A sartorial contrast in the sporting contest between Egyptian and German women who came to compete at beach volleyball in Rio:
I found the best picture from the #Rio2016 #Olympics brought to you by #EGY vs #GER #volleyball 👏🏼⬇️ https://t.co/9LlO7S5aRx
— ((( Rebecca ))) 🍀 🏀 (@dorothyofisrael) August 8, 2016
Olympic image of the day: Beach Volleyball, Germany v Egypt. (Germany won). pic.twitter.com/hagiTmDYAl
— Rolf Klischewski, M.A. (@gamesl10n) August 8, 2016
Our world…
(Foto: AFP #Rio2016 #Olympics2016, women beach volleyball, Egypt vs. Germany) pic.twitter.com/9p3PuHmSvW— Rumpelstilzchen (@Apasu1313) August 8, 2016
I’ve seen feminist scholars critiquing minimalist western uniforms as gender shenanigans at play, wherein patriarchy requires women to put their bodies on full display for the sake of satisfying the male gaze. I’ve also seen (somewhat more often) freethinkers and anti-theists railing against the cultural requirements of feminine modesty under Islam, whereby a male-dominated religious ethos demands that women thoroughly cover themselves, for the sake of avoiding the male gaze. It is especially intriguing to see both problems raised simultaneously on the same playing field.
Is one set of cultural norms superior here? Is either nation doing a better job of allowing women to choose for themselves? What other terminal values should be in play? Please leave a comment below.
