For the first time in its history, Wimbledon relaxed the dress code. Why are they so strict?
Source: Profimedia
For the first time in 146 years, Wimbledon is changed the dress code for women: female tennis players are now allowed to they wear dark colored lower parts of clothing. This move was made to relieve tennis players of the mental burden during menstruation. Sally Bolton, tournament director, said she hopes the new rule will “to help female tennis players focus solely on their performance, by removing a potential source of anxiety”.
Wimbledon is the only tournament that requires players to wear all white. Neither cream nor beige – only white color, in which all accessories must be, such as shoes, socks, caps. If there is any color detail, it must not be longer than one centimeter. That was it traditional tournament rulewhich, according to the book, is “Tennis Fashion: 125 Years of Changing Clothes”, created in the eighties of the 19th century. The white color was chosen in order to reduced the visibility of sweat stains, especially since it was then “unthinkable to see a lady sweating”. Now everything is changing, and many female tennis players have welcomed it.
“It’s absolutely something that tennis players at Wimbledon talk about. Maybe not to the media, but definitely among themselves,” tennis player Heather Botson explained last year. She added that the symptoms of menstruation already make the game difficult enough, even with the medicine to delay the menstrual cycle.
Source: Profimedia
For journalist Chris Bowers, who has written biographies of Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, this change is a case of Wimbledon bowing to social pressure. “Wimbledon was on very uncomfortable ground. I don’t think they had much choice in this respect.” The idea that female athletes are required to dress in any way other than that which best suits their requirements on the field is strange at best, archaic and sexist at worst.
It’s not just Wimbledon that enforces a dress code. The center of attention was Serena Williams who wore a special suit to win the French Open 2018. It was her first Grand Slam match since giving birth. She was banned from wearing it in future tournamentsand one commenter then wrote: “What this is really about is the policing of women’s bodies and specifically – the way black women’s bodies are different, sexualized and dehumanized”.
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But even if other tournaments enforce dress codes, Wimbledon is an outlier in terms of the rigidity of its rules. As Keren Ben-Horin, a fashion designer specializing in knitwear, tells BBC Culture: “The tennis court has always been an arena where women have challenged and pushed the boundaries set by society. As Wimbledon has always been a more traditional and conservative tournament than its American or French colleagues, it has become a stage where even the smallest expression of individualism is greatly emphasized“.
Source: Profimedia
Rules and rule breakers
According to Bauers, what is not appreciated is that “the restrictions for both men and women at Wimbledon have become much tighter since the 80s”. The strict white dress code is as much a part of the Wimbledon brand that we associate with strawberries and champagne as it is with tennis, Bowers says. He believes that Wimbledon has no reason to insist that you have to wear a certain outfit, but does it anyway.
It was June 20, 1919, when the then 20-year-old Frenchwoman Susan Lenglen appeared at Wimbledon. A scandal happened that completely changed the history of tennis. Fans of the “white sport” knew who she was, but they couldn’t believe it when they saw what she was wearing. She appeared in a short skirt, unimaginable in tennis until then. The press in Great Britain immediately characterized her appearance with the words “indecent appearance”, but Susan Lenglen did not care. She won the Wimbledon title. And the next four. She also won two trophies at Roland Garros, as well as three Olympic medals. While the English press wrote that “it is unthinkable to see underwear while a woman is playing tennis”, Susan excelled on the court.
In 1949, Gertrude “Gusie” Moran wore a dress by designer Ted Tinling, who had worked on the tournament since the late 1920s. In the US, where she played, Moran played with shorts and liked bright colors. Knowing the tournament didn’t allow color, Tinling added lacy underwear, which it did caused a media scandal for the organizers and became an excuse for his dismissal.
However, this rule was long overdue.
“Going to Wimbledon and wondering if you’re going to get your period or not is really exhausting! It’s the worst feeling in the world. You’re always wearing three different shorts or black shorts under white. I think all the women are delighted with the decision, because it will reduce the stress a lot. “Nobody wants to have spots showing at a big event like Wimbledon. It’s probably every woman’s worst nightmare,” concluded tennis player Jessica Pegula.
(WORLD)