Women’s volleyball sports have been under public scrutiny by the center-right and far-right groups for their ‘too revealing’ outlook and unnecessary sexuality featured in the dressing to specifically attract the opposite sex spectators. They argue that the women’s beach volleyball uniforms attires are deliberately designed with minimal clothing materials to make them attractive to men and boys.
However, the advocates of short bikini uniforms, at least for the beach games argue that the sporting needs and women’s body type are well-thought-out before designing two-piece women’s beach volleyball uniforms. The supporters of bikini sports in volleyball rebut the center-right for their made-up mentality with regard to women’s sports and the sexuality factors they associate with the sports. After all, modern-day sports have been marred by the excessive branding and hot figure acceptance phenomenon in athletes, which compel women players to follow extreme fitness standards to get accepted by society and industry.
Why Women Beach Volleyball Players Wear Bikinis?
Beach volleyball is a fun sport as far as it’s on the sandy beaches. The tropical South American beaches were where it was first played and thrived. Back in the days, the players enjoyed the game on the beaches and later bathed in the water to cool off the action and sweat in the same swimsuits and bikinis they had worn during the game, which made sense as to why women beach volleyball players wear bikinis presently. The Hawaiian legacy of beach volleyball is celebrated to the fullest of its spirit worldwide with shorter shorts, bikini sportswear, and sometimes swimsuits.
Female athletes also prefer bikinis over baggy tops and shorts because players move around too much when in action. These needless fabric movements in loose fabrics obstruct players from swiftly moving around the dusty courts when moving and passing the volleyball. As long as the names, players’ numbers, and logos are perfectly visible, FIVB has no problem allowing brief uniforms for women athletes.
Reasons Why Women Beach Volleyball Uniforms are So Revealing?
Out of the multiple reasons why women’s beach volleyball uniforms are so revealing is the body type of female athletes. Women have longer legs and shorter torsos, because of which they must wear cut-out shorts and bikinis to perform with full strength and aptitude. Moreover, beach sports require nominal dressing so that it must not hinder players’ capabilities when performing in hectic sports, such as volleyball. Also, the shorter the shorts, the more it prevents sweat accumulation during the game and makes female athletes feel more comfortable amidst the dust and heat of beach volleyball.
Rules for Women Beach Volleyball Uniform
The Federation of International Volleyball has set out multivariate and all-inclusive guidelines for women’s volleyball sports, which apply to all domestic, international, and global volleyball events, including the Tokyo Olympics, held recently. According to FIVB, multiple dress codes could be implemented by respective teams considering the cultural, geographic, and religious norms of competing teams. The 22-page dress code guideline booklet by FIVB contains an extensive list of potential designs that could be worn by female athletes in the Olympics and elsewhere.
This includes short sleeves and tank tops, which are largely popular in indoor volleyball sports, long-sleeved jerseys and long pants which are worn mostly by Muslim athletes, and the two-piece bikini uniforms for indoor as well outdoor volleyball games. The looseness or tightness of the selected dress is completely reliant upon team management or players’ decision on what to wear. Sometimes, women volleyball players were also allowed to wear one-piece swimsuits if they wished. For women’s beach volleyball, bikini uniforms are considered comfier and trap less sand than other choices.
The dress code relaxation is offered to both men and women athletes. However, the game rules must be practiced in complete faith and integrity of the sports. FIVB strictly emphasizes same-color jerseys or equivalent uniforms for all team members (except for liberos who wear contrasting jerseys in volleyball).
How Women’s Beach Volleyball Uniforms can be Less Revealing?
Sometimes, women athletes do not wear underpants which leaves behind bare see-through shorts and a bikini that becomes too revealing and absurd for spectators and accompanying players. The reason behind not wearing underwear is the visibility of panty linings from outer shorts, which seems uncomfortable and makes unwelcoming visibility for some athletes. To avoid embarrassment, female beach volleyball athletes either do not wear underpants at all or they fit in smaller, less visible protectors inside the shorts that help in hiding private parts during the game. These protectors hide revealing body parts without putting on loose shorts and full-size jerseys. Meanwhile, there are several sports bikini options one can select from, which are designed to deliver comfort and be less revealing at the same time. The best sporting fabrics could be cotton, polyester, or spandex for exertive sports, such as beach volleyball.
