The Sports Bra's Supporting Role in Women's Sports
With the word “sports” within its name, it’s no wonder that the sports bra has had a direct effect on the evolution of women’s professional sports over the years. The first sports bra, initially named the “jog bra”, was created five years after the landmark legislation that is Title IX was passed. At this time, women were simply looking for an answer to the discomfort they were experiencing while performing light exercise such as jogging. Nowadays, female professional athletes and light exercisers can’t imagine performing without wearing a sports bra. The discomfort that once distracted them from their sport is now eliminated, allowing them to focus upon their actions and therefore increasing performance. Also, before the invention of the sports bra, women ran with their arms close to their chests, creating their own support for their breasts, but largely deterring from their performance in sports. The use of a sports bra allows for women to use their arms properly within sports. But actual performance is not the only aspect of women’s sports that has benefitted from the invention of the sports bra. Sports bras have lead to a greater amount of competition in women’s sports as women with any cup size can now run and play with comfort thanks to new technological advances in the sports bra industry. The more women that play sports, the more competitive these sports become and the better the performance becomes.
Recently, sports bra companies have begun targeting teenage girls. This technique is usually looked down upon because this consumer group is extremely impressionable, but the majority of companies marketing sports bras are doing it for just reasons. Renelle, one of the godmothers of the sports bra, believes that adolescent girls tend to quit sports when their chests become large because they are too self-conscious and embarrassed to participate. "They just won't go through the humiliation of playing basketball in front of their peers if they're bouncing all over the place," Renelle says. By getting more adolescent girls involved in sports, sports bras directly effect the development of sports programs and women’s sports in general.
-Brielle
Recently, sports bra companies have begun targeting teenage girls. This technique is usually looked down upon because this consumer group is extremely impressionable, but the majority of companies marketing sports bras are doing it for just reasons. Renelle, one of the godmothers of the sports bra, believes that adolescent girls tend to quit sports when their chests become large because they are too self-conscious and embarrassed to participate. "They just won't go through the humiliation of playing basketball in front of their peers if they're bouncing all over the place," Renelle says. By getting more adolescent girls involved in sports, sports bras directly effect the development of sports programs and women’s sports in general.
-Brielle
The Infamous "Sports Bra Incident"
In 1999, just before the dawn of the new millennium and a grand new era for women’s sports, soccer player Brandi Chastain scored the winning penalty kick in the Women’s World Cup. This was debatably the most important game in American women’s sports history, not because of her athletic achievement, but because of the celebration that would follow. In a moment of pure pride and ecstasy, Chastain whipped off her jersey and fell to her knees. Chastain and her victory were forever encapsulated in photographs of this epic moment. Yet when the pictures were published, no one stared at Chastain’s well-earned sweat or iconic look of success. Instead, they were focused on her black Nike sports bra. The media titled the moment a “controversy” and just as fast as her kick had hit the back of the net, her amazing athletic performance hit the backburner.
Soccer is a unique sport in which the rules for both men’s and women’s leagues do not differ very much. The sport puts them (quite literally) on very equal playing fields. In men’s soccer, it is not an uncommon practice to whip off one’s shirt in celebration when merely receiving a penalty kick. These players are never scrutinized for their actions; it is simply considered a part of the game. Chastain won the World Cup for her country, in her country (at the Rose Bowl) but will be forever be remembered for her sports bra “controversy” because the media made such a big deal about it.
Yet as much as this demonstrated the lack of gender equality within professional sports, it also brought that inequality to light so that it could be addressed. This made women’s sports and their place in society the highlight of conversation in the early 2000’s. Finally, women’s sports had a star.
Chastain’s black Nike sports bra, humble and practical yet a new symbol of power and success, was flying off the shelves of stores around the nation. Directly following the United States’ victory in the women’s World Cup, the sports bra industry in general saw a 25 million dollar increase in annual sales. But just as the title of Chastain’s book suggests, "It's Not About the Bra: Play Hard, Play Fair, and Put the Fun Back into Competitive Sports." Looking past the actual bra, its impact in this moment is what is really important. It did two incredible things for women’s sports: 1) generated a greater interest in athletics in women, demonstrated by the mass purchase of sports bras and 2) cause enough of a controversy to make people question gender equality within sports.
One of the questions that arose was women's sexuality within sports. For some time, the general assumption was that people would only watch women's sports if their outfits were revealing. To combat this, female athletes remained conservative in order to preserve their sport and gain spectators based on their talents and not their ta-tas. Brandi Chastain's shirtless moment allowed female athletes and spectators alike to realize that a bit of sex appeal wasn't all bad for the advancement of women's sports and equality.
As Williams of Burns Sports put it, "I think women have fought sexual stereotypes for a long time, and it's okay for Dennis Rodman to rip off his shirt and throw it into the crowd and parade around bare-chested. It's not okay for women to do that. There are a lot of stereotypes about women taking off their clothes, and they don't jibe with the image women are trying to promote."
That said, he added: "I think what's sexy is changing. You wouldn't classify most athletes as being in the waif mode. These are women who are toned and trained but not in that skinny model mode that magazines have glamorized for years as being sexy. A woman who is athletic and intelligent and takes great care of herself and doesn't look anorexic is just tremendously appealing."
-Brielle
Soccer is a unique sport in which the rules for both men’s and women’s leagues do not differ very much. The sport puts them (quite literally) on very equal playing fields. In men’s soccer, it is not an uncommon practice to whip off one’s shirt in celebration when merely receiving a penalty kick. These players are never scrutinized for their actions; it is simply considered a part of the game. Chastain won the World Cup for her country, in her country (at the Rose Bowl) but will be forever be remembered for her sports bra “controversy” because the media made such a big deal about it.
Yet as much as this demonstrated the lack of gender equality within professional sports, it also brought that inequality to light so that it could be addressed. This made women’s sports and their place in society the highlight of conversation in the early 2000’s. Finally, women’s sports had a star.
Chastain’s black Nike sports bra, humble and practical yet a new symbol of power and success, was flying off the shelves of stores around the nation. Directly following the United States’ victory in the women’s World Cup, the sports bra industry in general saw a 25 million dollar increase in annual sales. But just as the title of Chastain’s book suggests, "It's Not About the Bra: Play Hard, Play Fair, and Put the Fun Back into Competitive Sports." Looking past the actual bra, its impact in this moment is what is really important. It did two incredible things for women’s sports: 1) generated a greater interest in athletics in women, demonstrated by the mass purchase of sports bras and 2) cause enough of a controversy to make people question gender equality within sports.
One of the questions that arose was women's sexuality within sports. For some time, the general assumption was that people would only watch women's sports if their outfits were revealing. To combat this, female athletes remained conservative in order to preserve their sport and gain spectators based on their talents and not their ta-tas. Brandi Chastain's shirtless moment allowed female athletes and spectators alike to realize that a bit of sex appeal wasn't all bad for the advancement of women's sports and equality.
As Williams of Burns Sports put it, "I think women have fought sexual stereotypes for a long time, and it's okay for Dennis Rodman to rip off his shirt and throw it into the crowd and parade around bare-chested. It's not okay for women to do that. There are a lot of stereotypes about women taking off their clothes, and they don't jibe with the image women are trying to promote."
That said, he added: "I think what's sexy is changing. You wouldn't classify most athletes as being in the waif mode. These are women who are toned and trained but not in that skinny model mode that magazines have glamorized for years as being sexy. A woman who is athletic and intelligent and takes great care of herself and doesn't look anorexic is just tremendously appealing."
-Brielle
Brandi Chastain's explanation of her infamous moment:
It's a Woman's World: Female Athletes & The 2012 Olympics
The 2012 Summer Olympics were an incredible feat for female athletes, as well as women in general, all around the world. For the first time in a very long history of Olympic games, all participating countries had female athletes representing them. This is a radical change from just 1984, which was the first year that women were allowed to compete in the marathon. This year, Saudia Arabia, Qatar, and Brunei sent female athletes to the Olympics for the first time. The New York Times calculated that “women [comprised] more than 40 percent of the approximately 10,500 athletes at the London Games.” That’s certainly a lot of sports bras.
For the American female athletes, this was a very special success as the United States Olympic team was comprised of majorly females. With 296 female participants compared to 291 male participants, the victory was slight, but still impressive. It is an incredible demonstration of the progress that women’s sports have accomplished in the past couple of decades since the sports bra was introduced.
Yet despite these advances, there were still many set backs during this summer’s Olympic games involving female athletes and their appearances. Teen athlete Zoe Smith, a weightlifter on Britain’s Olympic team, was heavily ridiculed for her appearance during the Olympic games. She was bashed on twitter for her muscular, strong frame and “lack of femininity.” Zoe then responded,
"The obvious choice of slander when talking about female weightlifting is how they're unfeminine and girls shouldn't be strong or have muscles. This is wrong. Maybe they're right -- in the Victorian era. To think people still think like this in 2012 is laughable!"
In her tight sports bra, she did not have the feminine physique that society still expects of her despite the fact that her sport requires a much greater body composition of muscle than the average woman can attain. Zoe dismissed critics and went on to break two British weightlifting records.
-Brielle
For the American female athletes, this was a very special success as the United States Olympic team was comprised of majorly females. With 296 female participants compared to 291 male participants, the victory was slight, but still impressive. It is an incredible demonstration of the progress that women’s sports have accomplished in the past couple of decades since the sports bra was introduced.
Yet despite these advances, there were still many set backs during this summer’s Olympic games involving female athletes and their appearances. Teen athlete Zoe Smith, a weightlifter on Britain’s Olympic team, was heavily ridiculed for her appearance during the Olympic games. She was bashed on twitter for her muscular, strong frame and “lack of femininity.” Zoe then responded,
"The obvious choice of slander when talking about female weightlifting is how they're unfeminine and girls shouldn't be strong or have muscles. This is wrong. Maybe they're right -- in the Victorian era. To think people still think like this in 2012 is laughable!"
In her tight sports bra, she did not have the feminine physique that society still expects of her despite the fact that her sport requires a much greater body composition of muscle than the average woman can attain. Zoe dismissed critics and went on to break two British weightlifting records.
-Brielle
Femininity, Sexuality, and the Sports Bra
The recent Olympic games from this summer were a time of great pride and excitement for nations around the world. However, an article written by Turkish reporter Yuksel Aytug stirred up controversy during the games. Aytug claimed that the Olympics were destroying women’s femininity because of their “masculine bodies” with “broad shoulders, little waists and flat chests”. He claimed that women athletes should get more points for looking more female along with countless other sexist remarks on the appearance of female athletes. When I came across this article I was blown away by some of the things this man said, especially since these are the women that everyone should look up to the most. They are specimens in their own right, the best at what they do and by no means “manly” for being that way.
This led me to question whether this man, or most people for that fact, know what the real purpose of a sports bra is. It is meant to compress girls’ boobs down so that they are able to perform physical activities easier. This is especially true for Olympic athletes, who can’t let the issue of breasts get in their way of performing. Our societies vision of what a woman looks like in a sports bra is definitely skewed, due to things like advertisements (check media segment) and social media. But the reality of what a sports bra is meant to do can be seen on these women. It is meant to hide their boobs!
This topic also sheds light on the way people think about boobs. This man, and unfortunately others as well, see breasts as one of the more defining aspects of a woman. Most males judge a girl on her looks based on her breast size, yet girls with big breasts often don’t like the look or feel of them. While boob jobs are done everyday to make women with smaller boobs feel more confident about themselves, breast reduction surgeries are done almost as often. Ask most adolescent girls with size D or bigger breasts and as many as 80% of them will say that they wish they were smaller. Having breasts that large contribute to a number of difficulties felt in life every day, epecially when trying to work out because most times they can not find a sports bra that works for their body. Girls are often subjected to use more than one sports bra at a time or stop physical activity in its entirety because of the discomfort and difficulty felt while working out.
Another topic this irrelevant man brought up is the idea of women’s femininity or sexuality and athleticism. Unfortunately, in today’s age big boobs seem to signify a sexy woman and most women that feel that way run out to get boob jobs in order to achieve that feeling. However, what is not talked about is the way men view athletic girls, like Hope Solo or Lindsey Vonn, who are just as sexy as other women but mostly for their ability to compete in sports at such a high competition. These women may be a different kind of sexy but they are sexy none the less. Another lesser talked about point is how women with larger breasts often feel very objectified by men and the way they are treated. Ranging from the way their clothes fit to the way they wear their hair, these women can go from being sexy to trashy in just one bad outfit choice. Not to mention the way clothes don’t fit thin girls with big boobs the same way they fit thin girls with small boobs. What looks cute and classy on one girl can go in the complete opposite direction with another girl based on her body type, and lots of girls would do anything to change that. The fact is that there is different kinds of beautiful and feminine and sexy, and we can not create a prototype for any of them because it is so variant.
The remarks this columnist made about the women athletes were ridiculous and offensive however they were not unimportant. They pointed out the ignorance some people have when it comes to beauty and how one person like that can change a whole bunch of people’s minds. Especially in this day and age when media is the main source of information for what we are supposed to look and feel like. The sports bra has a single purpose, and those using it the correct way should not be penalized for it. In the video below, a famous youtube blogger, Jenna Marbles, addresses the article and her thoughts on it. I think it's safe to say she has a very large opinion on it, but I also think she says everything everyone else is thinking when they read the article.
Obviously, when something like this article is taken into consideration on an international scale, it is clear that the sports bra has effected society in a much deeper way than just to help women work out. It has created an international debate on beauty and femininity that, after seeing the responses to this article, fortunately shows that we are going in the right direction as a society.
-Shannon
This led me to question whether this man, or most people for that fact, know what the real purpose of a sports bra is. It is meant to compress girls’ boobs down so that they are able to perform physical activities easier. This is especially true for Olympic athletes, who can’t let the issue of breasts get in their way of performing. Our societies vision of what a woman looks like in a sports bra is definitely skewed, due to things like advertisements (check media segment) and social media. But the reality of what a sports bra is meant to do can be seen on these women. It is meant to hide their boobs!
This topic also sheds light on the way people think about boobs. This man, and unfortunately others as well, see breasts as one of the more defining aspects of a woman. Most males judge a girl on her looks based on her breast size, yet girls with big breasts often don’t like the look or feel of them. While boob jobs are done everyday to make women with smaller boobs feel more confident about themselves, breast reduction surgeries are done almost as often. Ask most adolescent girls with size D or bigger breasts and as many as 80% of them will say that they wish they were smaller. Having breasts that large contribute to a number of difficulties felt in life every day, epecially when trying to work out because most times they can not find a sports bra that works for their body. Girls are often subjected to use more than one sports bra at a time or stop physical activity in its entirety because of the discomfort and difficulty felt while working out.
Another topic this irrelevant man brought up is the idea of women’s femininity or sexuality and athleticism. Unfortunately, in today’s age big boobs seem to signify a sexy woman and most women that feel that way run out to get boob jobs in order to achieve that feeling. However, what is not talked about is the way men view athletic girls, like Hope Solo or Lindsey Vonn, who are just as sexy as other women but mostly for their ability to compete in sports at such a high competition. These women may be a different kind of sexy but they are sexy none the less. Another lesser talked about point is how women with larger breasts often feel very objectified by men and the way they are treated. Ranging from the way their clothes fit to the way they wear their hair, these women can go from being sexy to trashy in just one bad outfit choice. Not to mention the way clothes don’t fit thin girls with big boobs the same way they fit thin girls with small boobs. What looks cute and classy on one girl can go in the complete opposite direction with another girl based on her body type, and lots of girls would do anything to change that. The fact is that there is different kinds of beautiful and feminine and sexy, and we can not create a prototype for any of them because it is so variant.
The remarks this columnist made about the women athletes were ridiculous and offensive however they were not unimportant. They pointed out the ignorance some people have when it comes to beauty and how one person like that can change a whole bunch of people’s minds. Especially in this day and age when media is the main source of information for what we are supposed to look and feel like. The sports bra has a single purpose, and those using it the correct way should not be penalized for it. In the video below, a famous youtube blogger, Jenna Marbles, addresses the article and her thoughts on it. I think it's safe to say she has a very large opinion on it, but I also think she says everything everyone else is thinking when they read the article.
Obviously, when something like this article is taken into consideration on an international scale, it is clear that the sports bra has effected society in a much deeper way than just to help women work out. It has created an international debate on beauty and femininity that, after seeing the responses to this article, fortunately shows that we are going in the right direction as a society.
-Shannon
DISCLAIMER: This video contains a large amount of vulgarity! Despite the F-bomb being dropped a few too many times, the points being made in this video and the examples shown are extremely important to our study! Also Jenna Marbles is amazing.