To Defy Sexualization Of Female Gymnasts, German Females Wear Ankle-Length Outfits

To Defy Sexualization Of Female Gymnasts, German Females  Wear Ankle-Length Outfits

One of the things that makes me mad about the media is their sexualization of female athletes. They always seem to portray and highlight the female athletes for their beauty, figure, sex appeal, etc. rather than talking about their performance in the particular sport. And trust me, they are not the only ones who do this. We also are as much responsible for the sexualization of female athletes as the media is. But recently, in the Tokyo Olympics 2021, the German female gymnasts defied sexualization with their ankle-length outfits. A giant middle finger to the sexist people making the rules. 

Recently, on Sunday, the German female gymnastics team opted for ankle-length unitards to defy the sexualization of female athletes in the Tokyo Olympics, 2021. They chose to ditch the traditional bikini-cut leotards for their qualifications at the Olympics.

The German female gymnasts chose to go ahead with their ankle-length unitards to not only oppose the sexualization of female athletes but also to make a statement that a woman, or anybody for that matter, can choose to wear whatever they want to. In a statement before the competition on Sunday, Elisabeth Seitz said, “Every woman, everybody, should decide what to wear.” 

And how true are those words. The German female gymnasts first wore these ankle-length unitards to oppose sexualization in April at the European Artistic Gymnastics Championships. 

In fact, earlier in the Olympics, a female handball team was fined for not wearing bikini bottom and wearing shorts instead. We’re glad female gymnasts are speaking up against these nonsensical rules.

It is high time that we stop the sexualization of female athletes. They deserve acknowledgment and appreciation for on-field endeavors. I don’t see the male gymnasts portrayed as sexual objects the way female athletes are portrayed. In fact, we need to respect these groundbreaking female athletes that have time and again proved themselves as performance athletes and changing the game for gymnasts around the world. 

 

Ritu Sanghvi

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