Why Are Women’s Uniforms in Track and Field High-Cut?
(日本語記事リンク)
(Note added December 20, 2022: Upon rereading, I feel somewhat disturbed by my own words. There seems to be a hint of cognitive distortion.)
About racing shorts, racing bloomers, high-cuts, and uniforms.
I watched the following video on YouTube:
Track and Field Women’s Heptathlon Long Jump
YouTube https://youtu.be/jMnWJAUNPd8
This video and others uploaded on the same channel feature female track and field athletes, and the camera angles suggest a sexual intention. Even without considering these angles, I found myself feeling sexually attracted to the female athletes while watching (here, I intentionally express it this way, but I will discuss the “evil” of expressing such inner feelings later).
Recently, there has been increasing scrutiny regarding the sexual gaze towards female athletes. Based on this video, the uniforms seem to have a function that “unduly excites or stimulates sexual desire.”
So, why are women’s athletic uniforms designed this way?
Many explanations for “separate-type” uniforms suggest that they are meant to improve performance (Why do female track and field athletes wear “separate-type” uniforms? The despicable act of taking sexual images undermines their efforts – Track and Field – Number Web – Number https://number.bunshun.jp/articles/-/846814).
However, I haven’t found explanations for why they need to be high-cut (some Yahoo! Answers mention hip joint mobility) (https://detail.chiebukuro.yahoo.co.jp/qa/question_detail/q11232529681).
Assuming that high-cut uniforms are intended to enhance performance, why don’t male athletes wear high-cuts?1
The Japan Association of Athletics Federations’ competition rules, TR5 5.1, state that “Athletes must wear attire that is clean, designed, and tailored not to be offensive. The fabric must not be see-through when wet. Athletes must not wear attire that hinders the judgment of referees.” (https://www.jaaf.or.jp/pdf/about/rule/2022/chap2_p265-275.pdf). Is it considered “offensive” if men wear high-cuts? Uniforms are likely influenced by general societal norms about clothing, which are subject to gender biases. Female athletes may be dressed in “feminine” uniforms, with “high-cut” as a part of this “feminine” concept.
Moreover, it has been pointed out that “increasing interest in the sport by appealing to male viewers, and thereby securing sponsorship and broadcasting rights, may be an underlying aim. Historically, sports uniforms have often reflected such commercial backgrounds” (https://president.jp/articles/-/48470). To what extent might male sexual desire have influenced the adoption of high-cuts?
I believe that the influence of societal norms—where “it’s normal for women to wear high-cuts, but odd for men to do so”—is more significant than male sexual desire influencing the adoption of high-cuts. In a parallel world where it was normal for men to wear high-cuts, male track and field uniforms might have been high-cut too. If high-cuts are not adopted due to male sexual desire, then it shouldn’t be a problem. However, this raises the question of whether “high-cuts” themselves are products of male sexual desire. Also, high-cuts might have become popular for emphasizing “female beauty (including sexual attractiveness),” highlighting rounded hips. Here, male and female perspectives might be mixed.
If high-cuts were introduced into sports uniforms to emphasize “female beauty (including sexual attractiveness)” due to societal gender biases, then it’s natural for men to find “female beauty (including sexual attractiveness)” in them. Even if high-cuts were not meant to emphasize “female beauty (including sexual attractiveness),” their function seems to do so, making it natural for men to perceive “female beauty (including sexual attractiveness)” in them.
Is it “wrong” for men to view female athletes wearing high-cuts with a sexual gaze? Given the functionality of high-cuts, it’s “inevitable” that men’s sexual desires are aroused. This is similar to men being “inevitably” aroused when they see women wearing revealing clothes on the street. The women’s intentions are irrelevant here.
However, expressing such arousal seems inappropriate as it could harm the feelings of female athletes who are sincerely focused on their sport without intending to display sexual attractiveness.
Thus, men find themselves in a situation where they are aroused but cannot express it (must act as if they are not aroused). How should this situation be evaluated? Further examination is needed.
Summary
I noted down my thoughts on women’s uniforms, especially high-cuts, as they raised some questions. Though no solutions have been reached, some doubts have been clarified. Despite the abrupt ending, I will stop here for now.
(Note added January 9, 2025, around 4 PM) Upon further investigation, I found that the Wikipedia article on “high-cut” has several useful descriptions (https://w.wiki/4Xnr).
Footnote
- If a man were to wear a high-leg dress like a woman’s, it would be difficult to accommodate his male genitals, and it would be significantly less functional, so it may be unfair to question why men don’t wear a high-leg dress.. ↩︎
