Posted on 08/15/2016 6:54:47 AM PDT by Salvation
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.)
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.
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.
; )
So modesty is evil and anyone espousing modesty is bad, alrighty then.
2016 standard volleyball team uniforms (LINK)
It is not at all clear to me why "beach" volleyball uniforms would have to be different from these.
Clothing has many uses, one of which is to protect the skin from sun damage. This is why people in hot climates tend to wear long, loose clothes in the summertime. Think of the áo dài, the sari, etc: and the same goes for men: loose tunics, baggy pants.
There is a reasonable balance to be sought between the G-string and the burqa.
Seems that is the case.
While society plays some role in determining what is modest, some things are almost a given.
At one time, showing ankle was risque. Now it’s nothing.
But there are certain areas of the body that really are not meant for public display.
That said, knowing that men are so easily enticed by the human female body, it behooves women to dress in a way so as not to cause an undue burden on a man who is tempted in that way, or in a way so as to embarrass children. And mature women will take that into consideration. because they are not so self-centered, callous, and narcissistic as to not care how what they do affects others.
Butt cheeks showing are certainly NOT necessary in any sport. It’s not like there is the issue of *drag* in the water or some other performance issues. There is plenty of choice in sportswear that is designed to keep one cool and dry while competing in hot conditions.
With what they are wearing these days, one equipment “malfunction” and there’s a show for all the world to see.
Hey, you’re on here making sense, too.
You’ll catch it for that.
Sure, and I’d say that ostensibly healthy and wholesome women wearing comfortable clothing appropriate to the physical circumstances of their sport because they want to is exactly the sort of happy medium in between live sex shows and Islamofascist totalitarian repression.
Right - for 6x6, yeah it did get started in SoCal and was pretty much the same game that was being played indoors.
The evolution of that game to the 2 person beach game is what is frequently debated and as I mentioned, SoCal, Australia, and Brazil all argue that it became a thing in their areas first.
These outfits might be worn in order to ensure that transgender women (at least those who have not completed the “transformation”) do not sneak into the competition.
I don't see how anyone can be surprised that a Catholic Monsignior (or any religious official) is a bit put off by rampant displays of female skin. Yeah, I guess he shouldn't have brought the Burqinis into it; but I would be disappointed in a minister who didn't object to the lack of modesty some women show. Some of us here may enjoy what we see, but a minister or high religious functionary should not.
“What the Msgr. said was that the costumes of the Egyptian women demonstrate that beach volleyball costumes could be significantly more modest without detracting from performance.”
Msgr ignored the Brazilian team who wore bodysuits to pick some non-competitive team in a non-competitive uniform. It was not Alinsky to call him out for the poor choice of an example.
“Msgr ignored the Brazilian team who wore bodysuits to pick some non-competitive team in a non-competitive uniform. It was not Alinsky to call him out for the poor choice of an example.”
He wasn’t “called out” for a poor choice of example. He was accused of saying several things that he quite simply did not say.
That is pure Alinsky, and has no place in human society.
Well Monsignor Pope Ping (is the exclamation point part of his name?) can hold any opinion he likes. Long as he never gets to legislate it.
It was still a poor but deliberate choice that threw his message off course with many readers. It was his fault, and blaming others for his poor choice seems Alinksy to me.
Hopefully he will learn a lesson for the next time he wishes to mount his soapbox.
No one is forcing anyone to participate in the Olympics. I assume you’ve never played volley ball on the beach in the Equatorial heat? If so you wouldn’t be posting this nonsense.
Don’t get me started. Whoever this Msgr. Pope is, he should be ashamed for siding with Sharia Law. It is a slippery slope.
This is the religion forum.
“It was still a poor but deliberate choice that threw his message off course with many readers.”
Road apples. There is only so much a writer can do to prevent the stupid from misunderstanding and the malicious from misquoting.
“It was his fault”
Arrant nonsense.
“and blaming others for his poor choice seems Alinksy to me.”
No, it doesn’t. It’s impossible to imagine that a person in your position is unaware that he is lying.
Religious issues are not issues that are necessarily practical. They have their own perspectives and goals.
It’s not necessary to insult someone because they are simply offering a consideration of the importance of modesty in a religious context.
He could have offended these actual uniforms from the games as a comparison but he seems more interested in the stiffing outfits of the Egyptian women because he thinks they are nice and neat and modest and you can play so well all wrapped up like a mummy. And that’s more important to him then to speak out about why they are wrapped up like mummies.
Agreed.
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