The policing of women's bodies is not a recent development. Given the digital age, there is a lot of discussion on this topic, but whether it's in the fashion sector, politics, or sports, the flashpoints always include women's bodies and apparel.
When the European Handball Federation's disciplinary council penalised Norway's women's handball team 150 euros per player for wearing shorts instead of bikini bottoms,The topic returned to how and why women's bodies are used as policing grounds when they don't need to be.
Pink, a female pop diva, quickly came up and demanded that the European Handball Federation pay their penalty, writing on Twitter, "The European handball federation should be fined for sexism."
The Tokyo Games' head of broadcasting indicated this week that their feeds will not feature sexualized photographs of female competitors, instead focusing on "sport appeal, not sex appeal."
Beach volleyball players, on the other hand, love their gear — and equipment is exactly what bikinis are to them — and choose it to more conservative attire almost every time.
WHAT RULES SAY?
The FIVB released 22 pages of uniform requirements for Tokyo, covering everything from fabric and colour to names and numbers, as well as the size of manufacturer logos. Teammates must also be compatible with each other in color.
Short sleeves and tank tops, long sleeves for modesty and long sleeves for warmth, long pants and shorts, and a one-piece bathing suit or a bikini are among the possible styles for ladies depicted in an appendix. Tank tops and board shorts are worn by the men, which can be worn over long-sleeved shirts and tights in chilly weather.
There are additional possibilities for religiously dressed codes teams.
According to the International Volleyball Federation, “the FIVB beach volleyball uniform requirements allow for a multitude of various options.” “Beach volleyball is a sport that welcomes everyone, and these universal rules ensure that our sport is culturally and religiously diverse.”
MEN’S BEACH VOLLEYBALL
Although the women's side of the sport has traditionally gotten more attention, this may be due to their dress codes—bikinis—at the Olympics but on the worldwide tour, the men wear tank tops and swimming trunks. On the AVP domestic tour, they may play shirtless. Many individuals make the decision to do so.
WHY BIKINIS?
“Beach volleyball was born in Hawaii and Southern California, as well as on the beaches of Rio de Janeiro,” Ross explained. “And then you play, and it's hot, so you go jump in the beach.”
Sand gets inside one-piece bathing suits and chafes; in fact, the players argue that the less material that may trap sand, the better. Ross and her partner Alix Klineman, who collaborated on the uniform design, particularly stressed the importance of the straps not restricting her movement or respiration.
“This is where we feel most at ease,” Klineman remarked. “In extremely hot weather, you don't need to layer up; getting sand trapped in your clothes isn't fun. But I can understand if other people choose to be more covered if that is what makes them feel more at ease.”
Beach volleyball matches take place in all kinds of weather, including rain from Typhoon Nepartak's leading edge, which soaked the Skiokaze Park site this week. The Olympic championship was held in Beijing in the midst of a downpour.
“This is just another reason why we play in bathing suits,” said American Misty May-Treanor, who got drenched but had a gold medal to show for it.
HISTORY OF THE BIKINI
The word comes from a small group of islands that were hit by a nuclear bomb. Four days after the bombing of Bikini Atoll, French designer Jacques Heim came up with the idea for the 'bikini' swimsuit. In 1949, France banned the bikini (interestingly, France recently penalised women for wearing the burkini on its beaches, alleging it was a danger to the country's secular ideals).
The clothing's origins aren't that old. While the aforementioned clothing was worn in ancient Rome, swimming in the open air was deemed prohibited in the West. Swimming and bathing outside grew more common in the 18th century, and the concept of beachwear began to make its way into fashionable choices.
Beachwear for women in Europe was figure-hugging overalls until the early 1900s, but loose chemises were also popular. However, actresses wore midriff-baring ensembles in the 1930s, and bikinis (short blouses and bottom-hugging briefs) were utilised for both underwear and swimwear within the next three decades.
ARE BIKINIS NECESSARY IN THE SPORTING WORLD?
Many say that it's more of a 'attraction' than a sports requirement. Florence Griffith Joyner wore one-legged tights with bikini bottoms in the 1980s. What happened after that was historic: her outfit choice at the 1988 Summer Olympics drew more attention than many other events at the time.
This puts a lot of pressure on female athletes to look a specific way, especially in the age of Instagram, where there is a lot of peer pressure to look and appear practically ideal, and looking less than 100 percent in revealing apparel can be uncomfortable for many.
Another argument women make in defence of the bikini is that it is primarily designed for the male gaze and has no role in the sport (Pink's retweet comes to mind). Many players, on the other hand, have defended the bikini, claiming that it is useful while playing in the sand and that it is not as restricting as some other uniforms.
The year is 2021. Women should be able to wear anything they wish. Isn't it a legitimate demand if it's a hijab, as it was in the case of Hedaya Malak, Egypt's first woman to win a medal in Tokyo, or the Norwegian squad that refused to wear bikini bottoms? It's entirely up to you now.