They played in shorts rather than bikinis, and it's a bit of a revolution. "We want women to have a choice in beach volleyball," explained French athletes Alexia Richard and Lézana Placette, after winning their first match at the Paris 2024 Olympics on Monday, July 29. For the first time, the Olympics are perfectly gender-balanced, with equal numbers of men and women among the 10,500 athletes. And the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has asked the media to offer "gender-equal representation" since 2018 ("Sport appeal, not sex appeal," it said in a statement).
However, significant disparities persist between men and women, particularly when it comes to clothing. Far from being free, female athletes' clothing choices are limited by several constraints: the regulations of international federations, the offers of equipment manufacturers for each national delegation, the influence of sponsors and the social norms that guide athletes' choices.
A study of the rules and practices of eight iconic sports at the Paris Olympic Games shows that while some disciplines have come a long way, others still suffer from gender inequalities.
Sports with different rules for men and women
- Gymnastics
Leotards dominate women's gymnastics, despite the reluctance of many of the discipline's champions. At the Tokyo 2021 Olympic Games, German gymnasts opted for the unitard, a long-sleeved outfit allowed by regulations but rarely seen. "We wanted to show that every woman, everybody, should decide what to wear," said gymnast Elisabeth Seitz at the time.
While American superstar Simone Biles supported the initiative, gymnastics outfits haven't changed much since. These outfits are still considered "haute couture" pieces: In early July, the New York Times celebrated the fact that American gymnasts had already "set an Olympic record" with 10,000 crystals embedded in each leotard for Paris 2024. "Sports with an artistic dimension, on which part of the scoring is based, are characterized by a long-standing desire to differentiate women's bodies and maintain an ideal of traditional femininity," explained historian Sandrine Jamain-Samson, author of a thesis on the cultural history of sportswear (2008).
These constraints can disrupt gymnasts' performances. Many use strong glue to hold their leotards in place in order to "try to pay less attention to their pubic area during competition," explained Jamain-Samson. This concern is all the greater during menstruation: "We're scared of getting a stain, or worse, that the tampon string will stick out of the leotard," French gymnast Coline Devillard told the Huffington Post, recounting how gymnasts work together to avoid light-colored outfits when one of them is menstruating. This practice is also found in many team sports, such as football or handball.
- Beach handball
Gender disparities remain glaringly apparent in beach handball. In 2021, the Norwegian women's team was fined for wearing shorts instead of bikinis, when the rules required them to wear fitted, low-cut bikini bottoms, with a "short bra-style top."
Although the federation's rules have since evolved, they still require female players to wear a "fitted tank top" and "tight-fitting shorts," while their male counterparts can wear a sleeveless shirt and shorts. "Athletes' uniforms contribute to helping athletes increase their performance as well as remain coherent with the sportive and attractive image of the sport," justified the federation.
Béatrice Barbusse, sports sociologist at the Université Paris-Est-Créteil, criticized the dubious correlation between the attractiveness of women's sports and the "sexy image" of female players. This bias dates back to the early 20th century, when women began to take part in high-level competitions. "Female athletes are caught in an injunction to perform without renouncing their femininity, because there is a fear of the masculinization of their bodies," explained historian Florys Castan-Vicente, a lecturer at Paris-Saclay University.
Sports where stereotypes persist
- Athletics
Although no formal rules are imposed by the federation, female sprinters are commonly seen wearing a bra and briefs set. The need to manage sweat in hot conditions is combined with powerful gender norms. "Embracing this iconic outfit is a way to fit in with the group," said stylist Lucie Gigan, who is completing a master's degree in sportswear design at ENS Paris-Saclay. "They play the game," summed up Sandy Montañola, a specialist in the media representation of female athletes at the Université de Rennes-1. "Media backlash or a lack of sponsorship can quickly follow if they don't conform to femininity norms."
Social media does, however, provide opportunities for protest. In April, former American sprinter Lauren Fleshman turned to Instagram to critize the cut of the gqrment unveiled by the official equipment supplier of US Olympic athletes. But one of the most symbolic breaks from the norm remains that of Australian aboriginal athlete Cathy Freeman, who won the 400-meter race in Sydney in 2000 in a full-body suit, including hood, which she later described as a cocoon promoting her focus.
- Tennis
The International Federation imposes no dress code and makes no distinction between men and women's clothing, but skirts remain the norm for female players.
In the early 2000s, French champion Amélie Mauresmo came under fire for daring to wear shorts on the Roland Garros courts. Almost 20 years later, in 2018, American champion Serena Williams caused a sensation by opting for a full-length black bodysuit, leading to the banning of this outfit from the tournament. "I think that sometimes we've gone too far," Bernard Giudicelli, president of the French Tennis Federation, told Tennis Magazine. "Serena's outfit this year, for example, would no longer be accepted. You have to respect the game and the place."
This controversy echoes that of the 1920s surrounding Suzanne Lenglen's outfits, deemed indecent because she played in short, light skirts to free her movements. "Transgression of gender norms has a cost for champions who risk it: reminders of the norm through comments or insults, sidelining, loss of sponsors, even exclusion," noted historian Florys Castan Vicente. Castan Vicente cited the case of Violette Morris, a pioneer in the wearing of pants, who was prevented from taking part in the 1928 Olympic Games.
Sports where rules have recently changed
- Beach volleyball
Born on California beaches in the 1920s, beach volleyball has been slow to shed its gender stereotypes. It wasn't until 2012 that bikinis were no longer compulsory, and players could opt for leggings or shorts combined with short- or long-sleeved t-shirts. The rules also detail, with the aid of diagrams, any additional equipment that female athletes may adopt on the grounds of "cultural or religious beliefs." The Paris 2024 beach volleyball events, which kicked off on July 29, confirm the gradual adoption of these new outfits by female players.
- Swimming
Every year, the International Swimming Federation updates the list of authorized equipment for competition. In 2010, it banned the full-body polyurethane suits that had set so many records. More recently, in 2022, it also approved equipment advocated by certain athletes, such as swim caps designed for natural Black hair. The decision was hailed as "a precedent for the sport; for choice, inclusivity and acceptance," by British swimmer Alice Dearing, who had not been allowed to wear such a cap at the Tokyo 2021 Olympics. "Sports suits were initially designed by men for men," observed Sandrine Jamain-Samson. "Then women showed they could win medals and got a wardrobe, but it was only designed with a white population in mind."
Until the interwar period, women wore the same wide-strapped swimsuits as men. However, "the lack of distinction in dress was a source of concern: Was it a man or a woman who was swimming?" said Jamain-Samson. That's why the rule requiring a skirt of at least eight centimeters was introduced in the 1930s. This regulation was abandoned in the 1950s in favor of a more ambiguous "decency rule," which still exists today. Men, on the other hand, are not allowed to wear stockings above the navel, to avoid a return to full-body suits.
Sports with fair dress codes
- Handball
Without making gender distinctions, the handball federation requires both male and female teams to wear "identical outfits." However, achieving this equality requires intense effort, according to sports sociologist Béatrice Barbusse. Also the deputy vice president of the French Handball Federation, Barbusse recalled receiving jackets, shirts and pants from a sponsor that were "leftover small sizes from a male team of another team sport, which do not fit the uniqueness of female physiques." "If we don’t speak up, we don’t exist," she said.
"Team sports equipment tends to be male-oriented by default," added designer Lucie Gigan. "This can lead to feelings of discomfort that have an impact on the quality of play."
- Judo
The only requirement specific to judo is that women must wear a white T-shirt under their kimono. However, this provision is not controversial. "It's seen as a mark of modesty, in a positive sense, to protect women," explained Jamain-Samson. "The kimono neutralizes any form of sexualization of the body. What matters here is to see the opponent fall."
This does not prevent the sport from being affected by gender issues, such as the challenge of wearing a white kimono during menstruation. Blue kimonos, introduced at the Paris Tournament in 1997 to better distinguish opponents, initially aroused the reservations of traditionalists, but are now seen as a step forward for women.