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Core Content
Along with the causes of general body image concerns, there are some unique things about the sports environment that can cause athletes to experience poor body image.
There are several key influences of girls’ body image in daily life:
Portrayal of the Female Athlete
Female athletes are often portrayed in a specific, and limited, way. Coverage of women in sports is often dominated by references to appearance, age or family life, whereas men are typically depicted as powerful, independent, dominating and valued as athletes. Often, only one body type or appearance is promoted and valued in women’s sports, while the ideal in men’s sports tends to include a more diverse range of athlete body types. At times, general appearance ideals (slender, thin, ‘feminine’) do not match with the athletic ideal (muscular, strong, ‘masculine’). And often, neither of the two ideals match with the specific performance requirements of the sport!
Watch the Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport documentary "Media Portrayals of Female Athletes" to learn more!
Sport Uniforms & Workout Clothes
Compared to men’s clothing, women’s workoutclothing and sport uniforms are often:
Shorter or more tight-fitting (e.g., surfing, volleyball) and smaller (e.g., gymnastics). This can make girls and women feel less comfortable in, and more critical of, their bodies.
Lacking in range and diversity, meaning all athletes must wear the same uniform.
Available in limited size options, meaning some girls and women feel left out.
More geared towards being ‘stylish’ than towards performance, comfort and functionality.
Sport-Specific Concerns
Some sports may have a bigger effect on athletes’ body image than other sports. For example:
Sports that conduct weigh-ins with their athletes or involve ‘making weight’ practices (e.g., boxing, rowing, wrestling). Weigh-ins can increase preoccupation with weight and body shape and therefore worsen athletes’ body image.
Sports that equate performance with appearance (e.g., rhythmic gymnastics, figure skating, dancing). This can encourage only a certain type of body to be valued in such sports and can increase athletes’ appearance concerns.
Safety Concerns
Many girls report feeling unsafe or uncomfortable in physical environments that do not support girls’ safety. This is a major global issue in the daily lives of girls and women that can be exacerbated before, during or after sport. For example, girls may feel unsafe going to or from sports venues, especially while wearing tight-fitting or revealing uniforms, or if practice takes place in the evening or in poorly lit locations. During sport or physical education classes, girls might feel uncomfortable having to change if no private changing rooms are available or in mixed-gender settings.
Coaches
Coaches are on the front line and can spot different body image concerns that occur in sport, and their thoughts, words and actions can affect athletes’ body image. Coaches are powerful role models who can impact a girl’s self-confidence. Yet they often lack the education and training needed to address gender identities, stereotypes and bias. CoachingHER.com provides coaches the tools they need to effectively coach girls.
