Beach bums at the Olympics
Ok I might be sounding old and prudish, but check the double standard here!
Photo Credit: The Associated Press versus…
Photo Credit: The Associated Press
The men’s beach volley ball players are clad in long shorts and shirts, while the women wear the smallest, tightest bikini bottoms and sports-bra bikini tops.
Now the women don’t seem to mind. In this Today Tonight article, Aussie competitor Tamsin Barnett says: “It just feels natural to be wearing a bikini out here; it’s nice to have the feeling of not having clothes all around you actually.”
Well that might be the case, but then why is the men’s regulation apparel considerably more covering? Surely it’s most unfair if they are used to playing in a speedo?
Is their clothing more considerable to be able to accommodate sponsor brands? Or do the men prefer not to be sexualised, but rather seen as professional athletes?
Clearly sex sells and you have to wonder whether female beach volleyball would be so popular if players wore shorts and t-shirts. So it is in the sponsors’ interests to keep it as skimpy as possible.
It’s not really in the players’ interests though. Surely it’s not very comfortable to throw themselves around the courts, diving and skidding in sand and getting in stuck to their sweaty bodies?
At least they don’t need to be self-conscious about their bodies when they are as toned and tanned as they are, but what about wedges, chafing, over-exposure, not to mention the sun burn, sun spots, risk of skin cancer?
And what about the reality that the viewer’s attention is as much on their bums as it is on their game? The truth is, when you put it out there people notice and people comment.
I was at a BBQ last night and a couple of the guys were saying: “I don’t actually like their bodies — they are too ‘trunky’.” Now I feel a bit sorry for them having their bodies scrutinised like this; after all, they are sports people not models.
But maybe it’s time for them to wise up — and perhaps feel a tad exploited. They should be treated with the same respect as any other athlete representing their country. And at the moment, the sport itself isn’t given due respect. Rather it’s an ogle-fest. I think the girls need to get real and professionalise their sport. By even wearing the same as the runners, will go a long way to achieving this.
