxim photo shoots, but you keep them with the skill of play and athletic accomplishments. Naive perhaps, but you gotta have hope.
As for the clothes...it's hard for me to argue, because I wear halter tops and other such "skimpy" climbing tops plenty of times. I wouldn't wear them heading up the Grand, but when bouldering or sport climbing on a summer afternoon? Sure. Why the hell not? The guys climb shirtless, and I'm comfortable with my body. And my boyfriend loves my muscles, and enjoys the chance to see them in action. I've got no problem with that. Now, however, I would have a problem with someone (say, the World Beach Volleyball Association) telling me I HAD to dress that way.
Ok, it wasn't short, but there it is.
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valerie
Oct 11, 2004, 3:09 PM
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In reply to: I hate all you who can wear a bikini top bouldering . . . fie to all of you. I'll wear my industrial-strength-breast-smasher bra and you'll all be happy.
I feel your pain!
On a different note - Where I'm from, there seems to be an idea, that if you wear skimpy tops climbing, you better be damn good, otherwise you'll just look like a poser. Not entirely sure why.
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clausti
Oct 11, 2004, 5:59 PM
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edit: delete.
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indigo_nite
Oct 11, 2004, 11:27 PM
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there's alot of truth to that story.
no scientific data but I feel like fashion for the last year or two has gotten skimpier and skimpier... when I walk the local shopping area, I see more "hot" moms walking around in tight jeans walking baby carriages. it doesn't make much sense why a mom would want to attract more guys but it seems a sign of the times.
I get a little uncomfortable on a gut level with the skimpiness and I've concluded that it's not being moralistic but in this society, if women are exuding all their sexuality, that's what I actually have to compete with. not that that is really what I want to be the first thing in a guy's mind when they remember the girl they climbed with over the weekend. but then I'm an oddity. I first want to play w/ the guys (and hard gals) at their own level and then be girly just now and then.
I don't own any string bikinis nor climb in thongs. but I also somewhat feel if you're going to show your skin then be a strong climber (if for no other reason, if you fall, you're going to get unsightly scars).
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iamthewallress
Oct 12, 2004, 5:54 PM
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In reply to: I love climbing in my little nothing string bikini job in the summer 'cause its *hot* outside.
Although string bikini's would leave me with more scars than I care to grow old with, I hear what you are saying.
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