phosphorusAris has long been known for its avant-garde fashion. Yet it’s hard for the fashion industry to produce something as confusing and controversial as the Team USA track and field uniforms that debuted in the City of Lights last week.
Team USA’s men’s track and field uniforms are nothing fancy: standard shorts and a tank top. But when it comes to their female counterparts, everything Go and see, especially in the lower areas.
When reigning 800-meter Olympic champion and Nike athlete Athing Mu designed briefs for Team USA (fellow runner Sha’Carri Richardson opted for shorts), the scene brought back memories of the Rio Olympics: New The Team USA uniforms are perfect for the Brazilian beaches. Citrus magazine further highlighted the design flaw by tweeting an image of a mannequin displaying the uniform and suffering from severe camel toe.
Uniforms are a step backwards on multiple levels. Fashion-wise, they’re a cross between the tights worn by aerobics enthusiasts in the 1980s and the Baywatch costumes of the 1990s. Aside from the workout leotards paired with corsets, Baywatch is low-key porn.
When it comes to the growth of women’s sports, it’s one step forward, two steps back. A commenter on X said it best: “Men can worry about their sports performance, while women have to worry about abrasions, genitals not falling off, bikini hair removal, etc. Opportunities are absolutely equal.”
Nike defended itself by pointing out that Team USA athletes can choose not only briefs and shorts but also a variety of other clothing combinations.And reigning Olympic pole vault champion Katie Moon criticized this concept Think uniforms are sexist. “Whether we feel best in a potato sack or a bathing suit while competing, we should all support autonomy,” Moon, who is sponsored by Nike, wrote on Instagram.
But many Olympians were shocked or confused by the cut of their underwear, with long jumper Tara Davis-Woodhall memorably stating, “My hoo-ha’s gonna be out.”
The controversy comes at a fascinating moment in the development of women’s sports. The reveal of the Nike uniforms comes just days after the NCAA Basketball Championships, a major event in American sports where the women’s finals attracted more television viewers than the men’s finals. The standout star of that final, Iowa’s Kaitlin Clark, appeared on this weekend’s “Saturday Night Live” to call out actor Michael Che for his misogynistic jokes about women’s basketball. There’s no need to explain who she is, as has been the case with women’s basketball stars in the past: In terms of basketball star power, Clark is probably second only to LeBron James right now. Her mocking of Che instilled a sense of empowerment among her fans.
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But when I see these Nike underwear, the first word that comes to mind isn’t “empowerment.” If some track and field athletes do feel more comfortable with the cut, then their strength will be greater. Wear them during the Olympics. But for Nike, promoting bikini bottoms instead of just shorts is troublesome. Young female athletes who look up to these Olympians already have to deal with conforming to body stereotypes and self-esteem issues. Then their menstrual cycle begins and they have to deal with all kinds of hormonal and self-aware moments. There’s a reason girls are more than twice as likely as boys to drop out of sports before the age of 14.
There have been many encouraging developments in women’s athletics, particularly in football, with clubs around the world doing away with white shorts. Coincidentally, Nike is one of the companies offering clothing with built-in period protection. The Olympic platform is huge for the expansion of the Nike One Leak Protection line. Instead, we have bikini bottoms. sigh.
Did Nike even launch this track and field gear through focus groups? The book’s release comes on the heels of another issue surrounding Nike. The company’s MLB uniforms have been a disaster this season. The pants and jerseys are different shades, the font is too small, and despite Nike having such fancy technology, its MLB uniforms seem to lack basic sweat-resistant materials.
But these are two different questions. One seems to stem from incompetence, the other from sexism. Both problems are easy to solve, especially for a company worth $138 billion. But maybe Nike doesn’t care. Maybe all that financial runway means it’s likely to take on more risk. Ultimately, despite the missteps, more publicity meant Nike won. It remains to be seen whether U.S. Olympians will be able to compete in the new suits without making a fuss.
