Why am I staring at a bare ass on national TV at 3:30 pm on a Sunday afternoon? Did the network make a mistake? No. They're just covering women's beach volleyball at the Olympics. If you're not sure what I'm talking about, here's an example:
It is important to note that I am all about the "love your body" empowerment movement. I think women should love their bodies no matter what size and shape they are. #wearthesuit And of course I am jealous that my booty would be engulfing those little bottoms! That's not what this is about. This is about the blatant difference between the men's beach volleyball uniforms and those of the women.
I thought you might like a visual to compare.
I'm well aware that I am not the first person to point out this drastic difference. And I know that some women claim they prefer the skimpy uniforms to others, but come on. There has to come a point where you realize that this is just ridiculous. Would tight-fitting uniforms reduce movement that much? Would they trip up the female athletes to the point that they would rather be almost nude? Are men that much more coordinated that fabric does not impede their abilities? ...no.
Let's not forget this gem that surfaced today:
While some people are hailing this as the perfect example of the diversity that the Olympics brings, others are calling it the battle of the burka vs. bikini. To me it's both and neither, all at once.
The Olympics is bringing together to very different cultures with very different social standards. It is wonderful to see these cultures interact in sport and show that we are all the same, no matter our dress. At the same time, the shocking difference in dress shows the standards that women are conformed to by their cultures: Middle Eastern demands modesty, Western demands blatant sexuality. Both women may wish that they could dress differently for these games, but their cultures will tell them they cannot.
One way to change things here is to allow women freedom to choose from a variety of uniform choices. If some want to wear shorts and tanks, let them. Let others choose to wear bikinis if they would like. Why does it need to be specific to one way? Regulate a few options and leave it to the players to pick.
I'm just asking to watch beach volleyball without having to wonder if the female players had their uniforms designed by Victoria's Secret.
