Modesty and Beach Volleyball

Archdiocese of Washington ^ | 08-14-16 | Msgr. Charles Pope

[Salvation]

Modesty and Beach Volleyball

Msgr. Charles Pope • August 14, 2016 •

One of the less edifying aspects of the Summer Olympics in Rio is the attire of the women’s beach volleyball players from Western countries. Most of the women wear a tiny bikini with the bottom being especially tiny. (I do not show a picture here because I deem it immodest to do so. Instead, I show a picture of some of the men, whose attire I mention below.)

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Frankly, playing volleyball in a tiny bikini seems quite unnecessary. I would argue that it detracts from the sport because it distracts from the sport. The attention doesn’t seem to be drawn to the ball, shall we say. I would further argue that the attire encourages the focus not even on the women, but on certain aspects of the women’s bodies.

I can understand that swimmers (male and female) wear tight and sometimes abbreviated swimsuits to lessen drag in the water. Gymnasts, too, often wear brief and/or tight clothing to improve their performance and maximize the mobility of their limbs. The clothing is thus at least somewhat performance related.

But I can see no performance enhancement brought about by the wearing of tiny bikinis. Some will point out that the bikini top in question acts as a sports bra. Fine, but men wear supportive attire, too; but they do so under their shorts, not out in the open.

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The Egyptian women’s beach volleyball player shown in the above photo illustrates that it is possible to compete quite well without wearing a bikini. One could argue that having short sleeves and shorter leg coverings might be cooler for the players. The impact on performance of wearing the hijab is debatable, but it is worn tucked in and did not seem to bother the women who wore it. These women played and competed well in a sport that is relatively new to their country and region.

Men’s beach volleyball attire also illustrates that near nudity is not required to play the sport well. The men do not play wearing tiny swimwear. They wear ample shorts along with t-shirts or tank tops.

I realize that each time the question of modesty has come up on this blog there are some readers who want to dismiss such discussions and emphasize the right of people to dress as they please. They believe that any sexual temptation aroused is almost wholly the fault of the viewer, not the one wearing the attire.

Modesty should avoid excessively burdening people. It seeks a middle ground wherein the one who dresses and the other who sees share responsibility. The one wearing the attire should not be burdened with difficult requirements, nor should the viewer be burdened by facing undue temptation. Mutual charity and concern are the goals.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church speaks of modesty as protecting the mystery, chastity, and dignity of the human person.

Modesty protects the mystery of persons and their love. … Modesty protects the intimate center of the person. It means refusing to unveil what should remain hidden. It is ordered to chastity to whose sensitivity it bears witness. … Modesty is decency. It inspires one’s choice of clothing. It keeps silence or reserve where there is evident risk of unhealthy curiosity. It is discreet (CCC 2521-2522).

As always, comments are appreciated, but I have found in the past that discussions about modesty are often difficult to have in a way that is helpful or charitable. Reasonable people may differ on the details of modesty. Modesty does involve a range of options, influenced by circumstances and the sensibilities of cultures. I have articulated here that I see no need for tiny bikinis in this sport and that I think more modest attire is important. If you disagree, please explain the relationship you see of the brief bikini to the sport, considering that men in general and women from other cultures who compete do not see the need to wear so little. If you agree, please remember in your comments that the imputation of motives to individuals is a sketchy and usually uncharitable thing to do. Everyone, please use care when commenting.

[Tucker39]

I see where the TV ratings for the Olympics are waaaaay down. Apparently, the skimpy attire isn’t all THAT alluring.

[Zionist Conspirator]

"Beach volleyball" is a joke. There's no excuse for a "beach volleyball" competition separate from regular volleyball other than to ogle the players. It never should have been made an Olympic sport.

And unfortunately, that's about all they're showing on TV.

[little jeremiah]

And not just Christianity. Judaism, Buddhism and Hinduism (and most likely Sikhs as well) also consider modesty in dress a virture. It’s universal morality. Which is not scorned and spat on, along with many other basic human values that keep humans human.

[Mollypitcher1]

Well it should matter. Priests can be out of line just like anyone.

[little jeremiah]

Two points:

Modesty in dress as a general principle is really what is important, not what one sports team wears at the 0lympics.

And two, if a Catholic monsignor or ANYONE ELSE says something true, then it’s true. No matter who says it.

[metmom]

The Egyptian women’s beach volleyball player shown in the above photo illustrates that it is possible to compete quite well without wearing a bikini.

Does not equate to endorsing playing in muslim garb(age).

He is simply making the point that the next to nothing skimpiness of the women's beach volleyball attire is not required to compete well.

And it's a valid point. He's right about it.

[LRoggy]

“There’s no excuse for a “beach volleyball” competition separate from regular volleyball other than to ogle the players.”

Actually the reason that it is in the Olympics is that it draws a higher TV rating in general than the indoor game does. After the dominance of the US Men’s team in the 1980’s an indoor professional league was started to try to capitalize and it failed miserably. The beach game was placed on national TV and the ratings were pretty good until they over-saturated the market.

I’m not sure about the ratings in this Olympics but over time the beach game has proven more popular with the viewing public, probably because the matches are not nearly as long as for any other specific reason. It’s also a FAR easier game to understand for the casual fan than the indoor game is, where if you haven’t played at a high level it would be difficult to understand what each team is trying to accomplish.

[HangUpNow]

It’s called a cassock — not a dress.

Thank you for the definition.

Because the Monsignor chose to target beach volleyball bikini as "unnecessary" and "immodest," can you explain the immodesty of sporting such flashy vain-glorious outfits that the Catholic leadership hierarchy traditionally wears? Why is it acceptable attire for men who are supposed to exemplify humility and modesty? Embellished by jewelry, huge crosses and hats?

I would make this very same challenge to Charismatic Protestants.

[HangUpNow]

The msgr. seems to think that the word “modesty” applies only to sexuality but doesn’t seem to realize that it also applies to humility and moderation.

Well stated, succinctly put.

[AnotherUnixGeek]

The one wearing the attire should not be burdened with difficult requirements, nor should the viewer be burdened by facing undue temptation.

What undue temptation? What will such a viewer do? Renounce his marital vows and fly down to Rio to proposition a female volleyball player?

If a viewer is so moved by the sight of the female form that he is tempted to violate morals and ethics, that is entirely the problem of the viewer, not of the viewed. This is no different than saying that I should not go out wearing a fine watch because I may tempt someone into stealing my watch, or stealing a watch from someone else. This is victim-blaming and Islamic Shariah pretzel-logic, and I want no part of it.

[webstersII]

“I guess none of them are interested in the virtue of modesty which leads to the virtue of chastity.”

If it were only that simple. But it’s a question of men’s hearts more than it is what women are wearing.

[chajin]

With all the issues going on in the world, the Catholic church needs to weigh in on athletic-wear...

In "chonmage dramas" (Japanese movies or TV shows set in the samurai era), the climactic scene is generally one or two "good guy" samurai surrounded by a greatly-outnumber-ing circle of "bad guy" samurai. (For an example of this, go here, starting around 2:10.) This is a fairly accurate picture of the church surrounded by the forces of sin, and we can't discount any of them: while we attack the antichrist forces of Islam, and the antichrist forces of Marxism, and the antichrist forces of homosexuality-worship, we cannot allow ourselves to be blindsided by the antichrist forces of immodesty and temptation to adultery, which Christ Himself defines as looking at a woman with lust in your heart.

And I would take this a step further. One reason some are being lured into the antichrist heresy of jihadism is the unnecessary immodesty and sex-soaked culture that is what used to be Euro-American Christian society. They replace a truth, that indeed Western society is immodest and sex-soaked, with a giant lie, that the solution is to destroy the West and replace Christianity with Islam. It is not by any means the only reason for jihadism, but remember the analogy of the surrounded samurai, that the church is beset by hordes of devils, and all of them must be fought, all the time, with the weapons of the Spirit.

[Mollypitcher1]

I doubt there is anything you could teach me about modesty or Christianity. My entire problem with this Msgr Pope is bringing up a comparison of Western Women with Egyptian Women in this day and Time when Muslim Lovers are trying to destroy Western Civilization. He could very well spend his time condemning Muslims for their cruelty and bloodthirstyness as well as their desecration of women instead of pick his subject on the garments worn in a BEACH VOLLYBALL game. FOCUS on the REAL INTENT of his article! What lies between the lines?

[Mollypitcher1]

I doubt seriously that the picture is of a BEACH VOLLEYBALL game. In any case the long sleeves are ridiculous.

[Carpe Cerevisi]

Perfectly said...bravo!

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

Ever try playing professional beach volleyball on hot sand in summer?

Kind of makes me wonder why the Brazil Women's team decided to wear long sleeves and long legged outfits in their match against Russia last night. It was quite warm and the outfits made no sense.

Maybe they took a hint and covered up for once.

[dangus]

>> And do you really think the Egyptian’s clothing was either comfortable or aided in their endeavors? <<

Did it aid in their endeavors? Probably not; the point was only that it wasn't harmful. Covering the elbows and knees probably isn't a great idea, but Msgr. Pope certainly isn't calling for that.

Comfortable? Probably more than you think. Ever see the uniforms bicyclists wear in the hot, July sun of France? Believe it or not, there are better options for keeping cool than exposed skin.

>> Sorry, I’ve worn too many uniforms in sport to buy that lie. <<

Believe it or not, the legs on this woman's outfit are not for modesty, but for performance:

[LRoggy]

“The Egyptian women’s beach volleyball player shown in the above photo illustrates that it is possible to compete quite well without wearing a bikini.”

No, they DIDN’T compete quite well.

They were 0-3 in pool play and didn’t come close to winning a game. Their matches didn’t last 40 minutes. In the modern era of rally scoring it’s pretty hard to not at least threaten a win in ONE game.

The finished tied for last. And none of the teams that beat them made the quarterfinals so you can’t even blame the draw.

[Chuckster]

I wonder why the male runners all wear mid thigh length shorts and full length tank tops while the women runners wear bikini bottoms and crop tops. It would not seem to be a matter of practicality or comfort. If so, would not the men be wearing speedos?

[webstersII]

“This is victim-blaming and Islamic Shariah pretzel-logic, and I want no part of it.”

Well stated. A significant number of people on FR think men are animals. That attitude gets old.