Clothes can talk. Pants, T-shirts, tops say something. Say something about who we are. Do I choose this or that garment? But sometimes there are regulations that interfere with the choice, for example, in sports. And as is so often the case, different rules apply here for men and women. They become visible only when women protest and show: here one detail is different.
At the European Championships in July, Norwegian beach handball players wore cycling shorts instead of skimpy bikini bottoms. For this they had to pay a fine of 1500 euros, because of “inappropriate clothing”. Now the World Handball Federation IHF has reacted to the protests and changed the dress code. From January 1, women will be allowed to wear “short, tight-fitting trousers” in the competition. A supposed progress, which shows all the more clearly: men and women are not the same in sports. While the men play in wide trousers, the sportswear for the women should be nice and tight!
Services overlooked
Why? Because the view of women in sports is still a masculine one. A look that looks at their beautiful bodies and overlooks their achievements. The bodies of competitive athletes are their capital – they get Instagram likes, advertisers, money. It’s not just your performance that counts.
If you don’t look good enough as an athlete, you have a much worse chance of getting advertising contracts. Athletes, on the other hand, can act through their performance. They benefit in a world that has been shaped by men for centuries and in which men still have power.
Who is already discussing the tennis shorts of Alexander Zverev or Roger Federer? The outfits of Serena Williams, Angelique Kerber and Andrea Petkovic look different. Petkovic complained in an interview with Sportschau.de on Monday, the latent sexism in their sport. After matches, women received provocative messages and comments on social media. The topics: her outfits and the hairstyle.
