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After images of the new uniform design received heavy criticism, Nike has insisted that all Team USA track and field athletes competing at the Paris Olympics will have the option of wearing unitards and brief-style bottoms or shorts.
The “first look” photo was published on Citius Mag’s social feeds on Thursday and shows a male mannequin wearing a unitard with panties on, alongside a female mannequin wearing a unitard with an ultra-high cut panty line. was.
Immediately people took to the comments section to express their concerns, including current and former track and field stars.
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“Professional athletes should be able to compete without having to constantly be on guard for their genitals or devoting their brain space to mental gymnastics that expose every vulnerable part of their bodies,” said former U.S. 5,000-meter champion. Lauren Fleshman writes. Girl: My Life in a Man’s World was published last year.
“Women’s kit should benefit their performance, both mentally and physically. If this attire was truly beneficial to physical performance, men would wear it too.”
Queen Clay, who represented the United States in the 400m hurdles at the 2008 Beijing Games, tagged the European Wax Center and offered to participate as a team sponsor.
A comment by long jumper Tara Woodhall-Davis, who is preparing for her second Olympic Games, received thousands of likes.
“Wait, here comes my hoo-ha,” she wrote.
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On the same day, various Team USA kits were unveiled to the media at the Nike Air Innovation Summit held at the Palais Brongnard in Paris, where Shakari Richardson (in shorts) and other American athletes modeled the uniforms. Served.
Although the high-cut unitard depicted on the mannequin was apparently nowhere to be seen on stage, Richardson’s track teammates Ashing Mu and Anna Cockrell were wearing briefs, and some observers He said he was still being exposed unnecessarily.
“Thong bikinis for runners…believe it or not, JAIL,” steeplechase Colleen Quigley wrote, referencing an old Parks and Recreation meme.
Reuters later reported that Nike confirmed in an email that all athletes would be given the option of briefs or shorts. The athletics kit “includes approximately 50 pieces of apparel and 12 of his competition styles for specific events.” And we plan to make our tailors available to all Olympic and Paralympic athletes in Paris.
USA Team pole vaulter Katie Moon agreed that the mannequin photo was “concerning,” but defended the brief and even interacted with X users about the matter, including one who said, “I want to do strenuous exercise. This included users who were actively debating on behalf of male athletes who believe that Crop tops. “
“If a guy who’s currently competing wants a bun or a crop top and they’re denied, that’s a problem.” I wrote moonthrough the perseverance of several saints.
“I’m not a man so I can only speak from my experience, but I’m glad women have more options.”
Of course, athletes in many other sports, such as diving, water polo, and beach volleyball, have little choice in the shape and fit of their kit.
Overly tight Lycra, see-through materials, and “wardrobe malfunctions” have all embarrassed and ridiculed athletes for years.
Moon wrote that she likes to wear buns because she wants to “minimize the amount of fabric that clings to my body when I get hot and sweaty.”
There is no doubt that some male athletes want to reduce the number of fabrics. At Rio 2016, at least one Olympic gymnast on the U.S. team said she wanted to compete shirtless.
But for American women in track and field looking at Nike mannequin images, the idea that they might be sexually assaulted or looked down upon at the 2024 Paris Games is not a given. However, it was a cause for concern.
The new design continued to dominate social media conversations through the weekend.
“This is a costume born of patriarchal forces, and bringing attention to women’s sports is no longer welcome or necessary,” Fleshman added in a post on her Instagram.
“I’m queer and I’m attracted to women’s bodies, but I don’t expect or enjoy seeing female athletes or male athletes in a position where they struggle with self-consciousness in the workplace.”
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