Appearances at the Olympics

Discrimination at the 1912 Games

Women competed in swimming events for the first time at the Olympics in 1912, but none of them were American. Female U.S. swimmers were forbidden to take part in the 1912 Games in Stockholm due to immodest swimming attire. However, men began to wear increasing smaller swimwear. This hypocritical attitude clearly exemplifies the rather arbitrary nature of the socially construed concepts of what is acceptable for men and women. In The Question of Difference Chris Weedon explains that “gender difference…is not naturally given but it is an effect of relations of knowledge and power which permeate all areas of life.” It is astonishing that gender difference not only has the ability to impact something as trivial as what is deemed as acceptable attire, but is also so powerful to bar an athletic team from competing in competition.

2012 Olympic Women's Volleyball Uniforms

 Bikini Bottoms Prime QR Code Real Estate

"London, England is gearing up for the 2012 Summer Olympics which get under way in July and in anticipation of things to come, the women's British beach volleyball team is pulling out all the stops, including attraction to their bottoms which feature a convenient QR Code."

The controversy over the use of bikini bottoms as a space for advertisement is an interesting one. From one point of view it, illustrates the objectification of women present in our society and the long standing view that women's volleyball is valued more for the nearly-nude women than the action of the game.  Conversely, the British duo sporting these scanty ads are in actuality renting out this space, and making a large amount of money by doing so.  This embrace of sexuality in order for financial gain seems to parallel sentiments discussed within Hip Hop Feminism.

U.S. Figure Skating Clothing Regulations

FROM THE 2013 OFFICIAL U.S. FIGURE SKATING RULEBOOK
5030 Clothing and Equipment – Pairs
5031 The clothing of the competitors must be modest, dignified and appropriate for athletic competition, not garish or theatrical in design. Clothing may, however, reflect the character of the music.
A. The skating clothing worn in actual competition may not bear any form of advertising. However, warm-up suits may bear the name of a sponsor when a team is on the ice. The sponsor’s name must not exceed 4.65 square inches (30 square centimeters).
5032  Clothing must not give the effect of excessive nudity inappropriate for athletic sport. Accessories and props are not permitted.
5033 Men must wear trousers; no tights for men are permitted. Ladies may wear skirts, trousers and tights (including unitards).

The 2013 Official Figure Skating Rulebook clearly stipulates what both men and women are mandated to wear in competition, including the Olympics.  However, what the handbook fails to do is to clearly state a definition of "man" and "woman."  This raises questions as to how someone living in a biologically male body who identifies as a female would abide by the guidelines.  Furthermore, those born with even more biologically ambiguous sexes may face further confusion.  While the International Olympic Committee did formulate rules for some transsexuals to compete in the 2004 Summer Games, individual sporting committees have failed to make accommodations and clarify language allowing for a greater ease of diversity among their competitors.  It will be interesting to see what changes will be made in the future, as the LGBTQ community begins to garner more attention.  

 

 Controversy Over Athlete's Hair

Gabby Douglas Takes Two Olympic Golds—And Hair Criticism

by Allison Samuels

Douglas’s unique and inspiring story—she’s one of the few African-American gymnasts ever to compete in the Olympic Games and the first black woman to take the all-around individual title—has helped her capture the covers of Time and Sports Illustrated. Even President Obama called her to congratulate her on her gold medals. But on social-media outlets such as Twitter and several black blogs, it’s her ponytail, and not her dominance at the London Games, that seems to have become the focal point.

“I love how she’s doing her thing and winning,’’ says 22-year-old Latisha Jenkins of Detroit told The Daily Beast. “But I just hate the way her hair looks with all those pins and gel. I wish someone could have helped her make it look better since she’s being seen all over the world. She representing for black women everywhere.’’

The 4-foot-11 Douglas appears to have chemically relaxed natural hair, to which she has added a human-hair ponytail for height. She apparently then slicks her hair back with a heavy layer of gel to encourage it to stay in place during her high-energy performances.

Hair is always a sore spot for black women culturally, but it has often reached a fever pitch when it involves women of color engaging in sports and other demanding physical activities. Gold-medal-winning track star Wilma Rudolph rocked a frizzy short perm during the 1960 Rome Olympics, while Flo Jo began her Olympic journey with a cropped cut layered perm on the track. By the 1984 Games in Los Angeles, the iconic late track star progressed to a flowing mane of hair extensions and even longer fingernails that became her trademark. Venus and Serena Williams have worn beaded braids on the tennis courts for years and faced critical commentary about their looks as a result.

It is quite disappointing that such enormous accomplishments can be overshadowed by something as trivial as one's hairstyle.  More shocking is the realization that if Gabby Douglas were a young Caucasian women, few would have much of an opinion regarding her appearance.  While the 2012 Games gained a reputation as forum for female empowerment,  this is clearly nothing more than an idealization.  While Caucasian women competing in the Olympics may have only had to overcome the physical hardships presented by their individual sports, and intersectional examination suggests that African American women are placed in a much more difficult position in which they are deemed responsible for representing both their race and gender concurrently.

Religious Complications

In many ways the 2012 Games was a groundbreaking event for women across the globe.  Unfortunately, an intersectional approach to the examination of Muslim women at the Games shows that many complications still exist.  Wojdan Ali Seraj Abdulrahim Shahrkhani, the first Saudi woman to compete at the Olympics, faced incredible hardships before competition even began.  Due to her religion and cultural customs, Shahrkhani wears a traditional scarf called a hijab which covers the hair and neck.  However, though other women have competed in major judo competitions wearing hijabs, the Olympic Committee would not allow it.  Ultimately, Shahrkhani was allowed to wear a tight-fitting skull cap which bears little resemblance to her traditional garb. Shahrkhani overcame seemingly overwhelming odds simply by attending the Olympics as a Saudi woman, however, the controversy regarding her appearance shows that as a Muslim woman she is bound to face further challenges in the future.  One can only speculate how the International Olympic Committee will take into account such issues, and exactly how long is will take for Muslim women to feel that they have attained equality in the Games.