Sportswomen’s Apparel in the United States

This volume presents a collection of essays that explore the relationship between sporting clothing and gender. Drawing on uniform and sports apparel as a means of exploring the socio-sexual politics of contemporary US society, the contributions analyse the historical, political-economic, socio-cultural and sport-specific dimensions of gendered clothing in sport.

Part of a two-volume series (the other discussing this phenomenon in a global context), contributors cover topics such as WNBA uniform politics, military promotion, female sportscaster clothing, magazine depictions, plus-size exercise apparel, FloJo, the Skirt Chaser 5k race, and the socio-politics of the LPGA, CrossFit, roller derby, rock climbing, and more. 

As the first single compendium to discuss American sportswomen’s apparel, this collection will be of interest to practitioners and scholars of sports history, the sociology of sport, and gender/media studies.  

“This is an important collection that brings much needed critical attention to an understudied subject. At its core, the contributions demonstrate that what female athletes have worn reveals much more than the changing tastes and mores of American society. Indeed, women's sporting apparel highlights the gender inequities, sexual double standards, and body politics woven into the very fabric of sport.” — C. Richard King, Professor and Chair of Humanities, History and Social Sciences, Columbia College Chicago, USA

 

“The ways that sportswomen have chosen, or been required, to outfit themselves for competition have been scrutinized, normalized, and often criticized for at least a century. Linda K. Fuller’s impressive new collection of articles fruitfully examines this subject from historical, socio-political, and socio-cultural angles, analyzing the expectations imposed upon sportswomen as well as opportunities for subversion and change.” — Pam R. Sailors, Professor of Philosophy, Missouri State University, USA

“As a pre-Title IX athlete, I knew the quintessential girl’s sport uniform to be a one piece gym suit. Why were we forced to wear such an ugly, impractical garment when boys got to wear ‘real’ uniforms? Uniformly Discussed is an important resource that investigates the reality and changes in women’s sporting clothes, and the meanings of covering and displaying myriad women’s bodies in the realm of sport/physical activity.” — Dayna B. Daniels, Professor Emerita of Women and Gender Studies, University of Lethbridge, Canada

“A clever and timely volume, Sportswomen’s Apparel in the United States is a welcome contribution to the study of women, sport, gender, and sexuality.” — Jaime Schultz, Associate Professor in the Department of Kinesiology, Penn State University, USA

 

“This fascinating volume on uniforms and clothing for sports and exercise answers questions that have been on our minds for a long time. These historical and contemporary nuggets show the age-old tension between appearance and performance as well as women’s potential for circumventing fashion dictates and following a tennis champion’s 1916 advice: ‘Do not put your clothes above your game.’” — Linda Steiner, Professor at the Philip Merrill College of Journalism, University of Maryland, USA

“This is a collection that sport and gender scholars have been waiting for. Imbued with the vibrant curiosity and deft analytical skill that is Linda K. Fuller’s intellectual signature, this exploration of the gendered dynamics that circulate around and through athletic apparel, footwear, and uniforms offers a powerful way of understanding societal attitudes toward women in sport.” —Ellen J. Staurowsky, Professor of Sport Management, Drexel University, Philadelphia, USA

Linda K. Fuller is Professor Emerita of Communications at Worcester State University, USA.