Why sportswomen can’t win against the dress code

Last Sunday, the Norway women’s beach handball team was fined 1,500 euros (Rs 1.31 lakh, approx) for wearing shorts instead of bikinis at the European Beach Handball Championship. Ironically, on the very same day, paralympic world champion Olivia Breen revealed that an official informed her that her “sprint briefs were too short and inappropriate” while she was competing in the long jump category at the English Championships.One would think that a dress code related to a sport would focus on the player’s comfort or their ability to play the game. And that might be the case, except if that player happens to be a woman – because then one also has to worry about other non-game-but-more-male-gaze-related matters like whether your uniform shows too much (or too less) skin, or if your bra strap is showing (a grave error that would cost female gymnasts points!), your hemline is too high and neckline too low, or if (god forbid!) the cut of your bikinis or leotards two centimetres off the mark! Don’t wanna show skin? Pay a fine & lose points!BEACH HANDBALLWear a bikini or pay up!After the Disciplinary Committee of the European Handball Federation fined the Norway beach handball team 1,500 euros (Rs 1.31 lakh, approx) for wearing shorts instead of bikinis, Norway’s Minister for Culture and Sports Abid Raja said, “It’s completely ridiculous. A change of attitude is needed in the macho and conservative international world of sport.”GYMNASTICSSkimpy leotards are ok, bra strap or wedgies aren’tWomen typically wear leotards that show the entire leg. Unitards are technically permitted but usually worn for religious reasons. At the same time, 2008 Olympic Individual All-Around Gold Medalist Nastia Liukin told a publication, “You aren’t allowed to (pick a wedgie) or else your points get deducted”. Points are deducted if your bra strap is out, she added. The Code of Points also states the leotard leg length cannot exceed the horizontal line around the leg, delineated by no more than 2 cm below the base of the buttocks, forcing many gymnasts to glue their leotards to their skin.Sarah Voss and two other members of the German women’s team at the European Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Switzerland recently wore full-body unitards as a statement against ‘sexualisation in gymnastics’. Elisabeth Seitz, one of the gymnasts, said it was to “set an example to all gymnasts who may feel uncomfortable or even sexualised in normal suits”.Showing skin? That’s against the rules too!TRACK & FIELD"I was left speechless. I have been wearing the same sprint style briefs for many years and they are specifically designed for competing in. I will hopefully be wearing them in Tokyo. It made me question whether a male competitor would be similarly criticised," says Olivia Breen, Paralympian World Champion sprinter, who was told by an official at the English Championships that her sprint briefs were “too short and inappropriate”GOLF‘No shortskirts, plunging necklines allowed’In 2017, LPGA (Ladies Professional Golf Association) released a (what many described as ‘slut-shame-y’) dress code, that included guidelines like “length of skirt, skort, and shorts must be long enough to not see your bottom area at any time, standing or bent over”. It added that “plunging necklines are not allowed.” Racerback shirts were allowed, but only with a collar. Several female golfers spoke against the inherent sexism of the rules. TENNISWhen catsuits were ‘disrespectful’ to tennisIn 2018, catsuits were banned at Roland Garros, after Serena Williams wore a Black Panther-style one designed to help avoid blood clots post-pregnancy. French Tennis Federation president Bernard Giudicelli said: “One must respect the game and the place”. As a response of sorts, Williams won a US Open match in a hyper-feminine tutu soon after. Following the controversy, in 2019, the Women’s Tennis Association introduced a more ‘progressive’ dress code, allowing leggings and mid-thigh length compression shorts to be worn without a skirt or dress.