Why Covering Women from Head to Ankle is Not the Answer
German Olympic uniforms seek to avoid sexualization of women
The first time my sons saw a woman sunbathing topless, we were in Germany. We had rented a hotel room in Frankfurt that had a swimming pool, and our two boys, 10 and 12 at the time, decided to cool off with a swim.
A few minutes later, they rushed back to our room.
There were naked women by the pool, they solemnly informed us.
Of course, the women weren’t completely naked. They had removed their swimsuit tops.
My husband and I have laughed in the years since then about our sons’ abrupt introduction to different cultural norms. In the United States in the nineties, women did not lounge by the family swimming pool with their breasts swinging free. Actually, they still don’t.
But in Germany, they did.
This is why it’s ironic to me that Germany tried to start a trend in the 2021 Olympics by changing the uniform of their female gymnasts. The women appeared in full-bodied unitards, and Germany’s Sarah Voss wore a full-bodied unitard again during the 2023 world championships in Belgium.
The gymnasts said they preferred long unitards and hoped other athletes would be inspired to…
