another average american wrote:
No, I'm fine if you want to wear them; just don't make me wear them! I asked why you wanted ME to wear them, not why you wore them! The point is that they shouldn't be forced on people who don't want to wear them.
Everything that you mentioned would also apply to guys. We have stuff that jiggles too, on top, but that doesn't prevent women from racing in bras. If the best way to run fast is in bun-huggers as you suggest (and I think several female Olympic gold medalists would disagree with you) then there are plenty of ways guys could come up with to get support sufficient for wearing speedos. If the "drag factor" is such an issue, they could certainly at least do away with all the fabric in shorts that isn't providing support, so they'd have the exposure of speedos. No takers?
The fact is there are so many other variables that influence performance much, much, much more than wearing bra+buns vs. singlet+shorts. And in fact, if I'm uncomfortable with what I'm wearing, it will be a detriment to my performance.
You say we should have similar rights as guys, but doesn't that include wearing whatever uniform we want? And not being disrespected for choosing to wear the same thing as them? If it's not a beauty contest, why can't I wear what I want? What's happening is that women, not men, are being forced to wear less than what they want, and that's the very definition of anti-feminism.
Oh, and boy shorts are not the only alternative. I race in racing shorts. Wouldn't wear "boy shorts" to race in either.
Everyone should get to race in whatever racing attire they want.
Sorry, I misunderstood. OK, here's why I want you to wear bun huggers, and generally think they should be mandatory. A lot of girls feel somewhat nervous about wearing them the first time. I know I did, and so did most of my team. If we'd been given the option of shorts we would probably have worn them. And if only a few girls had picked buns they would have felt even more self conscious if the majority were in shorts, I'm grateful to our (female) athletics director and coach for mandating bun huggers, and telling the couple of girls who challenged this and asked for shorts that they were never going to be permitted to wear them.
Yes we wear sports bras, either under singlets/shimmers or as outerwear. But they're under wired etc and generally designed to hold everything in place. I don't think it would be possible to make speedos for guys that would hold everything in place for them and avoid them getting injured, plus, there are obvious issues relating to modesty that they would face because everything is external for them.
My college has a very successful men's XC team. It has a uniform, just the same as the woman's team. We have to wear buns, they have to wear shorts. The different attire stems from the fact that our bodies are different, I don't see anything unequal about this. IMO forcing girls to wear traditionally male attire such as shorts would be sexist, as would giving us a choice between shorts and buns when the guys don't have any choices. Also the college authorities are not supposed to discriminate by underfunding female sports compared with male, so they buy us good equipment and kit. Buns are the best uniform for female athletes, and that's why we're issued with then. Anyone who doesn't like them, they can find another winter sport.
