Are we seeing the turning of the tide towards true equality in sport for women? There have been some positive recent developments for women in sport, including the “game-changing” new domestic broadcast deal for the Women’s Super League that will see matches shown by Sky Sports and the BBC over the next three seasons, believed to represent the biggest domestic TV deal for a professional women's soccer league.
At Wimbledon this year, the men’s final was umpired by a woman for the first time in its 144 year history whilst in Tokyo, Team GB was represented by more female athletes than male athletes at a Summer Olympic Games for the first time in 125 years. The Tokyo Games are also the first to boast an almost equal representation of male and female competitors (51% to 49%).
These are undoubtedly positive moves, and ones which may have seemed unattainable not that long ago. In Seoul 1988, just over 30 years ago, only 26% of competitors were female. However, undermining these notable ‘firsts’ are incidents of female athletes being sexualised and subjected to inappropriate and unnecessary attention with regards to their clothing and appearance. These incidents are unfortunately clear reminders that sport still has some way to go to reach true equality, including in particular the sexualisation of women, which remains all too prevalent in sport.
British Paralympian and world champion, Olivia Breen was told by a female official at the recent Muller British Athletics Championships, just after she had finished her long jump competition, that her briefs were “too short and inappropriate”, leaving Olivia understandably “speechless”. Olivia commented that “it made me question whether a male competitor would be similarly criticised” and added that “women should not be made to feel self-conscious about what they are wearing when competing but should feel comfortable and at ease”.
Meanwhile, the Norwegian women’s beach handball team was fined €1,500 (£1,296) by the European Handball Federation (EHF) for “a case of improper clothing”, when they chose to wear shorts instead of skimpy bikini bottoms. Their shorts were apparently not skimpy enough, whereas the main stipulations for the men’s team are that their shorts are 10cm above the kneecap and “not too baggy”. This begs the question, how necessary are these bikini bottoms, given that the male players seem to manage fine with their shorts and vests. The EHF’s actions seem to suggest that the clothing stipulations come down to sexualising the female body which appears to contradict the values it claims to stand for. On the EHF’s own website, beach handball is described as “a unique, family sport available for everyone to enjoy.” It is however questionable how its actions are helping to promote a family sport and to encourage women and girls to participate in the sport.
Another recent example of sexualisation of female athletes, involved Johanna Färber, a female climber. In June of this year, the live broadcast feed of the bouldering semi-finals at the International Sport Climbing Federation (IFSC) World Cup in Innsbruck was temporarily removed from the Federation’s YouTube channel and edited after complaints over inappropriate footage of Johanna. The host broadcaster, ORF, showed a slow-motion sequence lasting around 5 seconds zooming in on chalk handprints on her backside while she competed in the women’s bouldering semi-final. Johanna described the footage, which was subsequently edited out, as “disrespectful and upsetting” and commented that “we need to stop sexualising women in sports and start to appreciate their performance.”
It is however encouraging to see that the recent actions of a number of female athletes, including the Norwegian women’s beach handball team and a number of German female gymnasts appear to be the potential beginnings of a movement, of sportswomen taking a stand and speaking out about sexualisation of female athletes. The German female gymnasts wore a full-body suit during the women’s qualification in the Tokyo Olympics, the same suit as they wore during the European Athletic Championships in April 2021. Until then, women gymnasts had only covered their legs in international competitions for religious reasons. Three-time Olympian Elisabeth Seitz said it was “about what feels comfortable” and “we wanted to show that every woman, everybody, should decide what to wear”. In a sport that has suffered from horrendous stories of abuse of women athletes, it was a brave and pioneering decision to take that stance on a global stage. Those gymnasts, along with the Norwegian women’s beach handball team, have initiated an important conversation about the sexualisation of female athletes in sport, and how it relates to their kit.
The Tokyo Games Head of Broadcasting, Yiannis Exarchos, also promised less lewd coverage of women athletes, with fewer close-ups on parts of the body in the coverage of the Olympic Games. He also spoke about the “concerted effort to ban sexualized images of female athletes” abiding by the mantra “sport appeal, not sex appeal” at the Tokyo Olympics.
Before the Tokyo Games began, the International Olympic Committee released an updated version of the ‘Portrayal Guidelines’ (Guidelines) to help orchestrate ‘gender-equal and fair’ broadcasts ahead of the competition. There is a new added section within the Guidelines, which includes a practical checklist and advice to sports media, such as recommendations that broadcasts ‘do not focus unnecessarily on looks, clothing or intimate body parts’ especially if it does not relate to an athlete’s performance and ‘avoid passive sexy imagery of sportspeople which reinforces stereotypes’. The fact that the IOC considered it necessary to include this section within the Guidelines to remind broadcasters of their responsibilities in this regard is a clear acknowledgement that there is a real problem around the sexualisation of female athletes. However, it is encouraging that this real issue has been acknowledged and positive steps are being taken to tackle it and encourage broadcasters to focus on what is important in the Games – the actual sport being performed and the incredible individual achievements.
It is also important to understand the impact on the athletes themselves, as conveyed by Olivia Breen and Johanna Färber as well as the Norwegian women’s beach handball team following their recent experiences. In a recent article in The Telegraph, Jessica Ennis-Hill, one of our greatest British female athletes, shared how she “lived in fear of a wardrobe malfunction” and commented that “athletes should be able to wear what they want”. Jessica explained how she often felt self-conscious when competing in running knickers, the standard uniform in women’s athletics and added that conversations needed to be had between female athletes, governing bodies and kit manufacturers to understand how athletes feel in their kit and particularly from the perspective of feeling sexualised. When competing, all athletes, including women, should feel comfortable, dignified and supported by their kit. They should be free to focus on their own performance and not worry about being exposed to the world or body shamed or feeling sexualised.
All of this attention on women’s outfits and bodies, is detracting from and undermining women’s sport and it is holding women’s sport back. It is astounding to think that in 2021, we are still witnessing the sexualisation of female athletes and hearing stories of female athletes being subjected to fines and inappropriate comments and attention relating to their clothing on the field of play. Women are there to compete, to be applauded for their strength, skills, determination and success, not to be judged on their appearance or a piece of clothing they are sexualised through.
This feels like a pivotal time when it comes to women speaking out about their bodies and kit and feeling empowered to wear outfits that they feel comfortable in and that enable them to perform at their best. We should admire and applaud these female athletes using their voice to start to bring about change and hope that others will have the courage and confidence to join them. The more this can happen, the more that others will hopefully feel empowered to speak out too and the greater the pressure will be on the governing bodies, international federations, kit manufacturers, sponsors and media to pay attention and for real change to happen. It is time to focus on the sport.
